David Blatt is a former NBA coach

[susztermatt]

I really like whats going on here but,
Any chance for some other content or a break from this debate? It is honestly tiring and we get to log on and see the same routine over and over - nassty is liking blatt but has his points taken out of context and he didnt mean to sound so anti - coach..
-human q tip is trying to persuade otherwise providing stats and explanations.. However he is claimed to see what he wants to see argument time and time again..
So:
May i advise to hold it a while for after tonight when we will actually have new info and stuff to talk about?

I actually am enjoying their debate...

 

[NasstyNate]

I actually am enjoying their debate...

You're both wrong

 

[MalTalm]

I mean Lebron is our offense.

He has an insane usage of 35.8% along with an assist percentage of 49.1%. Let's take a look at the number of players who have done that in the playoffs - a big fat zero. Maybe PriceFTW has some better numbers.

So no, I am not using hyperbole. Maybe not read everything in an absurd literal way?


Again with the absurd literal reading. No, Lebron does not touch the ball on every play. Do you think anyone else here thinks that is what I meant?


Ok, we are actually into substance here. And I agree! And have defended Blatt on these points repeatedly!

Dude, you're the worst. You have been consistently defining "substance" as being viewpoints which align with your own judgement/opinion. Nothing QTip said in your quote was any more/ less substantive than many other arguments made, the only real difference is you can use the statement as a basis for support. Just terrible debate.

There's been plenty of substance over the past 10 pages, some of which I've provided on my own. But let's get into this then. Here's your substance, by any reasonable definition.

A coach's role is multifaceted. He must install and implement an offense, install and implement a defense, manage player rotations, manage gameday decisions, and put his players in a position where they can best utilize their talents and hide their weaknesses. You argue a desired quantifiable measurement of these (and other) tasks the coach is ultimately responsible for. So let's see what we can see.

The Cavs point differential in the postseason is 7.1, which is tied with GS for the lead of the remaining teams in the field. They carried a 4.08 through the regular season, which grew dramatically from the paltry 2.01 at the time Mozgov, Smith, and Shumpert were brought in. That means from the time the Cavs were 19-20, they began outscoring opponents by roughly 6 points per game the remainder of the season. What does that mean? Well, for one, the offense continually improved over the course of the season. An offense which was ranked as low as 11th in efficiency ended at 2nd by the end of the season. The defense was slower to adapt, maxing out at 18th in the NBA. Essentially, we gave up lots of points, but scored significantly more, leading to some lopsided games.

But now in the postseason, we're topping our mark throughout even the best stretch of the regular season, and doing that despite missing 1/2 of our big 3. Where is that extra production coming from? Almost exclusively team defense. Our defensive efficiency went from 104.1 in the regular season down to 98.6 in the postseason, while shockingly our offensive efficiency has remained the same.

So how has Blatt and the Cavs accomplished this? Through intelligent substitutions. Certain players such as Delly and Mozgov have been wildly inconsistent. There are games they make a substantial impact, and games where they are liabilities. (Delly less so in the past 5 or so games).

Mozgov's minutes by game in order from 1st game to last:
Boston series: 23 29 19 27
Chicago: 26 18 22 39 23 26
Atlanta: 24

Delly's minutes by game (Variance in some games also due to Irving's injury issues):
Boston: 9 9 10 15
Chicago: 19 36 16 17 18 34
Atlanta: 25

Whereas players who have been consistent have maintained steady minutes (such as James, Shumpert and Smith). Then there's Thompson, who moreso than any player on the roster has evolved his game in the postseason. The result? Consistently more minutes every game. He's now pushing 40 minutes each game. You may argue any coach would make these adjustments, but you'd be wrong. Looking at other coaches such as the illustrious Tom Thibedou, you'll see very little variance in such adaptations. For instance, Thibedou treated Mirotic like poison throughout the playoffs, despite his strong showing at the end of the season.

There's much more to point out, such as in-game defensive rotations and assignments. A player like Iman Shumpert, the Cavs premier defender, was used to attack Rose through much of the Bulls matchup in an attempt to limit Chicago's biggest offensive threat. Against the Hawks however, he's being used simply to guard 3 point specialist Kyle Korver. Why is that? Likely because Blatt and his coaching staff have seen that the principle cog that makes the Hawks backcourt hum is hiding Korver out on the wing or in the corner, and by limiting the threat of his catch-and-shoot ability, the rest of the offense becomes pedestrian and guardable. One game sample size, but so far, so good.

