The Cleveland Cavaliers had a relatively successful season. Despite advancing to the second round of the playoffs, Cavaliers management decided a coaching change was in order.

Cleveland’s run to the Eastern Conference semifinals marked the franchise’s deepest playoff run since LeBron James’ exit following the 2017-18 season.

On Thursday, the Cavs announced J.B. Bickerstaff had been relieved of his head coaching duties. Bickerstaff first stepped into the head coaching role in February 2019 following John Beilein’s resignation.

Bickerstaff’s dismissal came one week after the Boston Celtics eliminated Cleveland from playoff contention. 

Bickerstaff had to steer the team through numerous injuries during the regular season and NBA playoffs. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell and center Jarrett Allen were sidelined with injuries during the Cavs’ final two playoff games.

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Bickerstaff was successful, but other issues apparently led Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and president of basketball operations Koby Altman to make a move.

The coaching change could trigger a summer shift for the Cavs, who are hoping to sign Mitchell to a long-term contract extension and could make major moves while being tied to whatever James ultimately decides to do.

James, who can opt out of his contract with the Lakers, attended Cleveland’s final home playoff game, raising speculation about him making another homecoming and playing a third stint with the Cavs in perhaps a final career act.

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In the short term, the Cavs have begun their search for a replacement for Bickerstaff.

“J.B. is a well-respected NBA coach and an incredible human being,” Altman said in a statement. “Over the past four years, he helped establish a culture that progressively drove players to become the best versions of themselves. Decisions like these are never easy, particularly when you look back at where this franchise rebuild started under his leadership.

“The NBA is a unique business that sometimes requires aggressive risk-taking to move a franchise forward and ultimately compete for championships.”

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and general manager Koby Altman of the Cleveland Cavaliers are interviewed at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse Oct. 2, 2023, in Cleveland. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

While Bickerstaff was credited with building a strong culture, he had his flaws.

He struggled with in-game adjustments. His offense was often stagnant, and there’s a strong belief there should have been more development by guard Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, who, along with Mitchell and Allen, give the Cavs one of the league’s best young core of players.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff yells instructions to players in the first half of a game against the Houston Rockets Dec. 15, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

In his first full season, Bickerstaff, who was under contract through 2026, went just 22-50 with one of the NBA’s youngest rosters. They improved to 44 wins in his second year before losing in the Play-In Tournament while showing major strides.

After acquiring Mitchell via trade in 2022, the Cavs went 51-31 last season and had home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs before getting knocked out in five games by the New York Knicks. The early exit put added pressure on Bickerstaff to do more this season.

The 45-year-old Bickerstaff went 170-159 in the regular season and 6-11 in the playoffs with Cleveland.

The Cavs went 48-34 this season and stayed among the top teams in the Eastern Conference amid the rash of major injuries.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The crack of the ball off Maya Brady’s bat in the first inning sent a swift, loud message.

“Storm’s a Bruin,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “We’re here.”

Brady, the back-to-back Pac-12 player of the year, went three for four at the plate with two home runs in UCLA’s six-inning, 8-0 win over No. 11 Georgia in the first game of the Los Angeles Super Regional on Thursday. The No. 6 Bruins (41-10) can clinch a berth to the World Series with a win Friday at 7 p.m. at Easton Stadium in the best-of-three Super Regional.

UCLA is trying to make its eighth World Series appearance in nine years. The only blemish was last year’s winless postseason when the Bruins shockingly failed to advance out of the regional for the first time since 2013. The flop was traumatic enough for Inouye-Perez to hire a mental performance coach. Armondo Gonzalez has counseled the team all season, putting players at ease by saying any outcome is “already written.”

“For us, it honestly lifts a weight off of us,” Brady said. “Yes, we obviously have a say in our performance, but at the end of the day, there’s an outcome that’s already written that no matter if we strike out or we go four for four, that was the outcome that was supposed to happen. I think for us, it just allows us to kind of let go and play free.”

