Pistons curious to see fans' response to streak tonight

Quick, name the Detroit Pistons' longest-tenured player.

It probably would take you a few moments to realize that Jonas Jerebko -- a second-round pick in 2009 -- is the answer. He has had a front-row seat to the losing and dysfunction that had gripped the once-proud franchise.

But he also is in position to offer a unique perspective on the team's recent good fortune -- the Pistons carry a seven-game winning streak into tonight's game against the Atlanta Hawks (7:30, FSD) at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Five of the seven victories have come away from the Palace, and after sweeping games at Western Conference powers San Antonio and Dallas this week, a palpable buzz has been created. Wednesday night's victory at Dallas was the highest-rated Pistons broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit this season.

Throw in the social media frenzy when TV cameras caught Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy urging his team to "just form a (bleeping) wall" near the end of the victory at San Antonio, and Jerebko admitted that there is a curiosity to see how the fans respond tonight.

"I'm happy the city is excited and we're excited," Jerebko said after this morning's shootaround. "We're just going to keep working and take it game by game, and I hope a lot of people show up tonight."

The Pistons (12-23) are 29th out of 30 teams in attendance, with an average of 13,715 through their first 17 dates. They're last in the league with 62% of seats sold.

There is cautious optimism that tonight's crowd will be solid, though the walk-ups will tell the story.

The Hawks (27-8) represent a challenge as the Eastern Conference's top team. They are on a six-game winning streak, with the last three victories coming against powerhouses Portland, Memphis and the L.A. Clippers.

"We're playing all good people," Van Gundy said this morning. "You're not going to walk in overconfident with the people we're playing.

"Atlanta's the No. 1 team in the East right now, and they made the West Coast trip look like it was easy. They beat up on those people."

If the Pistons win, it will be their first eight-game winning streak since the 2007-08 season.

Contact Vince Ellis at vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.