J.B. Bickerstaff | Cavs at Raptors | 2.10.2024

J.B. Bickerstaff | Cavs at Raptors | 2.10.2024

In a league that averages you know 115 holding another team to to under 100 points like what do you want opponents to to take away from your defense I mean just you know it’s not going to be an easy night um you know I think our guys have completely bought

Into the idea uh of what they’re capable of defensively and understand how important that is uh for our success and they take pride in it you know what I mean like it’s something they feed off and they want to do um you know they get upset when guys score on them you know

They get upset when they give up offensive rebounds or blow an assignment um you know so I I just want you know our guys to believe in it the way that they do uh and understand you know what I mean like we can turn it up a notch

Even more and keep getting better at it keep understanding our system more um keep working together in our communication all those things but you know we just want opponents to feel us we want to be a heavyweight uh on their shoulders every night what’s that I guess gratification like

For you as a coach when you can see that I guess kind of like the the flip switch that they actually have bought in and and they take pride in that uh I mean it’s it’s fun um and you know our goal as coaches is to build something that’s

Sustainable uh and getting guys to buy in that defense is important and that defense wins and it travels um you know that gives you a chance to sustain success um you know we continue to add offensive Firepower and talent um but you know in our mind you know we want to

Be elite defensively uh we want to be able to strangle people and you know not give them the opportunity to run off two three in a row you know there’s a lot of teams where their offense is a run stopper uh we want to have our defense

Be the Run Stoppers where you know we go three four minutes and they don’t get a shot or they don’t score uh and then we’re you know allowing that to transition us to offense where our guys are so good when we play at PACE and move the ball and share the game

Um you know but that’s that’s kind of where we are and that allows you to sustain uh success five of if I had to count five of Max’s assists um of the seven assists were to Jared what are you seeing between their growth and really them more I mean there’s there’s a

Chemistry there uh and again Max is so unselfish he just makes the right play um and you know like we were talking pregame about you know just the shots but he’s a complete basketball player uh he doesn’t take you know bad shots if

You put two guys on him a 100 times in a row he’s going to do the right thing and just throw the ball to the open man so when he’s playing that two-man game with Jared um you know he plays so fast and defenses have to chase him you know that

The big has to help a little bit and all he needs is a little bit of a sliver ja finds the pocket he makes the play to him um and we get a easy one Serena asked you pregame about uh leading going in the fourth quarter you

Guys are 16 and0 on the road leading going in the fourth how impressed are you that you haven’t even allowed teams to make a run at you guys in the fourth quarter how much pride you guys taking that I mean it’s all about finishing right um and I

Mean we all know how important fourth quarters are in this league we know you know offensively what the elite players uh and teams are capable of um you know but again it’s something that our team takes pride in uh the ability to get stops like I said we we have guys who

Can make buckets right we have guys that can create for themselves that can create for their teammates and their shot makers um but there’s going to be nights sometimes where that doesn’t go so then what do you depend on and you know we depend on our defense and our

Defense transitions us to offense there was a moment where Scotty Barn purposly sagged off Evan let him shoot the three-pointer how dangerous can Evan be if teams are going to give him that I mean again I he’s continued to show you know um he he’s going to be his game is

Going to be Flawless at some point um he works so hard at it and he wants to be great this isn’t just you know a pass time for him because he’s 7 feet tall um so you know teams do that he’s going to knock down shots and we’re going to win

Games hey JB what’s up Chris um you guys said 36 assists on 48 M shots um what do you feel like was working so well on the offensive end uh I mean again I I hate to oversimplify it but we just passed the ball to the open man um as simple as

That sounds you know that’s what this game is all about and I think sometimes you know people get bored with the simple things um but you know through this stretch I think you guys have continue to see you know we don’t make it complicated um you know what’s complicated is the decisions defenses

Have to make to stop the guy that’s in front of them and then that guy just makes the right play and throws the ball to the open man uh and everybody’s doing it you know everybody’s making the one Moors I know Jo G was talking about finishing games but you know over the

Last 6 seven weeks you guys haven’t trailed a whole lot um what is the key to to playing with a lead and and making sure that you maintain the same execution level and all that stuff even though you are ahead uh it’s it’s a focus and again it’s a commitment to one

Another and to the success um that we’ve had and everybody knows like when we defend we’re very hard to beat and that’s where we get leads is because we are good defensively and then our defense transitions into a Thrust offensively that makes people feel like they’re chasing us uh and like they’re

Suffocated because they can’t catch their breath so for us everything starts with the defensive end of the floor um you know it’s a it’s a competition a grit uh because it’s not always easy you know we’re playing against the elite of the elite in this league uh who extremely talented but every single

Night our guys accept the challenge um and then they support one another and they trust one another so that gives you a chance to build leads and sustain them um you won 17 out of the last 18 I think nine in a row you think the media should consider his contenders I I

Honestly don’t care yeah um coach yes a question related to to the game um besides that the game is becoming more more International and based on on the result do you think that European basketball is closing the up with the NBA uh I mean I think there are definitely Elite

Individual players um coming from Europe as we’ve seen you know the past few MVPs have all been International guys um you know I I think the NBA because it gets people from all over the world you know it’s the best basketball uh on the planet consistently um but you know European basketball international

Basketball uh is is definitely growing and blossoming and I mean you’re finding unbelievable Talent from every part of the world nowadays so uh the game is growing and that’s what I’m a big fan is like I love to see the game of basketball grow um because it’s meant so

Much to us and you know done so many things for us I think that’s what you’re seeing for sure thank you thank you you were understandably a little upset at the way the your last visit here ended uh does winning here tonight any extra measure of satisfaction on

That one no I mean that game was you know long time ago a lot has happened since then um you know we’re just happy with where we are and you know we got another game on Monday I try to approach it with the same attitude um go get the

Job done thank you guys thank you’all

Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke to the media following a 119-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors on February 10, 2024 at Scotiabank Arena.