INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) – David Blatt stepped over some cables and weaved through a throng of reporters eager to hear his explanation of two head-scratching decisions on Sunday in Chicago.
Blatt leaned back and steadied himself. He was up against a wall, literally and figuratively, with some explaining to do.
Cleveland’s first-year coach – don’t call him a rookie – acknowledged two mistakes in the closing moments of Game 4 on Sunday, when he tried calling a timeout he didn’t have and then initially designed an inbounds play that had LeBron James passing the ball in with 1.5 seconds left.
Luckily for Blatt, assistant Tyronn Lue grabbed him and pulled him off the floor and three officials missed his attempt to call time, and James overruled the play call before hitting a jumper at the buzzer to give the Cavs an 86-84 win to tie this intense Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2-2.
“Good thing I had great guys behind me to bail me out,” said Blatt, who couldn’t remember ever losing track of timeouts. “And then a great player to bail us all out with a terrific shot.”