J.B. Bickerstaff | Cavs at Pacers Post Game | 3.18.2024

J.B. Bickerstaff | Cavs at Pacers Post Game | 3.18.2024

I mean that’s you know kind of the message um of who we need to be and I thought our guys responded um in Spades to you know start the game the way we started it wasn’t our best um you know their offense obviously is good it took

Us a second to kind of catch up with their Tempo and their Pace uh but I thought as the game progressed we did a phenomenal job uh of figuring them out um but you know it took toughness um it took resilience it took togetherness to make sure that we never splinter you

Know even adversity ups and downs uh our guys found a way to compete compete together and ultimately win the game when you look at the defens uh it was winning time um again you know they’re an elite offensive team they’ve got guys um that can take over

Games and beat you from all over the floor uh but what I thought we did a great job job was individuals taking challenges uh but guys never were on their own uh they were never on an island by themselves uh guys were communicating they were protecting one

Another they were rotating uh making the extra effort um you know I loved our physicality I think we started to put our bodies on people um you know and take those challenges keep them out of the paint then down the stretch of the game I think we overcame a lot um

There’s a lot of things um you know injuries uh opportunities things like that that we overcame came did you expect to be close to tonight’s game with uh I mean at this point in time we’ll try anything uh but no he’s I mean he’s a pro you know and we were you know

Laughing uh you know you come out and play the way that he played you know basically from the couch to the court uh in a competitive game like that um just speaks to you know his professionalism uh he took care of himself he’s obviously been working out he’s in great

Shape um and I thought he gave us a huge lift last game I asked you about asked you about trist last game and you said it would take him one to get going did you kind of see the full Tristan effect tonight yeah I mean I think he was huge

For us especially in that first half uh he was with that group and his energy you know his toughness turned the tide for us especially on the defensive end of the floor uh and then you know I mean like his ability on the offensive end of the floor just to draw fouls because

People don’t want him to get offensive rebounds uh that’s something that goes a little unnoted sometimes but you know you keep ticking those fouls you get extra opportunities uh to score uh and I don’t know if you asked aboutt what did you like about uh I thought you know Isaac

Initially did a great job taking a challenge uh Caris had a piece of it but uh to slow a guy like that down takes team defense um and you know we had multiple guys switch on him uh you know there were different coverages that we

Put on him to see if we could keep him off balance a little bit and I thought our guys did a great job of executing the game plan anything else you’re on the road miss your your top SC uh it’s a tracking of our mental toughness uh and that’s something that

You know we’ve been talking about and we feel like it’s a skill that’s developed over time uh so for our guys to be in this type of situation uh it’s an exercise of that muscle and um you know it’s it’s everything doesn’t come overnight it takes time but I thought

Our guys were phenomenal down the stretch um you know at just figuring out a way to keep themselves in the moment and whatever the job was that was in front of them they just executed that job um and again that’s a credit to their togetherness and their mental toughness anything

Else JB just along those lines Caris is a guy whose role may change night night you know depending on who available for you guys what does it say about him that he can yeah I mean that’s again one of the things that I’m most appreciative of Caris is kris’s willingness to sacrifice

For the team um we know you know if car Carris was a primary uh offensive player on a team he could average 20 plus points a night um but he’s accepted a position with this team you know coming off the bench most nights to just fit and help this team win basketball games

Um you know not only is he able to score and you see the 11 assists his ability to playmake he goes gets eight rebounds then he takes tough defensive assignments as well so he’s a complete basketball player who I am like so appreciative of his character his willingness to sacrifice for things that

Are greater than himself have you seen that kind of grown may you guys first got now CLE later no this he’s been the same person um you know he’s obviously had to figure out different lineups where he fits playing with different players and I think sometimes that takes

A little bit of time a little you know getting used to uh but as far as his willingness uh from day one he was was willing to do whatever we needed him to do uh to become a better basketball team last one was that out replay you don’t want to do that Jo

Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke with the media following a 108-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers on March 18, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.