DETROIT – Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been named the National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for February.
The NBA made the announcement on Monday (March 3).
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Bickerstaff is the first head coach to win the award for the Pistons since the late Flip Saunders in February 2008.
The NBA Coach of the Month award is Bickerstaff’s second of his coaching career.
In his first year at the helm with the Pistons, Bickerstaff led the team to a 9-3 record for the month, including going 4-0 on the road.
He also led the Pistons to an eight-game win streak, the team’s longest such streak since the 2007-08 season.
Under Bickerstaff last month, the Pistons averaged 123.7 points per game and shot 49.8% from the field and 37% from the 3-point range.
Six of the Pistons' nine wins were by double digits, including four by 15-plus points.
Since taking over the team, the Pistons have been a breath of fresh air on the hardwood. They’re the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, with a 34-27 record.
To put that into perspective, the Pistons won 31 games over the past two seasons combined.
If you want more numbers, the Pistons’ record since Dec. 21 is 23-10 under Bickerstaff’s guidance. Based on those numbers alone, Bickerstaff should deservedly win the NBA Coach of the Year award.
Detroit is plus-20 over last season’s total wins and owns the fourth-best road record in the Eastern Conference at 17-13.
Watch Bickerstaff and his Pistons hit the road Monday for game one of their four-game West Coast road trip against the Utah Jazz at 9 p.m.
