Grit. Scrap. Toughness.
Those are all words that Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has instilled into his team and the culture of the organization.
According to Bickerstaff, it’s about time for the rest of the league to give his players that respect that they’ve earned…
Following the game, Bickerstaff gave a telling message when asked about matching the intensity of the Brooklyn Nets in Monday night’s tilt: “We matched intensity, but what we have to do and have happen is match consistency. That’s in our performance. That’s the referee’s performance. That’s in all aspects of the game. We saw it tonight, we saw it the other night. We have to find a way -- as a staff, as players -- to earn people’s respect, where it is consistent. That’s what this league is about.”
“This league is about your reputation and you earn your reputation. Those guys have earned their reputation. What’s right is right. I thought there were some calls that were definitely missed tonight that favored [Brooklyn], and that’s wrong. Our guys deserve better than that.”
“We have to continue to keep pushing and keep scrapping until everybody in the league gives us that respect. The scrap, the toughness, the way we compete, people should respect that. But I don’t think they’re watching. I don’t think they’ve seen the reputation that we’ve earned around the league. If you talk to other coaches, the teams we faced, there’s a respect there that we deserve, and that our guys have earned. But too many times there’s been critical moments where the consistency hasn’t been the same one end to the other end.”
Under Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers have taken on a new tenacity and relentlessness that has been missing in past seasons. From the evolution of Darius Garland to the “Next Man Up” mentality that has been crucial in wake of the Collin Sexton injury, among others including star rookie big man Evan Mobley.
More than wins and losses, it’s clear that the Cavaliers are aiming for something beyond the box score, and Bickerstaff will stop at nothing to make sure his players get it.
Defense wins championships
Guarding Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant is no easy feat… Neither is guarding Nets guard James Harden… Covering both while shorthanded? Safe to say the Cavs had their hands full entering Monday’s matchup.
Bickerstaff’s solution? Cavaliers wing and tremendous defender Isaac Okoro covering Harden with forward Dean Wade tasked to cover Durant.
“I think they did a good job, as good as you can,” Bickerstaff said following the 117-112 loss to the Nets Monday. “Those are two of the [elite] offensive players in our game. I thought [Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade] made it difficult on them. [Kevin] Durant took some tough shots, but he makes tough shots.”
“We kept him off the three-point line, for the most part. We kept James [Harden] off the free throw line, for the most part, so I think the execution of what we were trying to accomplish, our guys did a really good job.”
The Nets duo combined for 41 points on 13-29 shooting, including just 1-6 from beyond the arc. While the game’s result wasn’t what they were hoping for, the defensive effort by the Cavaliers was definitely a success.
Bumps and Bruises
A few minutes into the third quarter, Cavaliers guard Darius Garland took an accidental elbow from Nets forward DeAndre’ Bembry to the face while fighting for a rebound.
Garland was on the ground for several minutes before being escorted to the locker room. In those several minutes, you could feel the air get sucked out of the arena as the crowd knew how battered this team has already been so far in 2021-22.
After getting checked out by the team doctors, he returned to the game but didn’t look like the same player who exited earlier. Garland had been giving the Nets defense problems all night with his floaters, crossovers, and deep shooting. In the fourth quarter? Garland shot just 1-10 from the floor.
For Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, Garland’s absence was definitely felt.
“That’s our leader out there,” Allen said to reporters following the game. “He’s out there giving it his all, all the time. He’s out there telling us where to be and what to do. He’s also a brother of ours and just seeing him go down, we didn’t really know what happened honestly. We’re all shook about that and have him in the back of our minds. We just kind of got scrambled up.”
With tough matchups with the Suns, Mavericks, and Heat all on the horizon, the Cavaliers will need Garland at full strength.