CLEVELAND, Ohio — Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff strolls the court at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse like he’s running for office. Look one way, shake hands. Look another, big hug. Now look alive, because Cavs guard Darius Garland is beelining toward his old coach. They meet; they; embrace; they playfully shove each other.
Call it an eclectic portrait of the pink-slipped employee. Did you picture a different reunion after Cleveland beat Bickerstaff’s Pistons 110-91 on Monday? Maybe that’s because most fired coaches don’t win so many games at their previous stop. Or because so many take time off after a five-year stint, and so few return to their old team’s division. Or maybe this scene surprises you because, in Bickerstaff’s estimation, I’m incentivized not to capture it.
“I don’t think happiness gets clicks,” Bickerstaff said pregame. “I think that’s where we are. Everybody’s looking for a story, but we don’t have a story. We’re here to play a game. We play 82 of them and our guys try to go out and give them the best they got every single night. … Our focus has been our improvement.
“I have great relationships with the guys over in that locker room. I have no hate towards them. I’m happy for them. We try to embrace people’s successes. You think about it, there’s 450 guys in the NBA. There’s 30 head coaches in the NBA. If you’re trying to find a way to bring negativity to people who have made it to that point and against those odds, then there’s something wrong with you, not with the people that are involved in it.”
Cynical much? I understand how coaches, often judged by novice observers (raises hand), develop defensive streaks. And I see how the pressure Bickerstaff faced during two playoff seasons in Cleveland might compound those concerns. But fresh off a 48-win firing, you need not search far for revenge fodder between a title contender and the ex-coach who shaped it.
That neither party reaches for such low-hanging fruit (at least not publicly) makes this the rare happy story worth clicking.
Here goes: Eight months after they parted ways, both Bickerstaff and his former employer have broken new ground. The Cavs, now led by coach Kenny Atkinson, boast the Eastern Conference’s best record (37-9) just three weeks before the All-Star break. Cleveland’s offense, now top of the league in offensive rating (121.1 points per 100 possessions), fosters movement and morale — not to mention 3-pointers — like never before.
