The Detroit Pistons have been one of the best teams this season, currently riding a 13-game winning streak to rise to the top of the Eastern Conference. Now that they have become one of the top contenders this season, a player-turned-analyst tipped this year's team to repeat the franchise's historic championship in 2004. According to former NBA player Chandler Parsons, this year's Pistons could be a dark-horse contender for the title, predicting that they could end the franchise's 22-year championship drought. "Yes. I've seen enough," Parsons said when asked if the Pistons are real championship contenders. "They are a combination of tough, hard-nosed guys that defend and respect their head coach. They play hard. Nowadays, that will get you in the door, and that'll get you with the game on the line." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostParsons added that Pistons star Cade Cunningham has been the nucleus of the team's sudden rise as a title contender this year. "They have an MVP candidate who we need to talk about more. Cade Cunningham is one of the better closers in the NBA. He is so clutch down the stretch. He can beat you in so many different ways. So, yes, they are for real," he said. The Pistons are currently 15-2, holding the second-best record in the league today, behind the defending champions, the OKC Thunder, the top seeds in the Western Conference. Cunningham has been the center of their offense, averaging 27.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 9.6 assists per game. Aside from Cunningham, the Pistons have also gotten hefty productions from Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, and Ausar Thompson. Cade Cunningham thanks Detroit for molding him into a superstarCade Cunningham has long been regarded as the star the Pistons have been looking for since their rebuilding days in the 2010s. With this year shaping up to be Cunningham's first real winning season since entering the NBA in 2021, he credited the Detroit area for lifting him into superstardom. “My faith in myself, knowing that I was going to be successful in the NBA, knowing that I was going to do everything it took to be successful, and I got lucky and fell into a franchise and a city that has the same mentality that I felt it took for me to take the next step," he said. However, he remained grounded, despite their impressive start, saying it is still early for anything. "It’s still early though. I think this is something that we all wanted, but we want something bigger than this, so we just want to keep our heads down and keep working."The Pistons will next face the 2024 NBA champions Boston Celtics, on Wednesday, Nov. 26.