J.B. Bickerstaff | Cavs at Wizards Post Game | 2.7.2024

J.B. Bickerstaff | Cavs at Wizards Post Game | 2.7.2024

What were some of the hurdles you guys had to overcome to ultimately I mean I think give them credit um they competed their tails off um you know played the game the right way uh defended us you know extremely well um moved the ball offensively uh so

Give them credit uh but you know it was great to see our guys just figure out a way um and come up with one does what Donovan does at the end of games ever surprise you I mean you know that’s what a closer does um and he’s earned that

Reputation um because of fact you know and his ability to go out and do it you know time and time again um you know that’s why we trust to put the ball in his hands cuz he’s going to make the play uh his teammates trust him to put

The ball in his hands cuz he’s going to make the play um you know again we just got to make sure you know we’re better early so that we don’t have to depend on his heroics all the time do you do you think you guys play

Loose or do you you think you play with like a chip uh tonight or consistently consistently uh I think you know it’s a combination of both like I think our guys are having a ton of fun um but they’re playing with a Competitive Edge also uh and that’s kind of where they

Get the Joy from is that competition um you know that selflessness the doing it together um the want to prove people wrong you know all those things but they enjoy it and have fun so I think it’s a combination of both those things when going all the way back to when this

Started and you know had the two injuries the two surgeries and from the outside it it would seem like um the expectations on you guys kind of went away cuz you were supposed to you know have a tough time that’s not what happened do you think the expectations

Are coming back and do you think the guys are maybe handling them better than they did at the start of the year um I mean I don’t know and you know outside noise and things like that uh so I try not to judge our group on you know

What’s circulating around us um you know I just see our guys are playing really good basketball and you know whatever the noise is uh is not our Focus um our focus is how do we just keep getting better keep doing what’s made us successful um you know playing at a high

Level like just you know that grit and competitiveness uh and that togetherness that we’ve been playing with uh we focus on that we’ve got guys who are talented enough that good things are going to happen Chris JB for much of the night you kept um Darius and Evan together and

Ja and Donovan together is it just easier to do that when the guys are on a minute restriction or is there something specific that you like within those pairings yeah I mean we we like the pairings um but feel like they can all work well together obviously but it just

You know when guys are on a similar minute scheme uh to try to keep you know either Darius on the floor at the same time or Donovan on the floor and then the same with trying to have Jared on the floor and Evan on the floor like it

Just works out that way where you know we can get them in those shorter doses shorter runs and then bring them back and have them play uh you know different stretches as well last week you talked about just the challenge of reintegrating those guys and finding minutes for everybody that has earned

Them um it’s been a week now what what has your view been of of that process uh I mean it’s not easy um you know we Night by night we have difficult decisions to make um and you know the hope is and what I expect is guys

Understand uh that we’re just trying to do whatever it takes to help the team win and some nights it’s going to be different than others um so again not easy um you know not easy on the guys but again speaks to you know their character uh and their commitment to one

Another that you know if it’s a certain guy’s night we’re going to let that guy go and see what happens do you sense being around the team as much as you as much as you are that the guys do understand the reality of this situation

Yeah I believe so um I I don’t think it’s always easy um because these guys are competitive and they want to be on the floor and play um so I don’t think it’s an easy thing but uh I think sometimes um you know again for the

Greater good you got to do uh what’s best for the team and you know I believe our guys will always do that uh we talked about Darius being a little frustrated before the game today he was frustrated in the third quarter a little bit in the fourth then he was

Able to close the game pretty strong what did that mean for for him and for you guys uh I mean it meant a lot obviously like he just he wants to play he wants to be on the floor uh he wants to help us win and you know we were

Trying our best down that stretch to try to you know get him in not leave him out too long and put him back you know those types of things um because he wants to play and you know when games are competitive and they’re tight you know

He wants to play even more so um you know it’s not an easy thing for him but uh he’s just finding his way Jordan P’s their second leading scorer he hasn’t had a bad baset in two games he’s three for 20 on the year what have you guys

Done against him uh I mean I think we just try to do our best to make it as difficult as we can on him um you know we throw different lineups at him different matchups um you know our big guys do a great job of protecting but guys have taken the individual Challenge

On him uh to try to frustrate and make it difficult um you know but we have guys that are capable of doing that so uh it’s an advantage for us when’s Dan Vincent get the dog chain what’s that when does Dan Vincent get the dog chain uh the last time in player

Got the dog chain it didn’t work out too well for us after that so that’s a player’s thing all right thanks thank you

Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke with the media following a 114-106 victory over the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February 7, 2024.