When the Detroit Pistons hired J.B. Bickerstaff, it turned out to be a really good move, which many shouldn’t be surprised by. His knee-jerk firing after the Cleveland Cavaliers were bounced in the NBA playoffs to the Boston Celtics felt premature. Now Bickerstaff is back in the playoffs, this time with Detroit and making historic strides.
But Koby Altman saw where things were going. He realized under Bickerstaff, this Cavs team with all the potential to be the best team in the East wasn’t going to progress under his leadership. A change needed to be made. Now the Cavs are atop the East.
Bickerstaff should absolutely be applauded for his effort in the turnaround. He helped the Pistons win their first playoff game in 17 years in their first playoff appearance since 2019 on Monday night. Detroit was a lottery team last year, now they’re tied 1-1 in a playoff series with the New York Knicks.
But with Detroit’s struggles, it’s clear Altman was onto something. Bickerstaff’s fatal flaw couldn’t be more prevalent in the Pistons’ first two games; and it could end up costing the Pistons a dream playoff run.
J.B. Bickerstaff’s major flaw is resurfacing as Detroit's dream season is on the line
What made Bickerstaff’s hiring so critical was he was familiar with working with young players, developing them into playoff teams and winning. But he’s a transitional coach at best, and the first two games he’s coached Detroit in the playoffs makes that more clear than ever.
His scheme was arguably a big reason why the Cavs were ready to move on. Those flaws have followed him to Detroit. The Pistons have endured two, five-minute scoring droughts in the first two games, both in the fourth quarter.
In Game 1, a 21-0 run in the final quarter cost Detroit a win and Game 2 was nearly an identical implosion.
The Knicks weren’t able to score as efficiently Monday night as they were on Saturday, but the Pistons went scoreless for five-plus minutes again. The Pistons will never win a series with major scoring droughts like that.
That falls on Bickerstaff as he’s tasked with reeling in this young squad in the late-game moments. Sure, it’s up to the players to score the ball. But you have to figure out the matchups you want to get when Cade Cunningham is getting clamped up by OG Anunoby.
Or figure out who to run the offense through when Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley, the team’s sharpshooters, go a combined 1-for-14 from beyond the 3-point line.
The Pistons have finally earned the right to celebrate their first playoff win since 2008. But it should be short-lived because this team is a long way from winning this series. The Pistons should be up 2-0.
For six of the eight quarters in this series, the Pistons have dominated. The fourth quarter in both games has been their kryptonite. It’s déjà vu for Bickerstaff.
He’s showing as good of a coach as he is, he’s not built for playoff success and his 7-15 postseason record speaks to that. How he’s handling late-game scenarios is proof he’s doing more harm than good this postseason.