As the game progressed, the Pistons grew more and more timid, more and more uncertain about how to handle the Spurs. This is not what we’ve grown to expect from Detroit.

The Pistons used to be the Bad Boys of basketball. In their championship years of ’89 and ’90, they administered punishment to the other team. They went on the assault. They backed down to nobody. Of course there were times when they were outplayed, but they were never punked.

That attitude still permeates the Pistons’ organization. Maybe it’s because Joe Dumars, a warrior from that group, is running the front office. Maybe it’s because they eschew prima donnas and embrace castoffs with chips on their shoulders, like Rasheed Wallace, like Ben Wallace, like Hamilton, like Billups. These are guys who had something to prove, and they proved it last year with a stunning championship.

From the looks of things in Game 1, however, they don’t have the same confidence. When Ginobili tore through their defense at will, it may have signaled to them that the masquerade is over, and they’ve been unmasked as phonies. The old Pistons of Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn and Dennis Rodman would have treated Ginobili to a taste of the floor. They would have used both their muscle and their skill to intimidate their opponents and let them know that if they wanted to win this game, there would be a steep price to pay.

These heirs to the Pistons’ legacy — this year, at least — seem as blasé as trust-fund babies. They were outhustled Thursday night when the game was being decided. They — gulp! — looked a lot like the Lakers did last year against the Pistons.

It’s only Game 1, but the Spurs are too good and too experienced to waver. They’ll be just as energetic and hungry in Game 2 as they were in the opener. For the Pistons to earn a split — an indeed, to win the series — they’ll have to come out as if they’ve just been insulted and embarrassed.

Because they have been.

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