One last bit I'd like to address is whether or not Blatt is putting his players in a position to play at the best of their ability. In a sense, this is very hard to judge, as these players have all played in this system under Blatt together. One area we can evaluate that is on the players acquired mid-season via trade. Let's look at Shumpert and JR Smith's stats both prior to and since the trade:

Shumpert in December (last full month in New York):
22.6 mins 34% FG 23.1% 3pt 2.9 REB 3.3 Ast 5.6 pts/ game

Shumpert in February (First Full month in Cleveland):
25.5 mins 41.5 FG% 37.2% 3pt 3.6 REB 1.6 AST 8.2pts/game

Shumpert in postseason:
33.4 mins 39.6 FG% 32% 3pt 5.1 REB 1.3 AST 9.8 pts/game

JR Smith December:
24 mins 42.4% FG 45% 3pt 2.0 REB 3.0 AST 13.4 pts/ game

JR Smith February:
30 Mins 43.9% FG 38.7% 3pt 3.2 REB 3.3 AST 11.5 pts/game

JR Smith postseason:
28.8 Mins 46.2% FG 40.6% 3pt 4.1 REB 1.2 AST 13.1 pts/ game

Both players have become more efficient in the Cleveland offense than they were in the Knicks offense, and have provided significant contributions on both ends of the floor. One could argue this is the best JR Smith has ever played, and while people will want to credit that to the gravity of LBJ (somewhat rightly) this is a guy who spent time on the court with Stoudemire and Anthony, two guys who also demand a ton of attention. Despite this, Smith has found a better rhythm in Cleveland.

Conclusion:

Short of breaking down game film to look at actual in-game adjustments (and if you want that, I'd rather just link you to some BBall Breakdown than put in the effort to go over it) I'm not sure what else you'd like to see. The team gets production from everyone on the floor, and Blatt has all of them playing above their weight level. LeBron is a huge part of this team's success, but when he has a night where he shoots 10 of 30 and this team gets a victory over the Bulls on the road, that's not LBJ doing it himself, despite his heroic shot. Blatt is getting contributions from all over the floor, and when he isn't he adjusts and adapts. Writing it off as "LeBron is here, ergo we win" is doing a huge disservice to this roster and this coaching staff.

Remember, we had a more physically dominant LeBron 4 years prior to this in Cleveland, and we only saw the Finals once, where we were swept. That was due in large part to a weaker roster and a head coach who could not figure out how to adjust his gameplan to fix his issues.

Blatt has been exemplary, and there has been plenty of tangible, concrete evidence to support the consistent rise and improvement of this team despite a depleting roster to support this thesis. Ignoring it in favor of dramatic storylines and hot takes is just being ignorant.

One last note: Urban Meyer won a championship with his 3rd string QB, and universally is regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time due to that feat. Blatt has taken a roster which has lost 1/2 of it's big 3, and has his team playing better than at any other point in the season, and people are claiming he's a poor coach (or in your argument, inconsequential). I'll grant that what Meyer did was certainly more impressive, but Blatt isn't getting any credit for what he's done despite his own adversity, and that's an untenable double standard.

 

[Chris Parker]

Dude, you're the worst. You have been consistently defining "substance" as being viewpoints which align with your own judgement/opinion. Nothing QTip said in your quote was any more/ less substantive than many other arguments made, the only real difference is you can use the statement as a basis for support. Just terrible debate.

There's been plenty of substance over the past 10 pages, some of which I've provided on my own. But let's get into this then. Here's your substance, by any reasonable definition.

A coach's role is multifaceted. He must install and implement an offense, install and implement a defense, manage player rotations, manage gameday decisions, and put his players in a position where they can best utilize their talents and hide their weaknesses. You argue a desired quantifiable measurement of these (and other) tasks the coach is ultimately responsible for. So let's see what we can see.

great great stuff. We're not worthy. You are my first hire when I take over the NEOMG bball dept. [/jokes]

 

[tocov]

Dude, you're the worst. You have been consistently defining "substance" as being viewpoints which align with your own judgement/opinion. Nothing QTip said in your quote was any more/ less substantive than many other arguments made, the only real difference is you can use the statement as a basis for support. Just terrible debate.

