The Detroit Pistons are restoring the feeling as of late. They've been physical, gritty, and a team that other teams don't love to play because of their tenacity on defense.
That typically begins and ends with the play of Isaiah Stewart, who's ability to switch between forward and center defense has been huge for Detroit his entire career, and especially this season. His play is even beginning to warrant talk of an All-Defense team appearance.
However, Stewart still has the propensity to let physical play get the best of him, and he held nothing back against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. These two teams have no love lost between them this season, harkening back to their past rivalry filled with fights and lots of talk.
Stewart was ejected very early on in the contest because of that intensity, but it bothered head coach J.B. Bickerstaff none.
Bickerstaff backs Stewart after ejection vs. Pacers
After Stewart's ejection, the Pacers and Pistons continued to jaw at each other here and there, with the last brouhaha happening at the end of the game between Tyrese Haliburton and Tim Hardaway Jr. Clearly, the energy was off from the tip, and Bickerstaff addressed that energy in his postgame interview with reporters.
"There was things said tonight that absolutely cross the line, pass basketball, to man-on-man stuff. And if someone says something like that to you that crosses the line, you should have every right to do what you need to do to defend yourself," said Bickerstaff about tonight's ejection and how his team became chippy with the Pacers pretty quickly during the game.
Read more: It only took 8 minutes for Isaiah Stewart to reignite Pistons, Pacers feud
He added, "It is absolutely my responsibility to defend my guys. I will never, ever, stop doing that. Our guys will earn the respect of this league, but it's my responsibility to defend them. I will always do that. It rubs some people the wrong way, but it doesn't bother me. What we need, and what this team needs, we have to defend them, to stand up for them."
Bickerstaff most recently got ejected from a game after defending his players against referees in their Orlando Magic game on January 25, which just goes to show he's very true to the idea of defending his team regardless of the outcome.
The Detroit head coach has shown time and time again his willingness to go to bat for his young players this season. In his first year with the Pistons, he's managed to get a lot out of them as a result - especially defensively. They work as a unit as opposed to as individuals, and that's made them a scary team to think about facing in the postseason.