In the NBA Playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers are down three games to one against the Boston Celtics, led by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Much of it is due to the squad’s injury problems. Jarrett Allen was the first to go down. Then Donovan Mitchell went down and was unable to perform. JB Bickerstaff faced an added headache without these players. The Cavs’ head coach had to battle with some of the officials in addition to figuring out tactics and rotations.
JB Bickerstaff blasts the officials
Coach JB Bickerstaff was not satisfied with the Cavs’ tight 102-109 loss to the Celtics. He was particularly dissatisfied with how the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown-led group received the majority of the whistles while Darius Garland and the rest of his roster were pummeled but not called. This aggravation reached a boiling point during the post-game press conference, and he couldn’t help but express it to Logan Potosky of Sports Illustrated.
“I’ll be honest, I was dissatisfied with how the whistle blew tonight. I believed our players deserved much better given the way they were competing. They were attacking the paint in the same way that both teams were. We are asking for nothing more than equality. And I don’t think we had an equal opportunity tonight from that aspect,” the Cavs’ head coach stated.
In Game 4, the Celtics received only 12 whistles. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers did not have the same luxury, finishing the game with 17 fouls. The free throw difference was also fairly noticeable. JB Bickerstaff’s team was only allotted seven free-throw shots, and they only converted five of them. Jayson Tatum and the rest of his crew had 24 attempts at the line and sunk 21 of them.
What happened in Cavs vs. Celtics?
The Celtics’ game plan was to keep penetrating the Cavs’ defense from the inside. A major goal was to spread the court out so that Coach Bickerstaff could make his players anticipate drives to the hoop. When Joe Mazzulla successfully reduced the Cavaliers’ defense, it became easier to make it rain from downtown. The Cavaliers struggled to deal with the strategies that accompanied that offensive philosophy.
To put it into perspective, Tatum alone had nine free-throw attempts. Jaylen Brown had the same number of opportunities but only sunk seven, while his running partner converted all nine. In contrast, Evan Mobley led the Cavs in free throw attempts. Even so, the big guy only had three chances due to the whistle.
Coach Bickerstaff used more forceful strategies to draw more fouls. Unfortunately, they were not summoned into this clash at all. Hopefully, all of this can change in such a way that it shifts the series’ momentum. It will not be the first time they have come back from three to one.
