The tomb, as The Palace had been called by many in recent years, is finally showing signs of life.
  Slowly, but surely, we might add. The Pistons (9-5), off to a good start, aren't exactly selling out the joint every night.
  Still, there's no denying that fans are not only interested in the 2001-02 Pistons, but also want to see them play live and in person. Hence, fans are coming back to The Palace, and they are bringing their cheering voices with them.
  You can also hear it on sports-talk radio shows. Given the choice of picking a prize for a contest, many insist on Pistons tickets -- even when they aren't an option.
  "The fans are excited, of course," said Pistons' center/forward Cliff Robinson, whose team takes on the Hornets in Charlotte tonight. "But at the same time, it's early.
  "I think the bug is just starting to bite them. We still have a lot of basketball to go, a lot of hard work to continue to put out there to show the fans that this is real."
  Matt Dobek, the Pistons' vice president of public relations, said ticket sales are up 19 percent so far from last season, and they've already had three sellouts in seven home games. Last year, the Pistons had just two sellouts for the entire season. The Pistons are averaging 17,592 a game. Last season, they averaged just 14,813.