DETROIT (AP) — The NBA playoffs become chess matches for coaches.
After wins and losses, they work on adjustments during practices to address problems from the previous game and attempt to predict counter moves opponents will make in the next matchup.
In the Orlando-Detroit series, coaches Jamahl Mosley and J.B. Bickerstaff are close friends who have intentionally spent time together off the court and communicated frequently for a couple decades.
Just
not right now.
“We won’t talk for the rest of this series,” Mosley said.
The Mosley-led, eighth-seeded Magic upset the Bickerstaff-led, first-seeded Pistons 112-101 on Sunday night.
“Friends as close as us don’t typically get to these spots, having two of 30 jobs, so it’s special from that standpoint,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s not always the easiest because you know somebody’s got to lose, somebody’s got to win, but it’s competition and you get it.”
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Detroit, where the Magic will shoot for a 2-0 lead before the series shifts to Orlando.
Later on Wednesday night, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder will host eighth-seeded Phoenix. The defending champions will have a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after opening with a 119-84 win against the Suns.
Bickerstaff, in his last year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, eliminated Mosley and the Magic in their last NBA playoff matchup in a Game 7 of a first-round series in 2024.
It's business, not personal.
“We’ll always be friends, through thick and thin,” Mosley said. ”But at the end of the day when we cross the lines, it’s like you’re going into an octagon or a boxing match."
The 47-year-old coaches developed their friendship as up-and-coming assistants in the NBA about 20 years ago. They also shared a connection through Bickerstaff's father, Bernie, when he and Mosley were assistants together in Cleveland during the 2013-14 season.
Bernie Bickerstaff, who won 419 NBA games as a head coach, has joined his son in Detroit this week.
“I couldn't be more fortunate to have someone who has been through all the stuff that he's been through, and will talk with you honestly and purely with no agenda,” J.B. Bickerstaff said Tuesday after his father watched the team's practice. “It's a ton of help, just having him here.”
J.B. Bickerstaff, who previously coached in Houston, Memphis and Cleveland, is in his 10th season as a head coach in the league. Mosley is in his fifth year as an NBA head coach with the Magic.
Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault and Phoenix’s Jordan Ott are both 41, born less than a week apart in 1985.
The similarities seem to end there.
Daigneault, the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2024, has led the Thunder to the top seed in the Western Conference three straight years and guided them to their first NBA title last year.
"He’s just as committed to winning as we are,” Oklahoma City wing Jalen Williams said. “And he’s a basketball mind, so I think that makes everybody on the team respect him. And he’s cool to be around, too.”
Ott is in his first year as an NBA head coach and lost his playoff debut on Sunday. He said the Thunder are tough to prepare for because of their quality depth and ability to change lineups.
“They have guys ready, and they’re able to stay ready," Ott said. "It allows them to go a bunch of different ways.”
When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 7 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Series: Magic lead, 1-0.
Betting line: Pistons by 9 1/2.
What to Know: Orlando hasn't started a series with two wins since 2010 when it swept Charlotte and Atlanta in the first two rounds and reached the conference finals. Detroit lost an NBA-record 11th straight home playoff game in Game 1 despite Cade Cunningham scoring a playoff career-high 39 points. The Magic did not trail in the opener as their starters scored at least 16 points apiece and allowed just two Pistons to score in double figures. Detroit All-Star center Jalen Duren, a finalist for Most Improved Player, was 3 of 4 and scored only eight points against Wendell Carter. “He kept Duren, basically, out of the game,” Magic guard Anthony Black said Tuesday.
When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 9 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Series: Thunder lead, 1-0.
Betting line: Thunder by 17 1/2.
What to Know: Oklahoma City scored 119 points in Game 1 despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander making only 5 of 18 field goals. The reigning MVP and finalist to win the award again made 55.3% of his shots this season. Phoenix will attempt to keep him off the line after he made 15 of 17 free throws. Dillon Brooks was 6 of 22 and scored 18 points for the Suns, who may want to get more shots for All-Star Devin Booker after he had 23 points on 17 shots. Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren finished second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year behind Victor Wembanyama. The Suns shot 34.9% in the series opener.
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AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
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