Many of the same faces will greet Detroit Pistons fans when the team begins its season at Little Caesars Arena. The Brooklyn Nets are up first as the Pistons seek to reach the postseason for the first time since the 2015-16 season. The Pistons will open the 2018-19 season with a visit from the Nets on Oct. 17 as the team begins their second season at LCA after moving from the Palace after nearly 30 seasons. More:Pistons preseason schedule: They play Cavs at Breslin Center The Pistons and the NBA released the 2018-19 schedule on Friday afternoon. The Pistons will be on ESPN four times (Dec. 7 vs. 76ers, Jan. 9 at Lakers, Feb. 27 at Spurs and March 13 at Miami) and will have 13 back-to-backs as the league moves toward limiting instances of teams playing on consecutive nights. The Pistons’ first multi-game trip against Western Conference foes doesn’t take place until January and 15 of the first 24 games take place at LCA, where the Pistons went 25-16 last season. The stretch features a six-game homestand. The major offseason changes occurred on the bench with hiring of new coach Dwane Casey and in the front office where senior adviser Ed Stefanski and vice chairman Arn Tellem led a major revamp after the firing of former team president and coach Stan Van Gundy. The only major roster addition likely guaranteed playing time is free-agent signee and former Michigan player Glenn Robinson III, who will compete at small forward. The Pistons (39-43) finished ninth in the Eastern Conference last season – four games behind the Washington Wizards for the final playoff spot. The Pistons are optimistic a full training camp with power forward Blake Griffin, who was acquired in January, will help the franchise rise in the Eastern Conference. Griffin also wasn’t required to rehab an injury during the offseason for the first time in several years, leading to a normal training regimen to prepare for the season. More:How good can Pistons be in the East post-LeBron James? The Pistons are also hoping for health from point guard Reggie Jackson, who has suffered through two straight injury-marred seasons. And there’s optimism surrounding the positive approach of Casey, who replaces Van Gundy, who was fired after the Pistons failed to reach the playoffs three out of four seasons. Training camp opens in late September. Part of the Pistons’ preseason schedule has also been released via other teams. They travel to the Oklahoma City Thunder (Oct. 3), the San Antonio Spurs (Oct. 5) and host the Brooklyn Nets (Oct. 8) and face the Cleveland Cavaliers at Breslin Center (Oct. 12). Individual game tickets can be purchased by visiting the Little Caesars Arena Box Office, online at www.pistons.com or at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 248-377-0100. Full, half-season and 10-game ticket memberships are also available by calling (248) 377-0100 or visiting www.pistons.com/buynow. Here are 10 games to watch during the 2018-19 regular season. Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid invades LCA (7 p.m., Oct. 23): Embiid was dominant against the Pistons last season, but center Andre Drummond held his own – at times. Favored Boston Celtics at LCA (7 p.m., Oct. 27): With LeBron James out west, the Celtics are favored to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. Casey’s revenge at Toronto (7:30 p.m., Nov. 14): Casey feels his firing was unjust. The visit to Canada will be his first chance to exact revenge. It will also offer an occasion to see his former point guard, Kyle Lowry. MVP comes to town with Rockets (7 p.m., Nov. 23): James Harden, accompanied by Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, visit LCA the day after Thanksgiving, the second of a home-and-home with Houston that opens on Nov. 21. The Golden State Warriors in the D (7 p.m., Dec. 1): Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the defending champions bring sellout crowds. Milwaukee Bucks star continues rise at LCA (7 p.m., Dec. 17): Giannis Antetokounmpo will try to stake a claim as the Eastern Conference’s top player with James leaving Cleveland. Casey sees DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs (7 p.m., Jan. 7): Things could become emotional when Casey sees his former player, DeMar DeRozan, across the floor at LCA. Griffin’s revenge at the L.A. Clippers (3:30 p.m., Jan. 12): Griffin said he was stunned when the L.A. Clippers decided to trade the star power forward. The Clippers took Round 1 with a 108-95 victory last February. Here’s Griffin’s second chance. LeBron visits – as a L.A. Laker (7 p.m., March 15): James has tormented the Pistons for years. Will the dominance continue now that he wears purple and gold? Jackson returns to OKC (8 p.m., April 5): When Jackson first visited his former team, he was hit with a $25,000 fine. Follow Vince Ellis on Twitter @vincent_ellis56. Download our Pistons Xtra app on iTunes or Android!