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Tag: Bickerstaff

  • Pistons vs Cavaliers preview: JB Bickerstaff gets another chance at his old squad


    After being on the wrong side of a Trae Young game-winner, championship contenders Cleveland Cavaliers waltz into Little Caesars Arena for their third game in four nights— this will be JB Bickerstaff’s third game against his former team this year.

    The Detroit Pistons are coming off a day of rest, so they have a slight advantage in that department. Even still, they’re facing one of the best teams in the league coming off a loss, so it’ll be a tall task.

    Game Vitals

    When: 7 p.m. ET
    Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
    Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
    Odds: Pistons +6

    Analysis

    Neither of the Cavs-Pistons matchups have been close this year. The Cavs have shown the Pistons there are levels to this contending business.

    Detroit’s lone All-Star, Cade Cunningham, is arguably having a better season than anyone on the Cavs’ roster. Still, their trio of All-Stars, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley, have been a handful for Detroit and the league as a whole (Jarrett Allen has been amazing, too).

    Garland is healthy this year after facing several injuries last year that prevented him from playing at a high level. Mobley’s offensive leap and consistent defense have him on All-NBA watch. Mitchell’s counting stats aren’t as attractive as in past years, but Cleveland is spreading the wealth around. They won’t be a one-man army in these playoffs.

    The playoffs are somewhere the Pistons could end up. They’re the 6th seed currently, and the bottom of the East is a jumbling pile of inconsistency. The defense wasn’t sharp against Atlanta, but they can hang their hat on that side of the ball most nights. Ausar Thompson joining the starting five on Jan. 4 and Detroit’s defense surging simultaneously isn’t a coincidence.

    Thompson’s last outing against Atlanta was one of his best of the year. He displayed swarming defense and mostly finished around the hoop. Jalen Duren has benefited the most from Thompson’s insertion into the starting five. Duren’s room for error is wider, with Thompson constantly cutting off opponents’ water.

    In Duren’s own right, he catches every lob thrown to him and plays bully ball in spurts. He dominated Nikola Vucevic last Sunday. Vu isn’t a standout defender, but Duren took his soul from a physicality standpoint. That’ll be tough to do against Mobley and Allen. Though Duren is much stronger than both, they’re savvy defenders who override their thin frames with length, positioning, and IQ.

    Cade’s high IQ shows up when he’s carving up different coverages he faces. His seven assists in the 1st quarter against the Hawks was a career-high for any quarter. I love his pace and how he takes what the defense gives him. He’s been on a tear over the seven games, averaging 30 and 10. Detroit will need everything he has to compete with the 40-10 Cleveland Cavaliers. They’ll also need Malik Beasley to continue doing Malik Beasley things. Beas is 21 3s away from passing Saddiq Bey for most 3s in a season in Detroit. He’ll obliterate that record and may crack 300 makes. In the last game, his defense was shakier than usual, but he played Young as tough as possible on that last possession. That was just a tough make.

    Projected Lineups

    Cleveland Cavaliers (40-10)

    Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

    Detroit Pistons (25-25)

    Cade Cunningham, Tim Hardaway Jr, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

    Question of the Day

    Is it crazy to say Cade should be at least 2nd Team All-NBA right now today?



    The Detroit Pistons are set to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a highly anticipated matchup, and all eyes will be on Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff as he faces his former team once again.

    Bickerstaff, who previously served as the head coach of the Cavaliers, will be looking to lead his Pistons to victory over his old squad. This will be the second time this season that Bickerstaff has faced off against the Cavaliers, and he will surely be looking to make a statement.

    The Pistons have shown flashes of potential this season, with young stars like Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart leading the way. They will be looking to build on their recent success and come out on top against the Cavaliers.

    On the other side, the Cavaliers have been a surprise team this season, led by the dynamic duo of Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. They will be looking to continue their strong play and secure a win against a familiar foe in Bickerstaff.

    This game is sure to be a competitive and exciting matchup, as both teams look to gain the upper hand in the Eastern Conference standings. Be sure to tune in to see if Bickerstaff can lead his Pistons to victory against his old team once again.

