Game 5 will reveal if JB Bickerstaff learned from the man who replaced him

Cleveland Cavaliers’ head coach Kenny Atkinson complained about the officiating after two losses in Detroit, and it appeared to have worked, as the Cavs got a much more favorable whistle at home. It’s a tactic JB Bickerstaff hopes will work in his favor tonight for his Pistons on their home floor. 

The Cavaliers shot an incredible 34 free throws in game four, 15 by Donovan Mitchell alone, while the Pistons only shot 12 total as a team. This is despite the fact that Cleveland launched a ton of 3-point shots, while the Pistons lived in the lane, attempting 60 shots from inside the arc. 

The free-throw disparity was a big talking point for JB Bickerstaff, who rightfully wondered how his team got so few attempts even though they were aggressively attacking the rim, while the jump shooting Cavs were rewarded every time they got touched. 

It’s not just the points free throws create, which was more than enough to completely shift the score in game four, it’s also that the Pistons got into early foul trouble and a light whistle changes the way they play defense. 

Ausar Thompson has had to hit the bench multiple times with fouls, and it has changed his aggressiveness on the defensive end. 

Atkinson was the guy who replaced Bickerstaff in Cleveland, so you know JB would love to win this matchup, so let’s hope his lobbying was as effective as his replacement's. 

Bickerstaff has to match Atkinson’s adjustments 

Coach Atkinson made a few tweaks after game two that have been effective, and JB Bickerstaff needs to a counter. 

The Cavs have been playing Cade Cunningham with bigger defenders, picking him up full court and making his life difficult by jumping screens with bigs and forcing him to try and pass out of it under duress.  

It worked in the games in Cleveland, so JB Bickerstaff has to find ways to exploit this. It starts by using Jalen Duren more as a passer out of the short roll, so the Pistons can start their offense higher and create more space in the middle of the floor. 

Duren has been unreliable with the ball (to say the least) but needs to get back to being the passer we saw before the Pistons tried to force him as the second option. The Pistons need to get more out of Duren on that short roll and make Cleveland pay for jumping screens with their bigs.. 

JB Bickerstaff has his own puzzle to solve in Donovan Mitchell, who was unstoppable in game four. The Pistons may take a page out of the Cavs’ playbook and start trapping Mitchell with bigger defenders to get the ball out of his hands and force him into tough passes, but that’s a risky proposition. 

The Pistons have over-helped at times off the wrong guys and left players like Strus, Merrill and Wade wide open for 3-point looks, so they have to pick their spots with Mitchell, as he’s good at finding open teammates. 

The Pistons are already up against the wall with possible injuries for tonight, so they will need JB Bickerstaff to win the coaching war and find ways to get his superstar going while slowing down Cleveland’s. 

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