Including UCLA’s three wins in the regional round last weekend, Brady is nine for 12 at the plate in four postseason games with six extra base hits and five RBIs. Her leadoff home run in the fifth inning sparked a four-run burst highlighted by a three-run homer from Jordan Woolery that transformed a tight two-run game into a run-rule watch. Junior Savannah Pola clinched UCLA’s first Super Regional mercy rule win since 2010 with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth.

The Bruins, who won the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles, have won 12 consecutive games and 24 of their last 26. Brady raised her eyebrows in surprise when she heard the stats at the postgame news conference.

Along with her electric bat, the shortstop helped turn two double plays on defense to support freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Terry, who gave up four hits and three walks with five strikeouts in six innings.

The left-hander allowed a baserunner in each of the first five innings — three walks and two singles — but effortlessly worked her way out of danger with the help of her defense.

Left fielder Jadelyn Allchin’s diving catch in the second inning set the tone for the defense. Woolery caught a ball in foul territory while sliding to her knee in the third inning after Terry gave up a leadoff single. The pitcher allowed a leadoff walk in the fourth, but Brady erased it flawlessly, taking a hard-hit ball from Georgia’s Sara Mosley off the bounce, tagging second and firing the ball to Woolery at first.

Terry gave up four hits and three walks with five strikeouts in a complete-game victory. She faced her biggest threat in the sixth with runners on the corners and two outs, but used a devastating off-speed pitch to freeze Georgia’s Lyndi Raw Davis. Terry stomped her foot and whipped her fist in the air and the Bulldogs catcher trudged back to the dugout.

UCLA shortstop Maya Brady reacts after completing a double play in front of Georgia’s Jayda Kearney in the fourth inning Thursday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA players celebrate after defeating Georgia 8-0 in the NCAA Super Regionals on Thursday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Bruins avenged a 7-2 loss to the Bulldogs (43-18) from Feb. 16. Gonzalez reminded the Bruins of the loss before the game, emphasizing that they were a different team than the one that struggled in tournament play. The loss, UCLA’s first to Georgia since 2012, dropped the Bruins to 3-4, their worst start since 1986.

“This team in ‘24 in the beginning was carrying the burden of figuring out who we were,” Inouye-Perez said.

The 18-year coach recalled a favorite quote: “She remembered who she was and the game changed.” The Bruins remembered that while they weren’t getting the outcomes early, they still had the ability to be the perennial championship contenders who lead the nation with 12 NCAA titles.

“We understand our sport so that has freed up the pressure of what we need to do or for UCLA,” Inouye-Perez said. “They’re just playing ball, which I love … When they play freely, man, we see some serious Bruin magic.”

The NBA has closed its investigation into Josh Giddey’s alleged relationship with a minor, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Giddey, the sixth overall pick of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2021 NBA Draft, was not charged after the Newport Beach Police Department in California announced in January it was unable to find criminal activity. 

“No charges have been filed against Josh Giddey. Our detectives have reviewed all of the available information regarding allegations circulating on social media and were unable to corroborate any criminal activity related to Mr. Giddey,” a spokesperson for the Newport Beach Police said in an email to Fox News Digital at the time. 

ESPN says the league closed its investigation for the same reason. 

Rumors that Giddey was in a relationship with a minor exploded on social media in November after video and photos circulated. It got to the point police and the NBA decided to investigate. 

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Giddey, 21, was seen hugging a female rumored to be 15 in one photo, while another had a caption that said, “just f—ed josh giddy.”

Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates a basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half of an NBA In-Season Tournament game at Paycom Center Nov. 14, 2023, in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)

Many wondered what the Thunder would do. But head coach Mark Daigneault kept Giddey on the floor based on the information the team had received. Giddey didn’t address any questions regarding the situation.

Oklahoma City became the top seed in the Western Conference this season, though they fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. 

Josh Giddey (3) of the Oklahoma City Thunder controls the ball against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Footprint Center Nov. 12, 2023, in Phoenix, Ariz.  (Kelsey Grant/Getty Images)

Giddey averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists this season. 

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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