J.B. Bickerstaff’s return to Cleveland comes early on the NBA schedule.
The Detroit Pistons coach will try to devise ways to defeat his former team on Friday night. The Cavaliers dismissed Bickerstaff after last season, even though they won a first-round playoff series against Orlando.
New Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon chose Bickerstaff to coach his rebuilding team after firing Monty Williams, who lasted just one season with the organization.
Coming off the worst season in franchise history, the Pistons gave Indiana a tussle before falling 115-109 in their season opener on Wednesday. Detroit led by double digits early in the second half but was outscored 33-19 in the fourth quarter.
“The energy was awesome,” Bickerstaff said. “The physicality was great. The communication and execution, all those things were at a really, really high level. This is one of those things where we’re going to keep getting better at it, understanding how you put together a half, how you put together three quarters, four quarters. But the will is there. I’m pleased with what we did (Wednesday), and where we’re starting from.”
The team’s star, Cade Cunningham, led the way with 28 points and eight assists. Backcourt partner Jaden Ivey added 17 points.
The Pistons also got double-digit production from three veterans acquired in the offseason. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley supplied 14 points apiece and Tobias Harris added 13 points.
Overall, the team looked much more competitive after enduring a 68-loss campaign.
“I mean, it’s there. I’m not going to forget it,” Cunningham said of last season. “I’m not trying to bury it. It’s part of me. This is a whole new season, a whole new year. Got new guys, new energy. We’re all a year better. Just going into the next game feeling good, confident, keeping the same swag we had going into this game. We’re going to win games — I’m not worried about that. It’s just learning from our mistakes and continuing to grow.”
The Cavaliers have owned the Pistons in recent seasons, winning the last nine meetings. Cleveland opened its new campaign with a 136-106 win over Toronto. Evan Mobley led the team with 25 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. The point total was a franchise high for a season opener.
“I’m just staying mentally in attack mode,” Mobley said. “Always looking at the rim, always going to the basket, moving forward, looking to score and then looking for outlets after.”
New head coach Kenny Atkinson said the plan this season is to run more offense through their power forward.
“There’s a real intention to get him the ball, get him the ball in space, get him the ball in mismatches and it doesn’t happen if the other guys around him aren’t willing to do it,” Atkinson said. “We’ve talked about it, and we’ve had those conversations with the guys, as a team. They know how important he is. They know that they all need to, and we all need to, elevate him. (Wednesday) was a great example.”
Atkinson was hired as Bickerstaff’s replacement after a stint as a Golden State assistant.
