The Pistons have been the NBA’s feel-good story of the season to date. They tripled their win total from a year ago, and much of the credit for that, understandably, has gone to Cade Cunningham, who is the kind of electric player with eclectic skills that would make you fall in love with basketball even if you’ve never seen a game before. He’s that smooth. 

But the Pistons are salty, too. They lead with their chins, and they aren’t afraid to let you know about it. It’s a little too early to say that the Pistons are channeling their antecedents, because while the Bad Boys of yesteryear enjoyed knocking you to floors and sending you off for X-rays, they were also of championship-level timber. 

That’s why they are remembered — reluctantly, if not often fondly. 

These Pistons?