There's been plenty of substance over the past 10 pages, some of which I've provided on my own. But let's get into this then. Here's your substance, by any reasonable definition.

A coach's role is multifaceted. He must install and implement an offense, install and implement a defense, manage player rotations, manage gameday decisions, and put his players in a position where they can best utilize their talents and hide their weaknesses. You argue a desired quantifiable measurement of these (and other) tasks the coach is ultimately responsible for. So let's see what we can see.

The Cavs point differential in the postseason is 7.1, which is tied with GS for the lead of the remaining teams in the field. They carried a 4.08 through the regular season, which grew dramatically from the paltry 2.01 at the time Mozgov, Smith, and Shumpert were brought in. That means from the time the Cavs were 19-20, they began outscoring opponents by roughly 6 points per game the remainder of the season. What does that mean? Well, for one, the offense continually improved over the course of the season. An offense which was ranked as low as 11th in efficiency ended at 2nd by the end of the season. The defense was slower to adapt, maxing out at 18th in the NBA. Essentially, we gave up lots of points, but scored significantly more, leading to some lopsided games.

But now in the postseason, we're topping our mark throughout even the best stretch of the regular season, and doing that despite missing 1/2 of our big 3. Where is that extra production coming from? Almost exclusively team defense. Our defensive efficiency went from 104.1 in the regular season down to 98.6 in the postseason, while shockingly our offensive efficiency has remained the same.

So how has Blatt and the Cavs accomplished this? Through intelligent substitutions. Certain players such as Delly and Mozgov have been wildly inconsistent. There are games they make a substantial impact, and games where they are liabilities. (Delly less so in the past 5 or so games).

Mozgov's minutes by game in order from 1st game to last:
Boston series: 23 29 19 27
Chicago: 26 18 22 39 23 26
Atlanta: 24

Delly's minutes by game (Variance in some games also due to Irving's injury issues):
Boston: 9 9 10 15
Chicago: 19 36 16 17 18 34
Atlanta: 25

Whereas players who have been consistent have maintained steady minutes (such as James, Shumpert and Smith). Then there's Thompson, who moreso than any player on the roster has evolved his game in the postseason. The result? Consistently more minutes every game. He's now pushing 40 minutes each game. You may argue any coach would make these adjustments, but you'd be wrong. Looking at other coaches such as the illustrious Tom Thibedou, you'll see very little variance in such adaptations. For instance, Thibedou treated Mirotic like poison throughout the playoffs, despite his strong showing at the end of the season.

There's much more to point out, such as in-game defensive rotations and assignments. A player like Iman Shumpert, the Cavs premier defender, was used to attack Rose through much of the Bulls matchup in an attempt to limit Chicago's biggest offensive threat. Against the Hawks however, he's being used simply to guard 3 point specialist Kyle Korver. Why is that? Likely because Blatt and his coaching staff have seen that the principle cog that makes the Hawks backcourt hum is hiding Korver out on the wing or in the corner, and by limiting the threat of his catch-and-shoot ability, the rest of the offense becomes pedestrian and guardable. One game sample size, but so far, so good.

One last bit I'd like to address is whether or not Blatt is putting his players in a position to play at the best of their ability. In a sense, this is very hard to judge, as these players have all played in this system under Blatt together. One area we can evaluate that is on the players acquired mid-season via trade. Let's look at Shumpert and JR Smith's stats both prior to and since the trade:

Shumpert in December (last full month in New York):
22.6 mins 34% FG 23.1% 3pt 2.9 REB 3.3 Ast 5.6 pts/ game

Shumpert in February (First Full month in Cleveland):
25.5 mins 41.5 FG% 37.2% 3pt 3.6 REB 1.6 AST 8.2pts/game

Shumpert in postseason:
33.4 mins 39.6 FG% 32% 3pt 5.1 REB 1.3 AST 9.8 pts/game

JR Smith December:
24 mins 42.4% FG 45% 3pt 2.0 REB 3.0 AST 13.4 pts/ game

JR Smith February:
30 Mins 43.9% FG 38.7% 3pt 3.2 REB 3.3 AST 11.5 pts/game

JR Smith postseason:
28.8 Mins 46.2% FG 40.6% 3pt 4.1 REB 1.2 AST 13.1 pts/ game

Both players have become more efficient in the Cleveland offense than they were in the Knicks offense, and have provided significant contributions on both ends of the floor. One could argue this is the best JR Smith has ever played, and while people will want to credit that to the gravity of LBJ (somewhat rightly) this is a guy who spent time on the court with Stoudemire and Anthony, two guys who also demand a ton of attention. Despite this, Smith has found a better rhythm in Cleveland.

