Oh, how the turn tables in the NBA.
Just a few years ago, J.B. Bickerstaff was leading the Cleveland Cavaliers out of a rebuild and back into playoff contention. He set a culture of toughness, accountability, and winning that played a huge role in getting the Cavs back to where they wanted to be.
Bickerstaff won 99 games over his last two seasons with Cleveland, but he only won one playoff series, in which the Cavs did not win a single road game. It led to the organization firing him and replacing him with Kenny Atkinson. Bickerstaff landed a job with the Pistons, in which he orchestrated a similar turnaround.
Fast forward to this season and Bickerstaff faced off against his former employer in the playoffs. For the head coach, it was a chance to prove that they made a mistake letting him go. For Cleveland, it was about getting over the hump and beating the man they thought held them back. The series confirmed what the Cavs knew all along.
Cleveland was right to let J.B. Bickerstaff go
Detroit went up 2-0 in this series and the noise around the Cavs got louder. They were on the verge of getting punked by their former head coach and having this era of Cleveland basketball be gone for good.
Then, the Cavs said no mas starting in Game 3.
Atkinson outcoached Bickerstaff down the stretch of the series. He adjusted by making Cade Cunningham play through blitzes and hedges in pick-and-roll situations, which completely stifled Detroit’s offense.
He put Evan Mobley on Ausar Thompson so Mobley could roam and cause chaos defensively. It led to Mobley having the best playoff series of his career defensively. He took out Dean Wade and put Max Strus in the starting lineup for Game 7 so Cleveland could get off to a better start.
Bickerstaff’s lack of adjustments and inability to be a good Xs and Os coach showed in this series. He spent a lot of time yelling at officials and taking shots at the Cavs during his postgame pressers, instead of trying to get back control of the series. He also put too much trust in a struggling Jalen Duren, who wilted all playoffs.
Yes, the Pistons didn’t have a ton of talent, but they dropped their last two games at home and lost by 30 in a do or die game. They looked totally unprepared. That falls on the coach.
If Cleveland lost to Bickerstaff, there would have been no justification to keep the roster or coaching staff together. Fortunately, they avoided that doomsday scenario, while also showing why they made the right decision in the first place.
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