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DETROIT — J.B. Bickerstaff’s postgame interview lasted one question. He only needed two minutes to say what was weighing on his mind.
“I’m extremely proud of the way (the Pistons) continued to compete,” the Pistons coach said Saturday night after a 113-107 loss to the Thunder in which Detroit star Cade Cunningham was ejected.
“I’m disgusted by the way that game was officiated. The level of disrespect was above and beyond. They have a guy fall down and trip on his own teammates foot, they review us for a hostile act. They throw an elbow to our chest-neck area, I ask for them [to] at least take a look at it. Just show us the respect to take a look at it. No one would take a look at it. The disrespect has gone far enough and I’m not going to allow our guys to be treated the way that they were treated tonight.
“We’re growing young players; our young players are competing their tail off. The least that they could do is get the same respect that everybody else in this league gets and get refereed the same way that everybody else in this league gets reffed. Enough is enough.”
More: OKC Thunder lineup with Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein finds magic on court together
Bickerstaff expressed disappointment in the crew’s game management, noting at least one instance where he sensed a difference in the way officials treated him and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault when he sought an understanding on a call. He yearned for reviews and watched as techs flew.
Daigneault said that, entering Saturday, the team had prepared for the officiating crew (Brian Forte, Brett Nansel, Natalie Sago) and the expectation of a loose whistle.
“I thought our guys showed good resolve,” Daigneault said. “We do analytics on every referee crew, and that referee crew was the loosest whistle coming into the game that we’ve seen all season in terms of how little they call.
“We told the guys before the game (that) this is gonna be a physical game because it’s Detroit and they’re not gonna call very much. I thought that bore out with the amount of physicality they allowed in the game. I thought our guys did a great job of not getting distracted by anything.”
More: How Jerami Grant 'established' himself as NBA pro during time with OKC Thunder
Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff erupts on NBA refs in loss vs Thunder
Continue reading...
“I’m extremely proud of the way (the Pistons) continued to compete,” the Pistons coach said Saturday night after a 113-107 loss to the Thunder in which Detroit star Cade Cunningham was ejected.
“I’m disgusted by the way that game was officiated. The level of disrespect was above and beyond. They have a guy fall down and trip on his own teammates foot, they review us for a hostile act. They throw an elbow to our chest-neck area, I ask for them [to] at least take a look at it. Just show us the respect to take a look at it. No one would take a look at it. The disrespect has gone far enough and I’m not going to allow our guys to be treated the way that they were treated tonight.
“We’re growing young players; our young players are competing their tail off. The least that they could do is get the same respect that everybody else in this league gets and get refereed the same way that everybody else in this league gets reffed. Enough is enough.”
More: OKC Thunder lineup with Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein finds magic on court together
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Bickerstaff expressed disappointment in the crew’s game management, noting at least one instance where he sensed a difference in the way officials treated him and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault when he sought an understanding on a call. He yearned for reviews and watched as techs flew.
Daigneault said that, entering Saturday, the team had prepared for the officiating crew (Brian Forte, Brett Nansel, Natalie Sago) and the expectation of a loose whistle.
“I thought our guys showed good resolve,” Daigneault said. “We do analytics on every referee crew, and that referee crew was the loosest whistle coming into the game that we’ve seen all season in terms of how little they call.
“We told the guys before the game (that) this is gonna be a physical game because it’s Detroit and they’re not gonna call very much. I thought that bore out with the amount of physicality they allowed in the game. I thought our guys did a great job of not getting distracted by anything.”
More: How Jerami Grant 'established' himself as NBA pro during time with OKC Thunder
Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff erupts on NBA refs in loss vs Thunder
Continue reading...
