J.B. Bickerstaff | Cavs vs Mavericks Post Game | 2.27.2024

J.B. Bickerstaff | Cavs vs Mavericks Post Game | 2.27.2024

Coach Max stru obviously we know him as the energy guy for you guys in in the fourth quarter you needed it what can you say about his performance tonight and how he was able to step up in the later minutes uh I mean you know he was

The guy and that’s one of the things that we’re fortunate with this group is On Any Given night we got a guy who can step up and make huge plays and I mean you know what he did tonight was absolutely ridiculous um you know to come back in in that fourth quarter for

Us to be down the way we were but that’s who Max is um and it’s as simple sometimes as chasing down a loose ball or you know making an extra rotation like Max never quits and you know we were down and he had the same mentality

He wasn’t going to quit and he just kept making play after play after play on both ends you emphasize getting the 4 threp pointers tonight and in the last series you had seven straight all being three-pointers that ended up winning you the game how important is that shot for

You guys and how important was it down the stretch I mean it was the difference you know I mean when you’re getting three uh giving up two or getting a stop and getting three um you know it it it it’s a momentum shifter and it just cuts

The game you know so dramatically by possession by possession if you’re going you know two possessions you end up with six points like it just piles on and piles on um and again we want it to be a weapon for us was the the struce three4 shot

Exactly how you drew that up in the Huddle that was the plan and um you know Donovan down the stretch was really big you know making shots just um you know when you’re firing like that down the stretch going against team like Dallas where they’ve got their uh

Big scores what can a win what can a win like this do for um I hope I mean it just continues to you know boost confidence and create belief in what we’re doing and in each other and that to me is what you know speaks volumes is

Like we were down and very very easily could have pitched our tent and got ready to go to Chicago tomorrow um but instead you know guys figured out a way to dig down and overcome a lot there was a lot of things down the stretch that

They had to overcome that didn’t have to do with just basketball D cider um just speaking to the bench tonight thought they gave you a lot of solid boost um but Isaac just again like he’s looks like he’s found a niche and there’s just a comfortability

There when he’s on the floor um what do you think allowed that to happen for him um it’s the trust that he’s earned from his teammates because of all the things he does that you guys never see and they’re in the gym with him every single day and they watch and they’ve been

Together for time now and they know that they can depend on him and he knows his teammates depend on him uh and he’s just that type of person where he doesn’t want to let people down he knows where he fits with this team and how he makes

This team a winner and all he wants to do is go out and help contribute and help his teammates win games it looked like Darius had a little bit more burst there in the fourth quarter obviously something you probably like to see and and the organization likes to see

Because you know coming back from injury it’s probably not easy to get you know knife into the paintting the same way that he was before yeah and again you know you think about it and it’s one of those things because of the things that he’s been through and you know how many

Times he’s been smacked in the face and knocked to the ground you know I mean like those are things that are in the back of people’s minds you know um but you know we know what he does and I thought he did a great job of just being

Aggressive tonight I thought you know again he kept putting pressure on the rim kept getting hit by big guys but he didn’t stop uh he was fouled over and over again driving to the basket um you know guys losing their verticality going A to B but he didn’t deter from going

And he just kept going and was aggressive um you know he got tackled at the end of the game I you know beyond me how that’s missed at that point in the game um but he stayed with it and just continued to fight and help his team Joe uh 59f Footers

Aside um you know streu with the three threes to get you guys back in it and I know last week you were saying that you’re a different team you’re deeper you added a couple pieces what has Max brought to the table and what you know as you look ahead

Think about April and May like what kind of difference can he make being in your life uh I mean I think he makes a huge difference um ju and from the standpoint and we’ll talk about the basketball piece in a second but like the way that he plays the game

With a determination a never give in mentality and attitude like that inspires his teammates every single day um you know when he chases a loose ball makes another rotation you know runs into an action doesn’t get it runs back into the action doesn’t get it like he

Just is Relentless um and that elevates his teammates and we talk about it before it’s like everybody leads in their own way on our team uh and he leads that way and people follow the shot making right we talked about obviously but he’s a elite playmaker as

Well that I don’t think people sell enough like he’s great in that two-man game when big guys jump on him he finds our bigs in the pockets over and over again for layups and dunks uh and then again his determination and grd on the defensive in I think also has been

Undersold so long list of things um but that’s it did you I mean everything happened so fast but you guys were down 10 and it looked like maybe some of the body language was so so until he caught fire did it feel like he snapped everybody else kind of back yeah and

Again like to the point he never quits right so him never quitting is his leadership style and when he came in and sparked the way he did and kept going kept going everybody else followed suit um and I just think like that’s who he is and that’s what he means to this team

Um it’s more than just the basketball stuff that we see um you know it’s it I mean it’s impressive to to be honest with you um and it just means so much to our group last one uh JB you had mentioned pregame it’s a point of

Emphasis for you guys to get a presence in the pain and spray out to the perimeter and obviously people are going to notice the 43 Point attempts you guys hitting 50% of them but were you satisfied with how you guys were getting those looks because it was a product of

Dominating on the inside then spreading back out yeah I think we did a good job of just reading the game also and moving the basketball um I think 17 of our of our first 20 baskets were assisted so we did a great job of just sharing and creating for others typically that has

To do with getting to the paint first uh but also I thought they read the pick and roll you know to start some of that they were dropping back and our guards had opportunities to walk into some of those threes too so we want to be

Versatile the way we create them um but again we want to put the pressure on the paint every game to start the action force rotations and then create easy open ones Luca is obviously an MVP caliber player but Donovan was matching him shot for shot at points tonight do

You think that’s just another feather and Donovan’s cap and why he should be an MVP candidate yeah I mean I think he should be an MVP candidate because he’s inacted and winning at a high level and to me that’s what the MVP should be about is guys who impact winning at the

Highest level um and how do you argue that Donovan’s not that

Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke with the media following a 121-119 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on February 27, 2024 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.