Former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff appeared on SiriusXM NBA Radio’s “The Starting Lineup” with Brian Scalabrine and Frank Isola on Tuesday and discussed Dallas Mavericks sensation Luka Doncic playing through several injuries in the NBA Finals.
Bickerstaff — who was fired on May 23 following the Cavaliers’ second-round playoff loss to the Boston Celtics — said people should give Doncic “credit for the job that he did” despite the awful circumstances.
Doncic suffered a chest injury in Game 1 of the NBA Finals but ended up suiting up for every contest.
Former Cavs coach J. B. Bickerstaff admired how Luka fought thru pain to play in NBA Finals, more specifically that he took “shots in his ribs” to play.
Audio from @Scalabrine and @TheFrankIsola pic.twitter.com/RA9DPDiG3z
— Anthony Lima (@SportsBoyTony) June 18, 2024
“This is a guy that was taking shots in his ribs so that he could go out and play. He was playing through pain, he wasn’t whining (and) he was still playing 40-plus minutes, trying to go out and get it done,” Bickerstaff said. “Give him the opportunity to learn from it. Now, if something happens numerous times, then I think you have the option to critique, but if a player in his first shot in the Finals, trying to carry a team — and be honest, his team was outmatched by the Boston Celtics — and still made it a struggle and still performed at a high level. Now, is there room for improvement? Sure, but give the person his credit for the job that he performed.”
Perhaps it’s no surprise that Cleveland center Jarrett Allen missed the whole playoff series against the Celtics with a rib injury.
Furthermore, according to a story by The Athletic, several members of the Cavaliers were angry that Allen refused an injection to try and dull the pain in his rib and play.
Speculation was prevalent on social media following Bickerstaff’s statements.
"This was a guy who was taking shots to his ribs so that he could go out and play, he was playing through pain, he wasn't complaining," – former Cavs HC JB Bickerstaff on Luka 🧐🧐🧐
(Via SiriusXM NBA Radio) pic.twitter.com/TNcaN5DMV0
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 18, 2024