Conclusion:

Short of breaking down game film to look at actual in-game adjustments (and if you want that, I'd rather just link you to some BBall Breakdown than put in the effort to go over it) I'm not sure what else you'd like to see. The team gets production from everyone on the floor, and Blatt has all of them playing above their weight level. LeBron is a huge part of this team's success, but when he has a night where he shoots 10 of 30 and this team gets a victory over the Bulls on the road, that's not LBJ doing it himself, despite his heroic shot. Blatt is getting contributions from all over the floor, and when he isn't he adjusts and adapts. Writing it off as "LeBron is here, ergo we win" is doing a huge disservice to this roster and this coaching staff.

Remember, we had a more physically dominant LeBron 4 years prior to this in Cleveland, and we only saw the Finals once, where we were swept. That was due in large part to a weaker roster and a head coach who could not figure out how to adjust his gameplan to fix his issues.

Blatt has been exemplary, and there has been plenty of tangible, concrete evidence to support the consistent rise and improvement of this team despite a depleting roster to support this thesis. Ignoring it in favor of dramatic storylines and hot takes is just being ignorant.

One last note: Urban Meyer won a championship with his 3rd string QB, and universally is regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time due to that feat. Blatt has taken a roster which has lost 1/2 of it's big 3, and has his team playing better than at any other point in the season, and people are claiming he's a poor coach (or in your argument, inconsequential). I'll grant that what Meyer did was certainly more impressive, but Blatt isn't getting any credit for what he's done despite his own adversity, and that's an untenable double standard.

POTY.

 

[NasstyNate]

Dude, you're the worst.

Hey now. This I like.

The Cavs point differential in the postseason is 7.1, which is tied with GS for the lead of the remaining teams in the field. They carried a 4.08 through the regular season, which grew dramatically from the paltry 2.01 at the time Mozgov, Smith, and Shumpert were brought in.

How bout that. Couple pages back I was going on about how the real reason for our ascendance was the influx of talent due to our trades and not necessarily coaching. Thanks for providing some support for that.

But now in the postseason, we're topping our mark throughout even the best stretch of the regular season, and doing that despite missing 1/2 of our big 3. Where is that extra production coming from? Almost exclusively team defense. Our defensive efficiency went from 104.1 in the regular season down to 98.6 in the postseason, while shockingly our offensive efficiency has remained the same.

Damn right! And what do I go on and on about on this board? Defense! And who have I been saying should be starting for the last couple months? Shumpert! And who have I said is behind our offense? Lebron! Everything you said supports my argument. Thank you.

...You may argue any coach would make these adjustments, but you'd be wrong.

Nah, I wouldn't argue that. You know the whole addition by subtraction thing? How much do you think we improved on defense due to Love and Jones not playing significant minutes? That'd be my argument - that the adjustments Blatt made were forced upon him. Well that and Lebron getting into playoff mode. Shumpert only started because JR was suspended. I'd argue that the only defensive big/wing combo better than Shump/Moz is Allen/Gasol. Yet it took until the suspension to go with it. Good on Blatt for keeping it.

There's much more to point out, such as in-game defensive rotations and assignments. A player like Iman Shumpert, the Cavs premier defender, was used to attack Rose through much of the Bulls matchup in an attempt to limit Chicago's biggest offensive threat. Against the Hawks however, he's being used simply to guard 3 point specialist Kyle Korver. Why is that? Likely because Blatt and his coaching staff have seen that the principle cog that makes the Hawks backcourt hum is hiding Korver out on the wing or in the corner, and by limiting the threat of his catch-and-shoot ability, the rest of the offense becomes pedestrian and guardable. One game sample size, but so far, so good.

