David Blatt is a former NBA coach

[Amherstcavsfan]

I wish someone, even on a blog, would point out how badly outcoached Bud is in this series.

Like, Bud is just repeatedly banging his head against the wall by making nearly no adjustments, while Blatt is constantly changing and constantly adjusting to find his optimum lineup. I think David Blatt has just enough mad scientist in him to make the whole thing work.

 

[Notorious]

So one thing I've seen no one comment on... The team is fully bought in. Everyone remembers Blatt's first interview when he talked about the ball having energy and you need to share that energy. Both Shump and Lebron mentioned the ball having energy in their press conference. Though the way they are playing isn't exactly how Blatt wanted, they're clearly drinking his Kool Aid.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

I really liked that comment Blatt had in his presser about the "Big 1", and saying that the "Big 1" is the team as a whole. Change in emphasis from the media-created "Big 3" that implicitly placed some players above others. That "Big 1" is kind of a cool phrase when put in that context.

 

[tocov]

Can somebody screen cap the on court interview with Bud after the 3rd quarter?
It was hilarious. He was absolutely lost and basically said "I don't know what to do".

 

[Tornicade]

Well, part of it is a commitment to very good off-ball defense, and less double teaming. Really, the antithesis of the Hawks "every converge on LBJ if he's got the ball" defense. It's tough for the Hawks to break that because they don't have a dominant superstar that forces the defense to react. And their best penetrator -- Teague -- isn't a great jump shooter. So, they can sag off him a bit, which makes it tougher for him to penetrate.

Blatt has dared Horford to step up and attack. He hasnt. its why Horford will never be a superstar even with the skills of one

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

Regular season coaching is so different than playoff coaching. The repeated back-to-backs and the number of games against garbage competition provide few opportunities to really challenge your players to step up and creates few important games. In the playoffs you get lots of rest and little travel. You have a chance to institute very specific strategies at both ends of the court and if necessary, adjust them dramatically during the series if things are not working. One proven skill that Blatt brought to this team from Europe was the ability to match up in both a playoff and a single elimination tournament context and win. Adding the best player on the planet to his arsenal of weapons has just given him that many more options. When I watched the youtube press conferences following last season's title in Europe when he was being considered for the job, you could see exactly why he would be a great choice to lead a quality playoff team in the NBA. I am not surprised that he is doing well.

 

[cavsfever]

There was a mutiny attempt lead by the best player on the team. It was somewhat passive, but it happened.

Accept it.

God knows the media can't accept the fact that it didn't work and they have to be reminded after every game how unqualified they are to make judgements on basketball.

'somewhat passive' = 'didn't happen'.

A failure to worship Blatt in a public manner is not an attempt to get him fired. We have 12 years of experience with Lebron. He has never been a coach killer. He ignores coaches at times (probably the formative experience of having some crappy ones) but he doesn't get them fired.

Blatt was not the problem with the team and firing him would not have been the solution.

With a first year coach the press was bound to inflate any tension on the team or any unhappiness with a losing record into a 'fire the coach' or 'the players are rebelling against the coach' story of one kind or another. Some posters here have done basically the same thing.

 

[Notorious]

'somewhat passive' = 'didn't happen'.

A failure to worship Blatt in a public manner is not an attempt to get him fired. We have 12 years of experience with Lebron. He has never been a coach killer. He ignores coaches at times (probably the formative experience of having some crappy ones) but he doesn't get them fired.

Blatt was not the problem with the team and firing him would not have been the solution.

With a first year coach the press was bound to inflate any tension on the team or any unhappiness with a losing record into a 'fire the coach' or 'the players are rebelling against the coach' story of one kind or another. Some posters here have done basically the same thing.

No it happened, but the beef is now squashed.

 

[leo.w]

Regular season coaching is so different than playoff coaching. The repeated back-to-backs and the number of games against garbage competition provide few opportunities to really challenge your players to step up and creates few important games. In the playoffs you get lots of rest and little travel. You have a chance to institute very specific strategies at both ends of the court and if necessary, adjust them dramatically during the series if things are not working. One proven skill that Blatt brought to this team from Europe was the ability to match up in both a playoff and a single elimination tournament context and win. Adding the best player on the planet to his arsenal of weapons has just given him that many more options. When I watched the youtube press conferences following last season's title in Europe when he was being considered for the job, you could see exactly why he would be a great choice to lead a quality playoff team in the NBA. I am not surprised that he is doing well.

