JB Bickerstaff Erupts in Heated Rant After Pistons-Thunder

JB Bickerstaff was fired up on Saturday night.

Mar 3, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff watches the play against the Utah Jazz during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

JB Bickerstaff has had his fair share of criticism aimed at NBA referees throughout the 2024-2025 NBA season, but the Detroit Pistons head coach reached a new level of frustration after Saturday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"['I'm] disgusted by the way that game was officiated,” Bickerstaff told reporters during his routine postgame press conference. "The level of disrespect was above and beyond.”

The Pistons are no strangers to feeling slighted by calls against them—and no-calls that are in the other team’s favor. Before Bickerstaff arrived for the 2024-2025 NBA season, former Detroit head coach Monty Williams took a similar stance at times last year.

JB Bickerstaff did not hold back at all….here are his thoughts on the officiating from tonight’s game…watch the whole thing #Pistons pic.twitter.com/kFw75E1oxQ

— Eric Vincent (@IAmEricVincent) March 16, 2025

But as the Pistons are playing more meaningful basketball down the stretch, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for Bickerstaff and the team to hold back their thoughts when wins and losses mean a lot more in mid-March this time around.

“[The Thunder] have a guy fall down, trip on his own teammate's foot, they review us for a hostile act. [The Thunder] throw an elbow to our chest, neck area, I ask [the officials] 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,” he added.

When it comes to free throws, the Thunder shot 22 compared to Detroit’s 13. As for technical fouls, Detroit had five, while the Thunder had zero. Two of Detroit’s techs came from Cade Cunningham, who was ejected for arguing calls while using profanity, according to the Crew Chief for the night.

The Refs reviewed a foul for a flagrant and deemed it a common foul so players should’ve been able to lineup up for the FTs. Cade and Pistons players were walking to lineup for the FTs & Cunningham lets the ref know under the basket that they can lineup for the FTs since it’s a… pic.twitter.com/bnv3NcHXSE

— Smoove (@Smoove_702) March 16, 2025

An animated Bickerstaff stated his case for the officials to call games against a young and physical Pistons team with more respect. In a league where seasoned stars tend to have an easier time earning trips to the free throw line (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 10 free throws to Cade Cunningham’s one), Bickerstaff believes that a lack of reputation for the Pistons has been damaging throughout the year, leading him to go on a heated rant before walking off the podium.

“We're growing young players,” he finished. Our young players are competing their tail off. The least that they could do is get the same level of 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 of it. What you saw tonight was disgusting. It was a disgusting display of disrespect toward our guys and what we're trying to do.”

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