One of the many jobs an NBA head coach has is to protect his players. Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff did exactly that after a highly contentious game on Saturday night in which his team was beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Coach of the Year candidate went on an epic rant against what he called “disgusting” officiating that included his team being outshot at the free throw line 22-13 and his star player, Cade Cunningham, getting ejected for picking up two technical fouls while arguing with the refs.
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Frustration with the Thunder has been growing around the league for a while now. Teams are fed up with the way they perceive OKC gets a favorable whistle, especially MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who leads the league in free throw attempts. That frustration boiled over for the Pistons on Saturday night.
Bickerstaff took only one question in his postgame press conference, and he used it as a launching point to tear into the many ways he felt the refs had screwed his team. By the end of it, he was pounding the table with his fist and crumpling up a piece of paper as a he stormed off.
The Run It Back podcast discussed the incident on today’s episode, and Chandler Parsons applauded what Bickerstaff did, saying that he took a stand for his players and helped Cade avoid picking up a huge fine.
. @ChandlerParsons on J.B. Bickerstaff’s statement:
“If Cade Cunningham or another player said this, they wouldn’t have said it so respectfully. They probably would’ve got fined $100K. I love that the coach took all the bullets. He’s getting a standing ovation today.” pic.twitter.com/HLwBv5gXRv
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 17, 2025
Parsons’ cohost Michelle Beadle summed it up well, saying, “It’s like a legal closing argument. He nailed it.”
Bickerstaff got heated toward the end, but he brought the receipts, and there were likely many people around the league nodding in agreement.
J.B. Bickerstaff showed why he’s the perfect coach for the Pistons
The Pistons have been one of the most improved teams in the NBA, and much of that is attributable to what Bickerstaff has done. Cade had blossomed under his leadership in a way he never did under Monty Williams, and the Pistons as a whole have become one of the toughest, most physical teams in the league.
For a franchise whose glory days revolve around the “Bad Boys” era, it just feels right to see the Pistons getting into it with opposing teams as they work their way up the standings. Bickerstaff has etched this “won’t back down” mindset in his players, which is why his team is the current 6-seed in the East and only two games out of fourth.
It says a lot that Cade was ejected late in the third quarter with his team trailing by 14, yet the Pistons were able to fight back without him to get within one before eventually losing by six. This team is going to be a problem for people in the playoffs.
