Ratings for Pistons season opener nearly doubled last year's

Before Wednesday night's opener, we provided you with SB Nation's Mike Prada's opinion that the Pistons are No. 25 in the NBA watchability rankings. That's about where they ranked all of last year in those rankings, too. But nearly twice as many fans were interested in watching the Pistons on opening night this year than they were last year's first game, according to The Detroit News:

The Pistons' season-opener against the Rockets drew a 4.6 household rating Wednesday on Fox Sports Detroit, which was nearly double last season's 2.88 opening-game rating. The figure was also the highest recorded since the 2009-10 season, said Courtney Welch, Fox Sports Detroit manager of social media and communications.

Of course, a major reason for the increase could be that this season actually started on time and not on the heels of a frustrating lockout. Another reason could very well be the interest in James Harden, who had a lot of general NBA fans' eyes on this game, especially once he started going off.