Cavaliers coach David Blatt speaking to the media before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals in Cleveland against the Atlanta Hawks, May 26, 2015. (Jason Miller\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
As candid as that sounds, it\u2019s almost an understatement in terms of describing Blatt\u2019s tumultuous first season as an NBA coach. Somehow, despite parlaying a stellar European coaching career into a trip to the NBA Finals in just one season, Blatt finds himself on the hot seat, with something to prove.<\/p>\n
How does that happen?<\/p>\n
The crazy ride started with Blatt, 56, a four-time Coach of the Year in Israel, leading Maccabi Tel Aviv to an improbable Euroleague title in 2014. Blatt, who played point guard at Princeton and professionally in Israel\u2019s Super League, initially thought he\u2019d transfer to the NBA as an assistant to new Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr (whom he\u2019ll now oppose in the finals) \u2013 but the Cavaliers took a chance and hired him as head coach in June 2014 to helm a team with modest expectations.<\/p>\n
Quickly, however, things advanced to another level.<\/p>\n
Just weeks after Blatt was hired, LeBron James \u2013 a northeastern Ohio native, a four-time MVP and one of the best players in NBA history \u2013 announced that he was leaving the Miami Heat (after two titles and four straight trips to the finals) to return to the Cavaliers, where he started his pro career as a teenager. Overnight, the Cavaliers were draped with championship-size expectations. The preseason acquisition of All-Star Kevin Love to join LeBron and Kyrie Irving, among the top point guards in the league, only added to the hype.<\/p>\n
As the stars adjusted to playing together, the season started slowly \u2013 the club was 19-20 in January and lost its starting center to a year-ending injury. While the growing pains were predictable, Blatt\u2019s job was rumored to be in jeopardy. Rumors that LeBron wanted Blatt fired swirled in the media, which seemed eager to pounce on the NBA newcomer.<\/p>\n
After weathering the storm, Blatt acknowledged to JTA that he needed to make big adjustments in the NBA.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve gone through my own learning curve that I\u2019ve obviously worked through,\u201d Blatt told JTA in February after the Cavs started to turn around their season, winning 18 of their last 21 games. \u201cTwo-thirds through the regular season I\u2019ve become a lot more comfortable, and a lot more cognizant of the things that are necessary to make a winning situation on an NBA team.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the help of several crucial midseason acquisitions (J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov), Blatt\u2019s team streaked into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference\u2019s second seed and the league\u2019s hottest team. The Cavs lost Love to injury amid their first-round sweep of the Boston Celtics, then rallied to beat the Chicago Bulls before dismantling the Hawks.<\/p>\n
In the finals, which start Thursday, they’ll face a Warriors squad with the best record in the league and the MVP, Stephen Curry.<\/p>\n
Despite the turnaround and march to the finals, the blows to Blatt\u2019s reputation have only intensified, with LeBron\u2019s dominance, game-winning shots and customary confidence stealing the show and getting most of the credit. Blatt didn’t help himself by nearly costing the Cavs a crucial victory in the tough series against the Bulls, calling a timeout the team didn’t have — one of his assistants pulled him back before the referees noticed. Making matters worse, moments later LeBron nailed a buzzer beater to win the game — and proceeded to tell the world that he had called the play, overruling Blatt in the process.<\/p>\n
Looking back, LeBron\u2019s decision to return to Cleveland may have doomed Blatt\u2019s NBA transition from the start by casting him as second fiddle to the game\u2019s best player, with his outsized personality and extraordinary talent. That doesn\u2019t take away anything from Blatt\u2019s ability.<\/p>\n
This week signals a potential shift in the dynamic, as Blatt\u2019s players (including LeBron) have praised him more than they have in the past. And in theory, the finals offer a chance for some face-saving redemption. But in reality, the series is shaping up as a lose-lose situation for Blatt: If the Cavs win, it’s all about LeBron. If they lose \u2013 even though the Warriors have played at a historically high level all season \u2013 Blatt will be the obvious scapegoat.<\/p>\n
At least Blatt has the support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told him recently that “all of Israel is behind the Cavaliers.”<\/p>\n
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