J.B. Bickerstaff has campaigned all season long for the Pistons to be treated more equitably by the officials. On Saturday night he hit his breaking point.
After the referees ejected Cade Cunningham and hit the Pistons with five technicals, including three in a single stoppage late in the third quarter of Detroit's 113-107 loss to the Western Conference-leading Thunder, Bickerstaff tore into the officials during his postgame press conference.
He started by saying this: "I'm extremely proud of the way (our players) continued to compete." Followed by this: "I'm disgusted by the way that game was officiated. The level of disrespect was above and beyond." Bickerstaff punctuated his 90-second rant by pounding the podium and then crumpling up a score sheet and chucking it at the microphone as he walked off.
Bickerstaff said that while the officials reviewed the Pistons for "a hostile act" after the Thunder had a "guy fall down and trip on his own teammates foot," the Thunder "throw an elbow to our chest-neck area, I ask for them to at least take a look at it -- just show us the respect to take a look at it -- no one would take a look at it."
"The disrespect has gone far enough and I'm not going to allow our guys to be treated the way that they were treated tonight," said Bickerstaff. "I tried to have a conversation with the official. The official was arguing with (Thunder head coach) Mark (Daigneault), I say his name one time and he screams at me and tells me that's enough."
Isaiah Stewart was reviewed for a hostile act for shoving Thunder forward Jaylin Williams underneath the basket in pursuit of a rebound, but crew chief Brian Forte initially announced the review in connection with Lu Dort, who fell when he tripped over his teammate's foot. Forte only clarified afterward that the foul and potential hostile act was on Stewart "for dislodging Jaylin Williams during the rebound."
Cunningham was ejected for continually pointing out -- "with profanity," per Forte -- the mistake the officials made after the review when they didn't line the players up for the subsequent free throws upon deeming the potential flagrant a common foul.
"We understand that we play a style of ball that's physical, it's on the edge. I coach my ass off in a passionate way, I'm into the games. Our players are into the games. We understand that," said Bickerstaff. "But we deserve a level of respect because we're competing our tails off and bringing something positive to this league. We're growing young players; our young players are competing their tail off. The least that they could do is get the same respect that everybody else in this league gets and get refereed the same way that everybody else in this league gets reffed.
"Enough is enough of it. And what you saw tonight is disgusting. It was a disgusting display of disrespect toward our guys and what we're trying to do."