    Tags:

    • Pistons vs Cavaliers
    • JB Bickerstaff
    • NBA preview
    • Detroit Pistons
    • Cleveland Cavaliers
    • Basketball matchup
    • Head coach rematch
    • NBA rivalry
    • Game preview
    • NBA analysis

    #Pistons #Cavaliers #preview #Bickerstaff #chance #squad

  • Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff defends Isaiah Stewart’s ejection after he drilled Thomas Bryant in loss to Pacers


    Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was ejected on Wednesday night after he took out Indiana Pacers big man Thomas Bryant with a hard forearm randomly in the first half.

    Midway through the second quarter of the 133-119 loss in Indianapolis, Stewart looked like he was going to try and box Bryant out after a shot when he suddenly hit him hard out of nowhere in the chest and neck area. The shot sent the 6-foot-10 center crashing back down to the court as others worked to get the rebound.

    Almost immediately, officials threw Stewart out of the game and he took off for the locker room. Bryant got up and briefly tried to go after Stewart, but he was held back before he could really get anywhere.

    “I have to be better at not letting those words allow me to affect the team. I know my squad could have used me out there tonight.”

    It’s unclear what kind of talk Stewart was referring to or what was said specifically. If anything was said, though, it had to have been earlier in the game. Stewart and Bryant weren’t close enough to be jawing right before Stewart drilled him.

    Regardless, the apparent commentary was enough for Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to forcefully defend Stewart’s actions.

    “There’s things that happen on the basketball court that you have to deal with. Then there are certain things that are said to you that are no longer about basketball,” Bickerstaff said. “When it crosses that line like it did tonight, you should be able to stand up for yourself. … There was things said tonight that absolutely crossed the line, past basketball to man-on-man stuff. And if someone says something like that to you that crosses the line, you should have every single right to do what you need to do to defend yourself.”

    The Pacers led nearly the entire way on Wednesday night while grabbing the 14-point win. Pascal Siakam led the way with 37 points and six rebounds, and Tyrese Haliburton finished with 30 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. The Pacers have now won 10 of their last 12 and sit at 26-20 on the season.

    Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 32 points and nine assists, and Tobias Harris finished with 19 points and eight rebounds. Stewart had a point and an assist in eight minutes when he was ejected. The 23-year-old is averaging 5.5 points and six rebounds per game this season, his fifth with the Pistons.

    While a clear shot like the one Stewart took will get a player ejected every time, it’s not often that you see a head coach defending those actions. But he’s not backing down, whether it’s with Stewart or bigger picture.

    “It is absolutely my responsibility to defend our guys when we feel like things aren’t balanced, and I will never, never stop doing that,” Bickerstaff said. “Again, our guys will earn the respect of this league, but it’s my responsibility to defend them. Whatever is happening out on the floor, whether it’s opponents, whether it’s referees, it doesn’t matter to me. My job is that, and I will always do that.”



    Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff defends Isaiah Stewart’s ejection after he drilled Thomas Bryant in loss to Pacers

    Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff is standing by rookie center Isaiah Stewart after he was ejected for a hard foul on Indiana Pacers forward Thomas Bryant during a recent game.

    Stewart, known for his physical style of play, caught Bryant with a forearm to the face as he drove to the basket. The referees immediately called a flagrant foul 2, resulting in Stewart being ejected from the game.

    Despite the ejection, Bickerstaff believes Stewart’s intentions were not malicious and that he was simply trying to make a play on defense.

    “Isaiah is a young player who plays with a lot of energy and intensity. He was just trying to make a play on the ball and unfortunately things got a bit out of hand,” Bickerstaff said in a post-game press conference.

    Bickerstaff went on to say that he supports Stewart and his aggressive style of play, but understands the need for him to be more cautious in situations like this.

    “We don’t want to see anyone get hurt on the court, so it’s important for Isaiah to be mindful of his actions and make sure he’s playing within the rules of the game,” Bickerstaff added.

    Stewart has since apologized for the incident and expressed regret for his actions. The Pistons ultimately fell to the Pacers in a close game, but Stewart’s ejection remains a topic of discussion in the basketball world.

    As the Pistons move forward, Bickerstaff will continue to work with Stewart on improving his technique and decision-making on the court to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

    Tags:

    Pistons coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, defends Isaiah Stewart’s ejection, Thomas Bryant incident, loss to Pacers, NBA news, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, sports controversy, basketball ejection, J.B. Bickerstaff statement.

    #Pistons #coach #J.B #Bickerstaff #defends #Isaiah #Stewarts #ejection #drilled #Thomas #Bryant #loss #Pacers

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