Post-Game Press Conference: J.B. Bickerstaff | Pistons vs. Hawks | 12.01.2025
FELT LIKE NO TEAM COULD, YOU KNOW, REALLY TAKE OFF. BUT THOSE FINAL FOUR MINUTES, YOU KNOW, WAS REALLY WHEN IT STARTED TO FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS COULD START TO PUSH OUT TO A RUN. WHAT DID YOU SEE IN THOSE FINAL FOUR MINUTES? >> I THOUGHT WE WERE GREAT DEFENSIVELY. YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A COUPLE BREAKDOWNS LATE WHERE WE GAVE UP A THREE. BUT YOU KNOW, FOR THE MOST PART I THOUGHT OUR DEFENSE TRIGGERED IT. WE WERE ACTIVE WITH OUR HANDS. FORCED TURNOVERS, GOT OUT IN TRANSITION, CREATED SOME EASY OPPORTUNITIES FOR OURSELVES. AND AGAIN THAT’S TO TELL THIS TEAM. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. LIKE WHEN WHEN CALLED UPON WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET STOPS. >> AND FOR CADE CUNNINGHAM OBVIOUSLY FOR HIM YOU KNOW THE CLUTCH GENE IS JUST PART OF HIS DNA AS WELL FOR HIM TO TURN IT ON AFTER THE WAY THEY WERE DEFENDING HIM ALL GAME IN THE FOURTH QUARTER. CAN YOU JUST TELL US WHAT YOU SAW FROM HIM? >> YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK HE’S, YOU KNOW, HE’S DEVELOPED AN UNDERSTANDING AND A BELIEF. EXCUSE ME, IN, YOU KNOW, THE TIMING AND RHYTHM OF WHEN AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, TIME AND TIME AGAIN, HE DOES THE JOB WHEN WE NEED HIM TO DO IT MOST. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, HE EMBRACES THAT ROLE AND HE LOVES TO DO IT FOR US. >> HEY COACH, CAN YOU SPEAK ON HOW BIG RON HOWLAND WAS FOR YOU GUYS TONIGHT? >> YEAH, HE WAS UNBELIEVABLE. YOU KNOW, HE WAS THE SPARK FOR US. YOU KNOW, WE WE WE STRUGGLED TONIGHT. WE DID WE STRUGGLED TONIGHT. BUT I THOUGHT RON GAVE US EXCUSE ME A TON OF ENERGY. YOU KNOW FIRE THE WAY HE JUST COMPETED I THOUGHT HE WAS HE WAS PHENOMENAL TONIGHT. >> JUST THE DEFENSIVE END. WHAT DID YOU KIND OF LIKE AS FAR AS THE VERSATILITY THAT THAT CLOSING LINEUP OFFERED? >> I MEAN IT’S BIG IT’S BIG. IT’S ATHLETIC. IT’S VERSATILE. YOU KNOW IT’S SWITCHABLE. IT’S GOT RIM PROTECTION. IT’S GOT GUYS WHO CAN GUARD ONE ON ONE. IT’S GOT GUYS WHO CAN CREATE A LITTLE BIT OF MAYHEM AND COME UP WITH DEFLECTIONS AND STEALS AND ALLOW US TO GET IN TRANSITION. SO YOU KNOW, IT’S IT’S A GOOD GROUP, YOU KNOW, HAS THE ABILITY TO BE A GREAT DEFENSIVE GROUP. >> AFTER 138 TO 135 WIN. WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT YOUR TEAM WHEN YOU CAN WIN ON A NIGHT WHEN YOU DON’T GET TO 100? >> YEAH, I MEAN SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOT TO WIN UGLY. AND I THINK THAT’S THE TALE OF, YOU KNOW, GOOD TEAMS IN THIS LEAGUE IS, YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT NOT BE YOUR NIGHT, BUT CAN YOU FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET IT DONE? AND AGAIN, TONIGHT WASN’T OUR NIGHT. WE DIDN’T PLAY, YOU KNOW, TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES. BUT YOU KNOW, WE COMPETED HARD ENOUGH TO GIVE OURSELVES A CHANCE. AND THEN WE WERE THERE IN THE MOMENT AND WE HAD GUYS MAKE PLAYS FOR US. >> COACH WITH DUNCAN OUT, YOU HAD DENNIS STEP IN THERE AS A STARTER JUST OVER THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS. HOW HAS HE KIND OF EARNED THE TRUST OF YOURSELF THIS COACHING STAFF TO TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT THERE ANY NIGHT AND BE A STARTER? >> WELL, I DIDN’T EXPECT HIM TO GO OVER EIGHT, I’LL TELL YOU THAT MUCH. BUT NO, HE HAS LIKE AGAIN, AND THIS ISN’T JUST A ONE TIME THING FOR HIM. THIS IS DAN IS PUTTING IN WORK SINCE HE’S BEEN IN OUR ORGANIZATION. AND YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS THAT FOLLOW HIM OR FOLLOW MOTOR CITY AND THEN HIS SUMMER LEAGUE, LIKE EVERYONE COULD SEE THE WORK THAT HE WAS PUTTING IN AND HOW HE DEVELOPED. AND HE’S JUST EXTREMELY MATURE AND INTELLIGENT AND THINKS THE GAME. AND YOU KNOW, BY DOING THOSE THINGS YOU EARN, YOU KNOW, YOUR COACH’S TRUST, BUT YOUR TEAMMATES MOST IMPORTANTLY.
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7 comments
Trade Jaden Ivey
That was bad basketball
Can the new Pistons fans give the young core a full season to play together before we want certain players traded, that are on minutes restrictions because of their broken leg. Not because they think losing in the first round of the playoffs without him is an accomplishment?
If this Man donβt win COTY, itβs 100% Fixed and we should Boycott the NBA. Whoβs with me?
Two guards missing four straight free throws late, theyβre lucky it didnβt cost them.
Kind of odd dig at Daniss Jenkins. Not a great game from Jenkins, so I guess there's that. But seemed unnecessary.
Salute to Ron he plays with energy we won but pistons play great on the road as of last season