Cavs' J.B. Bickerstaff shows, like Kevin Stefanski, he can win amid key injuries | Ulrich

CLEVELAND — After the Cavaliers earned a signature win over Tyronn Lue's Los Angeles Clippers, the coach addressed media members for roughly five minutes Monday night.

The final words Lue uttered during his postgame news conference were, “And J.B.'s done a great job as well.”

Better late than never.

Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff has done a masterful job this season, even if you haven't heard much about his contributions to the success of the NBA's hottest team.

Just think for a moment about all of the praise heaped upon Browns coach Kevin Stefanski in the last couple of months because he navigated his team through an absurd amount of key injuries and into the NFL playoffs.

To be clear, Stefanski deserves the recognition. Last week, he was named a finalist for The Associated Press 2023 NFL Coach of the Year award. The winner will be announced Feb. 8 during the NFL Honors awards show.

Meanwhile, how Bickerstaff has guided the Cavs this season should no longer be treated as an afterthought.

Everyone who knows anything about the Cavs understands the franchise raised the bar last season by going 51-31 and making the playoffs for the first time since 2018, two years after LeBron James led Cleveland to the NBA championship in 2016 with Lue as its head coach.

Bickerstaff's future with the Cavs will ultimately be measured by postseason success or lack thereof. After Cleveland's 4-1 series defeat to the New York Knicks last April, it would not be the least bit surprising if another first-round exit this spring resulted in Bickerstaff being fired.

The Browns flopped in similar fashion Jan. 13 with a 45-14 road loss to the Houston Texans in the AFC's wild-card round, yet Stefanski's job security is much stronger than it was a year ago. He's expected to sign a contract extension this offseason, and his ability to galvanize the locker room in the face of adversity is a major reason.

The 2023 Browns should have been viewed as an example for the Cavs to follow. Bickerstaff has acknowledged the inspiration.

When the Cavs announced Dec. 15 forward Evan Mobley (knee surgery) and point guard Darius Garland (jaw surgery) would miss significant time with injuries, it could have prompted a funeral for the 2023-24 season.

Mobley had been averaging 16 points and 10.5 rebounds and Garland 20.7 points and 5.9 assists. Losing two starters with their talent was widely deemed a devastating one-two punch.

Instead of using those setbacks as excuses, though, the players on the roster banded together with Bickerstaff and his assistants. Since Dec. 16, the Cavs have gone 15-4, including 14-4 without Mobley and Garland. Cleveland's winning percentage of .789 during the last six and a half weeks is the best in the NBA.

In Mobley's first game back, the Cavs defeated the Clippers 118-108, and his 10 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes were encouraging. Garland is expected to return Wednesday night against the visiting Detroit Pistons.

Rebounding from a rough start this season, the Cavs (28-16) have won 10 of their past 11 games and are fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. In their 11 most recent games, the Cavs have outscored their opponents by an average of 119.5 to 102.

The Clippers (30-15) entered their visit to Cleveland 16-4 since Dec. 16. However, they couldn't spoil the good times Bickerstaff and Co. continue to create. Although the Cavs are 17-2 this season against sub-.500 teams, they have won five of their last seven games versus opponents with a winning record.

In the absence of Mobley and Garland, the Cavs ripped off the proverbial Band-Aid and fully committed to the offensive style they mapped out this past offseason.

Increasing their volume of 3-pointers as well as ball and body movement became top priorities. The Cavs rank eighth in the NBA this season with 36.9 attempts from 3-point range per game, and they are second (41.8) since Dec. 16. They're also 11th in assists per game (26.7) this season and seventh (29.1) since Dec. 16.

Another key ingredient has been Bickerstaff's career calling card — defense. The turnaround actually began before Mobley and Garland were sidelined. The Cavs have the second best defensive rating (111.3) in the NBA this season and the top one (110.9) since Dec. 1.

Without Mobley, the help-side defense needed to become sharper. Forwards Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade have played crucial, under-the-radar roles on the defensive end of the floor.

Players up and down the roster have delivered amid the personnel and role adjustments Bickerstaff has devised. The locker room has displayed its character and resilience, allowing it to flaunt its quality depth.

Embracing secondary positions? Playing unselfish ball and with a faster pace? Thriving in four-shooter lineups?

No problem.

Donovan Mitchell switched from starting shooting guard to point guard, where he has filled in for Garland at an All-Star level. Sixth man Caris LeVert successfully made the same transition.

Starting center Jarrett Allen has been playing out of his mind, with 15 consecutive double-doubles to prove it.

Backup forward Georges Niang has looked the part of a valuable free-agent investment, joining starting small forward and guard Max Strus in the same category.

Guard Sam Merrill has been a 3-point shooting ace off the bench.

Reserve point guard Craig Porter Jr. qualifies as a diamond-in-the-rough undrafted rookie.

Mitchell has recently shouted out Okoro as an NBA All-Defensive Team possibility, LeVert as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate and Allen as an All-Star hopeful.

By now, there should be more than a peep about the man overseeing the lineup.

Bickerstaff earned his 150th regular-season victory with the Cavs on Monday, joining Lenny Wilkens, Bill Fitch, Mike Brown and Mike Fratello on the list of coaches in club history who have reached the milestone.

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Speculation started to swirl earlier this season about the ice supporting Bickerstaff's standing with the Cavs thinning.

At the time, the Cavs were 11-9 after falling 103-95 at home to the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 30 and squeaking past the host Pistons 110-101 on Dec. 2. The Trail Blazers (14-33) and Pistons have two of the five worst records in the NBA, and the Pistons (6-40) are at the very bottom of the league. The loss to Portland caused Bickerstaff to conduct a lengthy postgame conversation with players.

A reversal of fortunes ensued shortly thereafter.

Right now, the Cavs are rolling, and their coach has been instrumental.

Will they maintain their new offensive identity and continue to excel on defense when Mobley and Garland are both back and eventually free of minutes restrictions?

Do the Cavs have the right coach to maximize their talent in the playoffs a year after the Knicks' Tom Thibodeau clearly won the first-round chess match?

The challenges never stop coming in the NBA, but Bickerstaff has already conquered a monumental one this season.

More on how the Cavaliers have adjusted: The red-hot Cavs have found their blueprint for the playoffs in the unlikeliest of times

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff has successfully led team through injuries