Hell yeah! This is what I am talking about when I say substance. I agree with your analysis. I would add that Blatt changed how we attacked the PnR with Gasol after that game 1 debacle. Him getting hurt helped out as well. The Korver stuff is not especially revelatory on Blatt's part. Washington did the same exact thing.

Both players have become more efficient in the Cleveland offense than they were in the Knicks offense, and have provided significant contributions on both ends of the floor. One could argue this is the best JR Smith has ever played, and while people will want to credit that to the gravity of LBJ (somewhat rightly) this is a guy who spent time on the court with Stoudemire and Anthony, two guys who also demand a ton of attention. Despite this, Smith has found a better rhythm in Cleveland.

You have it right to credit the gravity of Lebron, both in how he routinely attracts three players and his leadership. I'll respectfully disagree that this is the best JR has ever played.

Short of breaking down game film to look at actual in-game adjustments (and if you want that, I'd rather just link you to some BBall Breakdown than put in the effort to go over it) I'm not sure what else you'd like to see. The team gets production from everyone on the floor, and Blatt has all of them playing above their weight level. LeBron is a huge part of this team's success, but when he has a night where he shoots 10 of 30 and this team gets a victory over the Bulls on the road, that's not LBJ doing it himself, despite his heroic shot. Blatt is getting contributions from all over the floor, and when he isn't he adjusts and adapts. Writing it off as "LeBron is here, ergo we win" is doing a huge disservice to this roster and this coaching staff.

I would like you or someone to discuss in game adjustments. Please link videos, though the couple bball breakdown videos that I watched were not very kind to Blatt. For what it's worth, I think you are doing a huge disservice to the players themselves.

Remember, we had a more physically dominant LeBron 4 years prior to this in Cleveland, and we only saw the Finals once, where we were swept. That was due in large part to a weaker roster and a head coach who could not figure out how to adjust his gameplan to fix his issues.

Agree about the coach. The Lebron of today is a far better player than 4 years ago.

Blatt has been exemplary, and there has been plenty of tangible, concrete evidence to support the consistent rise and improvement of this team despite a depleting roster to support this thesis. Ignoring it in favor of dramatic storylines and hot takes is just being ignorant.

Repeating yourself does not magically transform into specific adjustments or changes. We are running basically the same stuff we have been doing for the last half of the year, just with new players due to circumstances out of our control.

Once again, I am not the media.

Edit - I forgot to thank you for writing this. Also, I'd like to make it clear that I think coaches provide a valuable role in many areas that are hard to define, be it confidence, cohesiveness, etc. Blatt has done all of this in the playoffs and has had a positive effect. My point is you guys are blowing that way, way out of proportion and bestowing him all kinds of credit that is misplaced. I also think that he is not able to have the kind of impact that he should on the team because Lebron is actively standing in the way of that.

 

[Chris Parker]

I'd argue that you are overstating the praise that is being made to fill the void of credit by the local media, you may not be the local media, but your arguments are similar to the ones they've made to deny Blatt any credit. So what you see here as unqualified love is IMO an attempt to balance the opinions of a media that dislikes Blatt in many cases for reasons that have nothing to do with his coaching.

BTW, just for your information, I have not media "war" unless it's war to note when you like and dislike things. As I praise as much as I critique I respectfully ask that you mediate your description/perspective to reflect the fact that the only "war" I'm involved in is for better journalism, which I hope everyone wages for their own profession whether they're cops, lawyers, doctors or priests. Allowing your "order" to suck because you're afraid to call out your own sucks in my opinion, but should just be a part of trying to serve, in my case, what I perceive (rightly or wrongly) as good journalism. That is all...

 

[NasstyNate]

I'd argue that you are overstating the praise that is being made to fill the void of credit by the local media, you may not be the local media, but your arguments are similar to the ones they've made to deny Blatt any credit. So what you see here as unqualified love is IMO an attempt to balance the opinions of a media that dislikes Blatt in many cases for reasons that have nothing to do with his coaching.

I do not read the local media (other than you ), so chalk that up to a coincidence.

You are totally right that people here are balancing the negative opinions of others, and I would say in response that 1) that is a tacit admission that the praise is way overstated, and 2) who cares about what some shit-stirring clowns have to say? The best thing anyone can do is never give them clicks or mention them.

