After failing to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers made a coaching change. JB Bickerstaff parted ways with the organization and quickly landed back on his feet as he took over for Monty Williams on the Detroit Pistons.
The Cavaliers replaced Bickerstaff with Kenny Atkinson, who went to Ohio after spending time working with Steve Kerr on the Golden State Warriors. All season long, Bickerstaff’s former team found plenty of success without him.
At the end of the regular season, the Cavaliers finished with a 64-18 record. They locked in the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The first-round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks was no sweat for the Cavs. Cleveland advanced with a clean sweep.
When the Cavs hired Atkinson, they hoped he would help them get beyond round two, where Bickerstaff struggled recently. At this point, the Indiana Pacers are giving them a hard time. As a result, NBA fans are defending Bickerstaff on social media.
@seanhalfcourt: Maybe when your coach treats you like you haven’t arrived, maybe you haven’t actually arrived. J.B. Bickerstaff is probably watching this game with his feet kicked up
@jbickerstaff32: Lol no comment
@30zSolutions: They gave “Kenny atkinson “ coty and he’s down 40. While Jb Bickerstaff tripled a teams wins and made the playoffs without with the “worst team in the league”. AND took a contender to 6 games
Going into Game 4, the Cavaliers trailed 2-1 against the Pacers. The Sunday night matchup was a blowout in favor of Indiana. With a 129-109 win, the Pacers defeated the Cavaliers to take a 3-1 lead in the series.
The Cavaliers aren’t guaranteed to get bounced in the second round, but history won’t treat them kindly. Very rarely do teams bounce back from that type of deficit.
@aiden__23: Cavs nation tried to scapegoat Mr Bickerstaff for their shortcomings every year
@IAmEricVincent: I know COTY is a regular season award but that mf might still age horrible for the Cavs if they get booted by the Pacers. We saw JB Bickerstaff keep the #Pistons competitive all series. Not one blowout despite injuries. Can’t say the same for the Cavs 🤷🏾♂️
@SpeakEZSports_: Atkinson getting Head Coach of the Year over JB Bickerstaff looks even worse right now.
The comparisons between Atkinson and Bickerstaff were bound to stay for some time, considering the changes are still somewhat fresh. The fact that the two coaches were finalists in the Coach of the Year race gave fans another reason to debate their seasons.
Atkinson took home the trophy and the better seed. He also coached the Cavs past the first round, gaining more playoff success than the Pistons this year.
However, Bickerstaff’s first-round exit was met with more praise than usual. Considering the Pistons were 14-68 one year ago, the fact that Detroit tripled its win total, and took the New York Knicks down to the wire in a hard-fought series in round one was certainly an encouraging sign for the future.
Bickerstaff’s Pistons ended their run on a high note. If Cleveland fails to make the Eastern Conference Finals, the same can’t be said for them.
More Pistons on SI
You can contact Justin Grasso via e-mail: JustinGrasso32@gmail.com
