Pistons’ J.B. Bickerstaff on Cleveland return: ‘We’re going to play a game’

DETROIT — Fresh off a season-opening loss, the Detroit Pistons returned to practice Thursday, preparing for their first road game. On Friday, they’ll face head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. “I don’t give a (expletive),” Bickerstaff told reporters about his return to Cleveland. “We’re going to play a game. That’s all that matters.” Before joining Detroit, Bickerstaff coached the Cavaliers for five seasons, posting a 170-159 record. Similar to his current role in Detroit, he oversaw a rebuild in Cleveland that eventually showed progress. The Cavaliers made the playoffs the last two seasons — their first since LeBron James left the team — compiling a 99-65 record over that span. However, after last season’s second-round playoff loss to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers fired Bickerstaff. He had planned to take a year off to spend time with his family, but Pistons president Trajan Langdon convinced him to take the head coaching job in Detroit. Bickerstaff accepted the position on July 3. While Bickerstaff is approaching Friday’s game with a businesslike mindset, he acknowledged there will be some emotions tied to his return to Cleveland, given the relationships he built during his time there. “At the end of the day, you spend five years with some of those guys, and you develop great relationships,” Bickerstaff said. “I’ve got a ton of respect for them and care deeply about them. But tomorrow night, none of that matters. Tomorrow night, we’re going in there to do a job and continue to grow with the Pistons.” To keep his emotions in check and focus on leading the Pistons to victory, Bickerstaff will need to compartmentalize. But this isn’t the 45-year-old’s first time coaching against a former team — he’s done it before in Cleveland and feels prepared. “When you become a coach, you go half-crazy, and you know how to move things to different places in your mind,” Bickerstaff said. “As a competitor, once you’re between those lines, none of that stuff matters. You’re just going out to do a job, and it doesn’t really matter who’s in front of you — you just want to get that job done.” The Pistons will face the Cavaliers at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland on Friday. Tip off is at 7:30 p.m.