BTW, just for your information, I have not media "war" unless it's war to note when you like and dislike things. As I praise as much as I critique I respectfully ask that you mediate your description/perspective to reflect the fact that the only "war" I'm involved in is for better journalism, which I hope everyone wages for their own profession whether they're cops, lawyers, doctors or priests. Allowing your "order" to suck because you're afraid to call out your own sucks in my opinion, but should just be a part of trying to serve, in my case, what I perceive (rightly or wrongly) as good journalism. That is all...

Hey man, I am on your side. I just think you used my post as a way to take out your angst against the media, is all.

 

[Paul]

We will probably make the finals and we will probably lose and there's going to be games where Blatt and the team look really bad, because that's what Golden State does to their opponents. I think some of the people here are just waiting for that moment so they can say "i told you so" about David Blatt.

Honestly it starting to feel like some of these haters would rather see us lose ballgames just so they can further their anti-Blatt viewpoints.

 

[NasstyNate]

We will probably make the finals and we will probably lose and there's going to be games where Blatt and the team look really bad, because that's what Golden State does to their opponents. I think some of the people here are just waiting for that moment so they can say "i told you so" about David Blatt.

Honestly it starting to feel like some of these haters would rather see us lose ballgames just so they can further their anti-Blatt viewpoints.

This is such a tired take. Nobody here hates Blatt and nobody wants us to lose. Ridiculous.

 

[Chris Parker]

There is some of that which is right, however I think it important to note that I didn't get a thread until I lambasted Chris Fedor. Those with less profile can benefit by beefing with those with more. Not sure I'm "happy" that's how it works, but it is what it is....

 

[KI4MVP]

NasstyNate - why are you assuming our running more stuff that utilizes LeBron's strengths is LeBron overriding the coach and not the coach utilizing LeBron. One of the very first questions Blatt was asked when LeBron announced his return was "how well do you think LeBron will adapt to your offense". His answer then - "we'll adapt our offense to LeBron".

It takes more than one way to score to win in this league. The Hawks struggle in the playoffs is they aren't able to run their own ball movement offense against playoff defenses nearly as efficiently as they did against regular season defenses and they don't have any other offense to fall back on.

 

[NasstyNate]

NasstyNate - why are you assuming our running more stuff that utilizes LeBron's strengths is LeBron overriding the coach and not the coach utilizing LeBron. One of the very first questions Blatt was asked when LeBron announced his return was "how well do you think LeBron will adapt to your offense". His answer then - "we'll adapt our offense to LeBron".

It takes more than one way to score to win in this league. The Hawks struggle in the playoffs is they aren't able to run their own ball movement offense against playoff defenses nearly as efficiently as they did against regular season defenses and they don't have any other offense to fall back on.

I've already explained this so I will not go into it at length. We started the year with a dynamic offense led by Kyrie, one similar to the types most successful teams run. We blew that up not even halfway through the season even though it is pretty well recognized that a new group of players needs time to learn to play with each other in a new system. Lebron took the ball from Kyrie and we started running a greatly simplified offense centered around the PnR and Lebron/Kyrie taking turns.

I do not think any modern coach with any kind of eye on long term success makes that move. That's my thought process at least.

 

[Paul]

Dude, you're the worst. You have been consistently defining "substance" as being viewpoints which align with your own judgement/opinion. Nothing QTip said in your quote was any more/ less substantive than many other arguments made, the only real difference is you can use the statement as a basis for support. Just terrible debate.

There's been plenty of substance over the past 10 pages, some of which I've provided on my own. But let's get into this then. Here's your substance, by any reasonable definition.

A coach's role is multifaceted. He must install and implement an offense, install and implement a defense, manage player rotations, manage gameday decisions, and put his players in a position where they can best utilize their talents and hide their weaknesses. You argue a desired quantifiable measurement of these (and other) tasks the coach is ultimately responsible for. So let's see what we can see.

