The Detroit Pistons are making significant moves this offseason to restore greatness to the franchise. Bringing back “Final Countdown” should be another one.
Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver is raising eyebrows across the country.
In just over one week, Weaver began an aggressive restoration (not rebuild) of the Pistons’ franchise. A lot of the moves Weaver has made so far have gone over well with the fanbase. During last Wednesday’s NBA Draft, his aggression was on full display, acquiring two extra first-round draft picks for the Pistons. And this was without mortgaging the future of the team. Along with that, the signing of Jerami Grant and Detroit-native Josh Jackson was significant for different reasons.
The number of transactions the Pistons have initiated in one week is a lot to keep up with for the casual fan.
While the new Pistons GM is wheeling and dealing like Sonny Weaver (shame on you if you can’t catch that reference), there’s one final move the Pistons must make.
Bring back the “Final Countdown” by Europe for Piston game introductions.
The “Final Countdown” is synonymous with the glory days of the Pistons.
The “Bad Boys” and “Goin To Work” eras of the Detroit Pistons contain the franchise’s most significant moments. And let’s be honest. Both periods winning the NBA Championship is key to this claim. I mean, no one wants to celebrate mediocrity.
Well, unless it’s the Detroit Lions.
Back to the point, there is one thing that is memorable about the glory days of Detroit Pistons basketball, outside of the winnings.
It’s the intimidating player introductions when “Final Countdown” by Europe was the song of choice. When that song came on, fans knew that they were about to watch Pistons basketball. When the music starts with the dramatic build and the horns sound off, it was time to watch a gritty team hustle and impose its will on their opponents. Even if the organization was at a low point, the song is a part of the Piston’s identity.
Over the past decade, the Pistons have switched up the intro theme several times.
While it was a nice touch to go the hometown route with Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”, it just fell flat. And the constant switching between several generics intro themes over the last few seasons just doesn’t cut the mustard.
As painful as it to mention, the Pistons could learn from the Chicago Bulls.
Yes, I just typed that.
“Sirius” by The Alan Parson Project is STILL the player introduction music for their team to this very day. And it should be because there’s no reason to change it. As the “Final Countdown” for the Pistons, “Sirius” is synonymous with the Chicago Bulls’ most significant era of the franchise. When opposing teams heard that song during the 1990s, they knew they were about to get their teeth kicked in. Proof of this is the six championships in eight years that the Bulls won during that period.
While the Bulls have not played like a winning franchise since they had Derrick Rose (who is now a Detroit Piston ironically), the organization still kept a fabric of that winning identity. With the Palace of Auburn Hills now torn down, and the Pistons playing in Little Caesars Arena, there is no resemblance of the winning era. Unless you factor in the championship banners in a building that they didn’t even win them in.
What does changing the intro song have to do with the on-court product?
Quite frankly, changing the intro song back to “Final Countdown” will not make the Pistons an instant title contender. To even think that it will is just plain foolishness.
On the other hand, let’s revisit what Troy Weaver said after taking the Pistons general manager position. Weaver said that he is aiming to restore the franchise, not rebuild it. Restoring the franchise should be defined as bringing back the identity of gritty defense, players that hustle, and a hard-nosed work ethic.
Weaver has accomplished that so far. And if a winning product is on the floor, fans of the team will not care what song is playing during the introductions. However, “Final Countdown” is near and dear in the hearts of many Pistons fans. If it were to return, it could, at bare minimum, be a nice gesture for longtime fans who want to remember the good ole days while the team builds towards better days.
