J.B. Bickerstaff | Cavs at Nuggets Post Game | 3.31.2024

J.B. Bickerstaff | Cavs at Nuggets Post Game | 3.31.2024

PR defense standpoint yeah I mean we could have been better defensively um you know obviously you know they are a dynamic highpower offensive team but um we weren’t physical enough to start the game we allowed guys to get to their spots they you know developed their Rhythm uh and we didn’t interrupt their

Rhythm at all um to start the game and then they just built confidence as the game continued to go on so um you know this is an area where you know we’ve got to be better um and we just can’t allow people to be so comfortable you

Mentioned rhym for them but for you guys what what type of challenges are are you facing just trying to navigate through finding a right up right now um I mean we we just have to continue to play the way that we’ve played when we’ve been most successful um you know when we move

The ball when we create leverage um attack Closeouts you know create our threes you know we’re a good offensive team and you know tonight uh give Denver credit the way they defended us a lot of plays were in the pocket and our big you know were effective in the pocket uh

That created more Twos for us um but you know I think again we just um have to have that consistency in our approach and our system of how we create for one another Jo ready I can go again U just that the rebounding discrepancy 51 to 28 I know

You guys did well in your last match against them so what did you see is the biggest difference and what do you have to what hurdles you to fight over there um I mean there’s a there’s a level of where you’re uncomfortable and your grit your fight

Because you know what it takes to win uh and I thought they had more of that tonight than we did you know this is a championship team who knows a place that they have to go to when things get most difficult uh they’ve lost a couple of

Games in a row at home uh and they went to that place um and we weren’t able to match it coach seemed like game was tight right up late in the second quarter what kind of happened right before half time uh I mean I think it was you know again joic

Give him credit um I mean he’s a phenomenal basketball player but uh I think his understanding of the moment and what his team needed from him um you know he was going to go out and do the job tonight uh and that’s why he is who

He is so tip your hat give him credit um but you know again they’re sound all around uh they’ve got shot makers they you know understand and believe in their system on both ends of the floor because they know they’ve done it before um and again that’s something that we’re

Working towards you talk about finding a rhythm Donovan still hasn’t found his rhythm is that all it is or is he still hurt yeah I mean he’s obviously battling through some things um but he wants to be out there with his teammates um you know he wants to compete um and try to

Help us be in the best position we can be moving forward um but again you take time off it’s going to take you some time to find your rhythm again and then you know obviously find your legs and those types of things as well crazy you mentioned the Nuggets

Going to a level that that they know how to get to how do you guys get to that point uh you got to make yourself uncomfortable uh you got to step outside what you’re accustomed to and what you’re used to um and put it all out

There and you know once you do that and the stakes are as high as they’ve been for the nuggets and other championship teams Championship contending teams uh you see what you’re really made of and I think that’s something that’s a test for us uh is we’ve got to continue to fight

For that we’ve got to find that and not individually uh I think we have you know guys that have been able to do it in the past and other places and you know through their careers and things like that but it’s something that we haven’t

Done as a team yet um and you know again things are going to be difficult how we respond when things are most difficult is going to be the test and the challenge for this team what are you looking for from the guys that let you know that they are responding the way

That you want them to uh I mean there’s just a fight right like when it comes to that things just get ugly and it’s not the pretty things that make a difference um you know what I mean it’s the trenches that make a difference it’s am I guarding my guy one-on-one am I

Battling him to keep him in front of me am I defeating every screen that’s in front of me am I hitting my guy on every single offensive rebound am I attacking every offensive single re uh offensive rebound like those are the things that tell you you know that you’re just

Willing to to do whatever it takes uh to win the basketball game and you know that from the beginning you know that from the tip it’s not something that you work your way into it’s this is important to me and we’ve got to get this done uh and that’s our challenge

Right now you said months ago at the beginning of the Season that you were hoping that the season went like this and you guys were on an upward trajectory toward the end of it going into the playoffs you just went through March where you didn’t win two games in

A row once what’s the level of concern that that you guys haven’t taken the trajectory that you were hoping for I mean again all those things are circumstantial and I know I you use that a lot but you go through a stretch where four of your top eight or nine players

Are out um you know I mean it’s hard to be at your best uh I give the guys credit who were out there and who continued to fight and do the right things that we needed to do um but health is so important in our business

And again our aim these last seven eight games is to get healthy um give ourselves an opportunity to be healthy and and we know what we’re capable of we know what our guys are capable of as individuals we know what they’re capable of as a team um but we got to give them

Opportunity and Reps to be healthy and be together does that mean in any way sitting Donovan in the final seven eight games uh I mean it’s a conversation that we’ll have to have because that’s a you know that’s a tough balance too of Rhythm and those things um you know I I

You know I know he wants to play um and be out there with his teammates and we just have to work around it to figure out that both sides are you know he’s getting the best and the team’s getting the best as well so that’s you know conversations we’ll

Have but we have not had any conversations about him sitting out at this point thank you

Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke with the media following a 130-101 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on March 31, 2024.