The Cavs point differential in the postseason is 7.1, which is tied with GS for the lead of the remaining teams in the field. They carried a 4.08 through the regular season, which grew dramatically from the paltry 2.01 at the time Mozgov, Smith, and Shumpert were brought in. That means from the time the Cavs were 19-20, they began outscoring opponents by roughly 6 points per game the remainder of the season. What does that mean? Well, for one, the offense continually improved over the course of the season. An offense which was ranked as low as 11th in efficiency ended at 2nd by the end of the season. The defense was slower to adapt, maxing out at 18th in the NBA. Essentially, we gave up lots of points, but scored significantly more, leading to some lopsided games.

But now in the postseason, we're topping our mark throughout even the best stretch of the regular season, and doing that despite missing 1/2 of our big 3. Where is that extra production coming from? Almost exclusively team defense. Our defensive efficiency went from 104.1 in the regular season down to 98.6 in the postseason, while shockingly our offensive efficiency has remained the same.

So how has Blatt and the Cavs accomplished this? Through intelligent substitutions. Certain players such as Delly and Mozgov have been wildly inconsistent. There are games they make a substantial impact, and games where they are liabilities. (Delly less so in the past 5 or so games).

Mozgov's minutes by game in order from 1st game to last:
Boston series: 23 29 19 27
Chicago: 26 18 22 39 23 26
Atlanta: 24

Delly's minutes by game (Variance in some games also due to Irving's injury issues):
Boston: 9 9 10 15
Chicago: 19 36 16 17 18 34
Atlanta: 25

Whereas players who have been consistent have maintained steady minutes (such as James, Shumpert and Smith). Then there's Thompson, who moreso than any player on the roster has evolved his game in the postseason. The result? Consistently more minutes every game. He's now pushing 40 minutes each game. You may argue any coach would make these adjustments, but you'd be wrong. Looking at other coaches such as the illustrious Tom Thibedou, you'll see very little variance in such adaptations. For instance, Thibedou treated Mirotic like poison throughout the playoffs, despite his strong showing at the end of the season.

There's much more to point out, such as in-game defensive rotations and assignments. A player like Iman Shumpert, the Cavs premier defender, was used to attack Rose through much of the Bulls matchup in an attempt to limit Chicago's biggest offensive threat. Against the Hawks however, he's being used simply to guard 3 point specialist Kyle Korver. Why is that? Likely because Blatt and his coaching staff have seen that the principle cog that makes the Hawks backcourt hum is hiding Korver out on the wing or in the corner, and by limiting the threat of his catch-and-shoot ability, the rest of the offense becomes pedestrian and guardable. One game sample size, but so far, so good.

One last bit I'd like to address is whether or not Blatt is putting his players in a position to play at the best of their ability. In a sense, this is very hard to judge, as these players have all played in this system under Blatt together. One area we can evaluate that is on the players acquired mid-season via trade. Let's look at Shumpert and JR Smith's stats both prior to and since the trade:

Shumpert in December (last full month in New York):
22.6 mins 34% FG 23.1% 3pt 2.9 REB 3.3 Ast 5.6 pts/ game

Shumpert in February (First Full month in Cleveland):
25.5 mins 41.5 FG% 37.2% 3pt 3.6 REB 1.6 AST 8.2pts/game

Shumpert in postseason:
33.4 mins 39.6 FG% 32% 3pt 5.1 REB 1.3 AST 9.8 pts/game

JR Smith December:
24 mins 42.4% FG 45% 3pt 2.0 REB 3.0 AST 13.4 pts/ game

JR Smith February:
30 Mins 43.9% FG 38.7% 3pt 3.2 REB 3.3 AST 11.5 pts/game

JR Smith postseason:
28.8 Mins 46.2% FG 40.6% 3pt 4.1 REB 1.2 AST 13.1 pts/ game

Both players have become more efficient in the Cleveland offense than they were in the Knicks offense, and have provided significant contributions on both ends of the floor. One could argue this is the best JR Smith has ever played, and while people will want to credit that to the gravity of LBJ (somewhat rightly) this is a guy who spent time on the court with Stoudemire and Anthony, two guys who also demand a ton of attention. Despite this, Smith has found a better rhythm in Cleveland.

