Pistons, Fans Embrace 'Form A Wall' Rally Cry [PHOTOS]
By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins
Pistons fans have been yearning for something positive for years now. Many called the 2008 trade of Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson the official downfall of the franchise.
Since that trade, the Pistons are 189-321 (0.371) and have made one playoff appearance, so it's easy to say that Pistons fans are clamoring for success. They may have finally found their rally cry.
On Wednesday, the Pistons beat the Spurs on an amazing last-second running shot by Brandon Jennings, but a catchphrase keyed by coach Stan Van Gundy while the team planned to defend the final shot (maybe the Spurs should have tried something like this) will remain the lasting image.
"They can't do anything but tip it, so we form a f------ wall," Van Gundy told his team during the timeout, audible enough for the television cameras to pick up. The Pistons went on to beat the Spurs in a thriller and pounded the Mavericks the very next night for their seventh straight win since waiving Josh Smith on Dec. 22.
Fans -- and the Pistons -- have embraced Van Gundy's profane gameplan ever since. #FormAWall and #FAFW have been trending on Twitter since Wednesday, so the Palace capitalized on it Friday when the team returned to face the Atlanta Hawks.
The "official" rally cry doesn't use Van Gundy's colorful language, but I think we all get the idea.
The boys are back in town #FormAWall https://t.co/wvoK9302ql
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) January 10, 2015
#Pistons taking the court to Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall" ...
— Noah Trister (@noahtrister) January 10, 2015
So excited to be at tonight's #Pistons game. Love how they are embracing the #formawall hashtag pic.twitter.com/wFaR855tG6
— Graham Davis (@grahamdavis) January 10, 2015
It's game day! The wall vs. Everybody! Show your support as we take on the nets, top off is 7:30! #DPD #FormAWall pic.twitter.com/aYnwwCQeQk
— Paige Isaac (@isaac_paige) January 10, 2015
Pistons fans have suffered more than any other fanbase in the city lately (some could argue Lions fans, but they've had playoff appearances in 2011 and 2014) so it's good to see some optimism radiating from the Palace once again. The official attendance of the 106-103 loss to the Hawks on Friday was 18,859.