And here is the press conference:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exLt0VIlLxs

 

[gigabyte056]

And here is the press conference:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exLt0VIlLxs

Wow, he looks like he aged 12 months in that year, maybe the press should write something about that???

 

[spydy13]

And here is the press conference:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exLt0VIlLxs

He's certainly channeling that message right now. We have might have the best player on the planet still left on our team, but we are winning because we are a team and because LeBron has the team believing in themselves.

Blatt's belief in the "team" concept couldn't be a better fit for a player like LeBron who has always been about the "team." Those two may have had their struggles to start, but I think they see eye to eye now.

By the way, I'm sad that all the writers who had been sucking off Atlanta all year, have now changed the narrative to they were always weak because they don't have a super star, because we seriously aren't getting enough credit for what we are doing right now. I guess it will take wiping that smug smile off of Golden State's face in game 1 for people to realize that we have morphed into the toughest team in the league.

 

[MalTalm]

He's certainly channeling that message right now. We have might have the best player on the planet still left on our team, but we are winning because we are a team and because LeBron has the team believing in themselves.

Blatt's belief in the "team" concept couldn't be a better fit for a player like LeBron who has always been about the "team." Those two may have had their struggles to start, but I think they see eye to eye now.

By the way, I'm sad that all the writers who had been sucking off Atlanta all year, have now changed the narrative to they were always weak because they don't have a super star, because we seriously aren't getting enough credit for what we are doing right now. I guess it will take wiping that smug smile off of Golden State's face in game 1 for people to realize that we have morphed into the toughest team in the league.

The narrative will be "look how far LeBron has come, he did it without Wade or Bosh." And to an extent, it won't be wrong: As anyone who has watched this Cavs team through the regular season and now into the playoffs, the one thing that stands out is both LeBron and TT had another level they were capable of playing at, and they stepped up to it here in the postseason.

That said, this team isn't getting enough credit, and that's not going to change, win or lose. LBJ is too big of a superstar, and makes too much of an impact every game for anyone else to be properly appreciated. I'd bet money on there being a vocal minority that would still call for Blatt to be fired even if they won a championship this year.

 

[MaccabiCavs]

The narrative will be "look how far LeBron has come, he did it without Wade or Bosh." And to an extent, it won't be wrong: As anyone who has watched this Cavs team through the regular season and now into the playoffs, the one thing that stands out is both LeBron and TT had another level they were capable of playing at, and they stepped up to it here in the postseason.

That said, this team isn't getting enough credit, and that's not going to change, win or lose. LBJ is too big of a superstar, and makes too much of an impact every game for anyone else to be properly appreciated. I'd bet money on there being a vocal minority that would still call for Blatt to be fired even if they won a championship this year.

Lebron stepped up? He had 2 outstanding games(including the last one) but other than that there were games when you just wanted to punch the guy for being so short'sighted in the ISO plays that led to nothing and cost us big leads in the final minutes

 

[mhi]

Great to see that am not the only one who thinks our coaching staff's game planning is on another level.

 

[Chris Parker]

David is just a beast. Love everything about him. Love his demeanor. The guy is cool as a cucumber. He just never seems to panic. Sometimes shit is going bad, and we see a camera cut to him, and he always seems cool under fire.

How many times do we see a camera cut to say Doc Rivers, when his team is looking like shit, and he's going ballistic, and screaming at refs, and basically throwing a temper tantrum?

Blatt seems to just always maintain control and doesn't let emotions overwhelm him.

The guy is an awesome coach. He's probably the first Cleveland coach I actually trust since Lenny Wilkens. I've broken too many things over the years from Cleveland coaches.

Yeah, No Shit. That was the thing - like some people seem to believe in this loud Billy Knight type. How about a Teddy Roosevelt. Hah. Now that I think of it, I will ask Blatt what he thinks of Teddy Roosevelt at the end of a shootaround or pregame presser -- the kind of shit they don't even always put up on Cavs.com

He's not a guy who shows people up, but he will demand things from people. David Blu was saying - I think I had it in one of my pieces -- that you'd always see him pulling guys aside and talking to them one-on-one. Tha'ts the coach I want, Not Byron Scott trhowing me under tthe damn bus. I mean what passes for coaching - and this guy gets shit??