Cavs coach Bickerstaff says he has received threats from players and believes sports betting has “gone too far.”

Cleveland Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff revealed he received threats from players last season and reported it to the NBA.

When asked Wednesday night about comments about sports gambling from Indiana All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who said he sometimes felt like a “prop,” Bickerstaff said players had contacted him.

“They got my phone number and sent me crazy messages about where I live, my kids and all that stuff,” Bickerstaff said before the Cavs hosted the Miami Heat. “So it’s a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re certainly walking on.”

Bickerstaff said he told security and the player was located.

“No charges,” Bickerstaff said. “But they found him.”

As sports gambling increases in the U.S., Bickerstaff, who is in his fourth full season with the Cavaliers, said his job has become more demanding.

“That brings additional pressure,” he said. “It brings a distraction into the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees and everyone involved. “And I think we need to be really careful about how close we get to the game and how safe the safety of the people involved in it is.

“Because again it has a weight. Often people who play like this use this money to pay their electricity bill or their rent and then the emotions that arise from it. So I think we have to walk a very fine line and be extremely careful in protecting everyone involved.”

With fans able to bet on their phones in the arena — the Cavs have a sportsbook at Rocket Mortage FieldHouse — Bickerstaff said the line between gambling and gaming has never been tighter.

“There is no doubt that the line has been crossed,” he said. “The amount of times I stand up there and we might have a 10-point lead and the spread is 11 and people are screaming at me to keep the guys in so we can cover the spread is ridiculous.

“But again, I understand the business side and the nature of the business. But I mean, it’s something that I think has gone too far.”

After a recent game in Cleveland, Minnesota center Rudy Gobert said he felt gambling was “hurting our game.”

Gobert made the remark after making a “money” gesture toward official Scott Foster, suggesting that gambling influenced the way the game was called. He was fined $100,000, the maximum the NBA could award under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that went into effect last year.

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