<doc-sep>Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons are coming to Breslin Center. The Pistons will face the reigning Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers, sans LeBron James — he bolted to the Los Angeles Lakers this summer — in a preseason contest on Michigan State’s campus at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. The Cavaliers announced the contest in a release that revealed their preseason schedule. A message left with Breslin Center general manager Jeff Latinen wasn't immediately returned. The Cavaliers are owned by Dan Gilbert, who was a large financial contributor to recent upgrades to Breslin Center. MSU opened the Gilbert Pavilion and Tom Izzo Hall of History in October. Read more Pistons: Pistons hire Sam Hinkie's ex-right hand man as assistant GM NBA win total projections Gilbert and Pistons owner Tom Gores are MSU grads. Part of the Pistons’ preseason schedule has been released via other teams. They travel to the Oklahoma City Thunder (Oct. 3), the San Antonio Spurs (Oct. 5) and host the Brooklyn Nets (Oct. 8). The Pistons historically release their full preseason schedule after the regular season schedule is announced. The NBA will announce the regular season schedule Friday. Free Press sports writer Vince Ellis contributed. Pistons mailbag:Who ya got? Blake Griffin or Kevin Love? Download our Pistons Xtra app on iTunes or Android!<doc-sep>The Detroit Pistons will play the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Breslin Center on the Michigan State campus in East Lansing, Michigan on Oct. 12. That happens to be my very own back yard (give or take 30 minutes). The Pistons have not released any information about their preseason schedule but many of their opponents have, and this information comes courtesy of the Cavaliers. Games we unofficially officially know about for the Detroit Pistons are as follows: Oct. 3 - Pistons at Thunder, 8 p.m. Oct. 5 - Pistons at Spurs, 8:30 p.m. Oct. 8 - Pistons vs. Nets, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 - Pistons at Cavs (MSU), 7 p.m. Teams are typically slated for five preseason games and considering the Cavs game is being treated as an away game that means at least one more home game at Little Caesars Arena, or perhaps a different college gym.<doc-sep>
The Pistons haven’t released their official preseason slate, but details are trickling out from other teams’ schedules. The highlight is a matchup at the Michigan State's Breslin Center, facing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Both Pistons owner Tom Gores and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert are Michigan State alums, which could be part of the reason the game is not at the Pistons’ home, Little Caesars Arena, in downtown Detroit. The Cavaliers' announcement of the game indicates it’s a neutral-site game, but Cleveland will be the home team. Gilbert helped finance the Gilbert Pavilion — a tribute to MSU's men's and women's basketball programs — at Breslin Center. The pavilion opened in October 2017. The Pistons’ four-game schedule opens on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 3, followed by a matchup at the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 5. The only preseason game at Little Caesars Arena will be Oct. 8 against the Brooklyn Nets; the schedule finishes up with the Cavaliers game in East Lansing. The preseason will be the debut for new coach Dwane Casey, who was the NBA coach of the year last season, with the Toronto Raptors. The Pistons fired Stan Van Gundy in May and hired Ed Stefanski as a senior adviser to Gores. Stefanski has been performing the duties of general manager, having hired Casey and the rest of the front office this summer. Pistons preseason schedule Oct. 3: at Thunder, Chesapeake Energy Arena, 8 Oct. 5: at Spurs, AT&T Center, 8:30 Oct. 8: vs. Nets, 7:30, LCA Oct. 12: vs. Cavaliers at Breslin Center, 7 rod.beard@detroitnews.com twitter.com/detnewsRodBeard