CLEVELAND – JB Bickerstaff was prepared for whatever Cleveland fans had in store for him.

He knows her as well as anyone.

Detroit's first-year coach was often criticized for his rotations and game strategies and blamed for playoff losses during his four-plus seasons as the Cavaliers' coach. He wasn't sure what reaction he would get in his first game back.

“Who knows?” Bickerstaff said with a smile. “I received a mixed reception during my time here. I might get booed. I might get fired up. Who knows?”

Bickerstaff was fired after last season despite rebuilding the Cavs and leading them to the Eastern Conference semifinals. On Friday night, Bickerstaff returned to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as the Pistons played their first road game of the season.

Bickerstaff, who posted a 170-159 record with the Cavs and took them to the playoffs twice, said it was strange taking the bus to the arena instead of driving from his home on Cleveland's west side.

He joked that he wasn't overwhelmed by nostalgia as he walked back into a building he knows so well.

“Absolutely nothing,” he said when asked what went through his mind in the first moments after his return. “I didn't recognize these (converted) halls here when I was trying to figure out where to go, but that's it. I know there’s a deal that needs to be made about this.”

“But honestly we’re just trying to put together what we have, get better every day and focus on that.”

That was Bickerstaff's mantra during his stay in Cleveland. And while he had his challenges, he took a young team and made it better, leading the Cavs' rebuild after the departure of LeBron James in 2018.

Bickerstaff got the mixed reaction he expected during his pregame introduction.

The team paid him another tribute during a timeout in the first quarter, and Bickerstaff stood emotionless near the court with his hands in his pockets.

It's understandable if Bickerstaff didn't feel warm and fuzzy.

After all, he was the one who got the Cavs out of a tough situation when coach John Beilein resigned midway through the 2019-20 season. He also led Cleveland to the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

Last season, the Cavs struggled with injuries but got past Orlando in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals and playing the final two games without All-Star Donovan Mitchell.

That wasn't enough to save his job, as the Cavs made a coaching change a week into the season.

The run was fulfilling, even if it ended earlier than he wanted.

“We have done an excellent job here from the beginning when our staff took over until the end,” he said. “In any type of rebuilding situation, if you could demand that, every GM in this league, every owner in this league, every player in this league would sign up for it.”

“We have gotten better every year. Every year we’ve progressed, so we’ve done the work that was asked of us and I’m proud of that.”