Conclusion:

Short of breaking down game film to look at actual in-game adjustments (and if you want that, I'd rather just link you to some BBall Breakdown than put in the effort to go over it) I'm not sure what else you'd like to see. The team gets production from everyone on the floor, and Blatt has all of them playing above their weight level. LeBron is a huge part of this team's success, but when he has a night where he shoots 10 of 30 and this team gets a victory over the Bulls on the road, that's not LBJ doing it himself, despite his heroic shot. Blatt is getting contributions from all over the floor, and when he isn't he adjusts and adapts. Writing it off as "LeBron is here, ergo we win" is doing a huge disservice to this roster and this coaching staff.

Remember, we had a more physically dominant LeBron 4 years prior to this in Cleveland, and we only saw the Finals once, where we were swept. That was due in large part to a weaker roster and a head coach who could not figure out how to adjust his gameplan to fix his issues.

Blatt has been exemplary, and there has been plenty of tangible, concrete evidence to support the consistent rise and improvement of this team despite a depleting roster to support this thesis. Ignoring it in favor of dramatic storylines and hot takes is just being ignorant.

One last note: Urban Meyer won a championship with his 3rd string QB, and universally is regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time due to that feat. Blatt has taken a roster which has lost 1/2 of it's big 3, and has his team playing better than at any other point in the season, and people are claiming he's a poor coach (or in your argument, inconsequential). I'll grant that what Meyer did was certainly more impressive, but Blatt isn't getting any credit for what he's done despite his own adversity, and that's an untenable double standard.

Great stuff here. Very well written.


One thing that I'm sure has been mentioned before but I think carries a lot of weight since it came from BlattTroll Windhorst is that Windy said that Blatt deserved a lot of credit because he was 2-0 in closeout games and 2-0 after a loss. He said those were both important metrics of a how a coach is doing.

 

[Paul]

Hey now. This I like.


How bout that. Couple pages back I was going on about how the real reason for our ascendance was the influx of talent due to our trades and not necessarily coaching. Thanks for providing some support for that.


Damn right! And what do I go on and on about on this board? Defense! And who have I been saying should be starting for the last couple months? Shumpert! And who have I said is behind our offense? Lebron! Everything you said supports my argument. Thank you.


Nah, I wouldn't argue that. You know the whole addition by subtraction thing? How much do you think we improved on defense due to Love and Jones not playing significant minutes? That'd be my argument - that the adjustments Blatt made were forced upon him. Well that and Lebron getting into playoff mode. Shumpert only started because JR was suspended. I'd argue that the only defensive big/wing combo better than Shump/Moz is Allen/Gasol. Yet it took until the suspension to go with it. Good on Blatt for keeping it.


Hell yeah! This is what I am talking about when I say substance. I agree with your analysis. I would add that Blatt changed how we attacked the PnR with Gasol after that game 1 debacle. Him getting hurt helped out as well. The Korver stuff is not especially revelatory on Blatt's part. Washington did the same exact thing.


You have it right to credit the gravity of Lebron, both in how he routinely attracts three players and his leadership. I'll respectfully disagree that this is the best JR has ever played.


I would like you or someone to discuss in game adjustments. Please link videos, though the couple bball breakdown videos that I watched were not very kind to Blatt. For what it's worth, I think you are doing a huge disservice to the players themselves.


Agree about the coach. The Lebron of today is a far better player than 4 years ago.


Repeating yourself does not magically transform into specific adjustments or changes. We are running basically the same stuff we have been doing for the last half of the year, just with new players due to circumstances out of our control.

Once again, I am not the media.

Edit - I forgot to thank you for writing this. Also, I'd like to make it clear that I think coaches provide a valuable role in many areas that are hard to define, be it confidence, cohesiveness, etc. Blatt has done all of this in the playoffs and has had a positive effect. My point is you guys are blowing that way, way out of proportion and bestowing him all kinds of credit that is misplaced. I also think that he is not able to have the kind of impact that he should on the team because Lebron is actively standing in the way of that.

You're saying that the Blatt fans are blowing Blatt's impact on the team out of proportion? That's not the sense I get. At least for me, I am not even trying to portray him as an elite level head coach, I think the book is still out on that. There's signs he either is already or is heading toward that, but I feel (and I think others also feel) that he is offering a contribution to the teams success. It's overall smaller than the player's role in wins and losses but it's large enough where it can have an impact on a series and potentially swing a series from defeat to victory. Part of us beating Chicago was Blatt's coaching. How big was that part? I think that's something we will never be able to quantify, and that's okay.