Well, the game was closer than it should have been with the way Indiana held on to the ball.  Make that, the way they didn't hold on to the ball.  The Pacers committed 22 turnovers (a season high already!) and it helped the Pistons win 100-94.

One thing that continues to impress me about the Pistons is their balance.  On some nights, they have a guy that will go nuts with scoring, but usually there is a balance of scoring throughout the team.  Last night was one of those nights.  Tayshaun Prince led Detroit with 19 points and Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups followed up with 15 and 13 respectively. 

A few other things about Detroit:

• I'm not impressed with Amir Johnson.  He started and played 21 minutes.  He ended up with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  Maybe I was expecting an offensive explosion, but he reminds me more of Ben Wallace after watching this game.  Of course, it was the first game.
• Kwame Brown continues to suck and be a bust.  3 minutes logged for the former 1st pick in the draft.
• Rodney Stuckey, Aaron Afflalo, Walter Hermann, Antonio McDyess, and Jason Maxiell as the second rotation...should give plenty of teams some trouble this season.

Now, on to the Pacers.  They really didn't play bad aside of the turnovers.  They shot well (33 of 67 from the field), they rebounded well (40 to 38 in favor of Detroit), and they played good defense (8 blocks and 7 steals).  Again, with the turnovers, this game was still close.  The 22 to's turned into 20 points for the Pistons and gave them plenty of fast break opportunities.  However, the Pacers forced their own share of to's too.  They scored 17 points off of the 15 Detroit turnovers.

Danny Granger was absolutely a beast last night.  He scored 33 points, had 5 boards, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.  I think if anyone had any doubts about his abilities before the season, then they should be a little less doubtful today.

Overall, the team looked good, but can get a ton better and I see that happening.  With no Mike Dunleavy, the Pacers only played 9 players and had Jarrett Jack and TJ Ford on the floor at the same time in parts of the game.  The second unit will develop a go to guy and things will settle down quite a bit.

*  The loss broke a string of six season openers that Indiana had won.