J.B, Bickerstaff reflects on Game 7 loss

In the aftermath of the Pistons’ blowout game seven loss to the Cavs, Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke about a range of topics during the post-game press conference. Bickerstaff touched on the Pistons’ effort tonight while also giving credit to the Cavs for their performance in a do-or-die moment, but the emotions of such a tough loss were clearly fresh for the All-Star head coach.

Check out what JB had to say after their second round exit below:

“It’s not the effort and I‘m not disappointed in these guys. Obviously, not the way we would’ve liked it to have gone, but I’ll never be disappointed in their effort. They gave us what they had. The Cavs just outplayed us tonight. We can give them credit for it.”

”This team is awesome, and they’re a special group of guys. I couldn’t be more appreciative of how they allow us to coach them and work with them every single day. The spirit they carry, their willingness to grow, their willingness to sacrifice, and it’s a special group. Again, I can’t be more thankful to be a part of this and to be able to work with these guys.”

”It was more he got the ball in his spots off the glass and things like that, but we knew they had X-factor guys that had the ability to contribute. Not that he’s an X-factor, he’s an All-Star, but Sam Merrill early in the game, Jarrett Allen on the boards. So, we knew it was going to be a tough series and a tough test for us, but just like we did last year, we’ll learn from it. We’ll put it in our pocket, and we’ll get better from it. Next year, we’ll grow and we’ll be a better team.”

”I think we had just gotten down, and when we got down we started trying to figure out other ways to win the game instead of who we’ve been. I just wanted to make the point to the guys that we do it the way the Pistons do it, and we had to find that in order to give ourselves a chance.”

”They’re a good team. They’re a talented team, and I thought their talent was clicking tonight. I thought they were better defensively tonight than they were in previous games in the series, so I just give them credit. They won the game tonight.”

”It’s not a disappointment at all. Not ever will I be disappointed in these guys. These guys every single day give us what they’ve got, so it is not a disappointment. It’s a loss and it’s a tough loss, but that adjective will never be used with this group.”

”I don’t think we fell short in anything. I don’t… These guys have improved massively, and they’ve done a great job. Anything other than positivity towards this group is unacceptable. This turnaround from where we’ve come from, what these guys have been willing to do, everybody wants to win a championship every year, but how much did you grow? How much did you improve? Did you sacrifice for the greater good of the team? Our guys did that collectively every single day, and we got better. We put ourselves in position to be here. So, there’s nothing disappointing in this group and the outcome of this.”