advertisement

Cavs' Blatt almost commits disastrous blunder

As both teams looked back Monday on the ending of Game 4, there was a common theme: Mistakes were made, but LeBron James' 22-foot jumper at the buzzer trumped everything else.

Cleveland coach David Blatt had some interesting comments about his nearly-disastrous timeout call when the Cavs had none left. Blatt could be seen walking toward the referee and signaling for a timeout after Derrick Rose tied the score with 8.4 seconds left, but Cavs assistant Tyronn Lue ran over and grabbed Blatt by the arm.

It's possible the Cavaliers could have been called for a technical foul in that situation.

"A near-mistake was made and I owned up to it and I own it," Blatt told reporters on Monday. "A basketball coach makes 150 to 200 critical decisions during the course of a game, something that I think is paralleled only by a fighter pilot. If you do it for 27 years, you're going to blow one or two. And I blew one. Fortunately it didn't cost us."

Let's see, when the Cavaliers are introduced before Game 6 at the United Center, should the Bulls play "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins or maybe "Sky Pilot" by the Animals?

Can't go wrong with either one.

James changed game plan:

Cavs coach David Blatt also got a chance to talk about LeBron James' claim that he scratched the intended play with 1.5 seconds left in Game 4, which would have had James throwing the ball inbounds.

James asked to take the shot and nailed it at the buzzer fro an 86-84 win.

"He didn't veto the play," Blatt said Monday. "He just felt strongly about what a better situation would be and as it turned out, that was the right thing. It could have been the right thing the other way too.

"To me, it's not a story. It's part of the drama."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was asked about being open to player suggestions in the heat of a game.

"You always take input from your players," he said. "Particularly your primary scorers, (if) they see something they think is good. You want that input."

Thibodeau said he saw Blatt ask for time out with 8.4 seconds left, but chose not to make an issue of it.

"I saw him. But it's hard for the officials, too," Thibodeau said. "They're following the play. Sometimes you could be screaming at them, they could be right in front of you, they don't hear you. So you have to jump right in front of them sometimes to get the call."

Irving has two injuries:

A continuous storyline in this series has been the injuries. Cleveland lost Kevin Love for the playoffs with a dislocated shoulder. Kyrie Irving has been struggling with a sore right foot and also has left knee tendinitis, an MRI exam revealed.

Irving estimated Monday he might be playing at 30 or 40 percent, even though he logged 40 minutes in both Game 3 and 4. Since halftime of Game 3, Irving has hit 3 of 21 shots from the field. He said sitting out is not a consideration.

"I should have been sitting out maybe about four games ago," he told reporters in Cleveland. "I just ... I can't do it. Mentally, I can't do it. I'd rather give 30 percent, 40 percent, rather than give none at all.

"Obviously the things that I normally do, which is finish at the rim, get in the paint, I just don't have the acceleration to do it. If I still have the opportunity to take advantage of the defense, I will and try to make plays."

LeBron James turned his left ankle in the third quarter of Game 4, so he might be less than 100 percent on Tuesday in Cleveland. The Bulls aren't sure if Pau Gasol will return from a left hamstring strain.

The Cavaliers' LeBron James drives past the Bulls' Jimmy Butler during Game 4 of their playoff series Sunday at the United Center that the Cavs won 86-84. Associated Press
Cavaliers head coach David Blatt nearly made a critical blunder Sunday when he tried to take a timeout with 8.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter after the Bulls' Derrick Rose tied the game. The Cavs were out of timeouts, but assistant Tyronn Lue stopped Blatt before the referee could react. Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.