LeBron overrules David Blatt’s drawn up play for JR Smith and takes the game winning shot himself
Always feel bad for Blatt. LeCoach gets what LeCoach wants
A play that doesn’t put the ball in LeBrons hands seems questionable
Yeah Ill take iguodala
We’re good lebron. Ben simmons is here.
Not wrong, but it’s not just the one play. There were a lot reports back then that LeBron wasn’t running his system in practice either, and the locker room was falling in behind him and only half-listening to Blatt.
Its questionable but also makes sense at the same time
Skip Bayless has entered the chat
Damn- gotta tell Phil that he shouldn’t have run those championship winning plays for Paxson or Kerr when he had MJ.
Jackson clearly had MJ and the team’s respect at that point after 2 straight titles. Paxson’s shot was to win #3 and Kerr’s was to win #5.
Blatt on the other hand was losing control of the locker the room.
It’s also completely different eras where coaches used to run things and it is far more of a players league now.
What i remember about JR at least was that he was notorious for missing the easiest shots and always somehow making the most absurdly difficult high pressure ones. That whole idea got erased with that one brainfart moment
For a 1.5 shot.
Hell no.
Objectively, would you run a play for a JR Smith jumper vs LeBron jumper? IDK man
How many game winners does JR Smith have in the playoffs?
I mean LeBron is one of the greatest players of all time, unless JR had just scored like 10 straight or was on fire I’m 100% giving the ball to Bron
What was JR Smith’s catch and shoot percentage that season and what was LeBron’s?
Who gives a fuck? It’s LeBron James
Weirdos grown up on ESPN slander would rather have JR Smith take the possible game winner over one of the greatest players ever 🤣
Literally, I can’t believe this a conversation we’re having right now.
Most times I would agree with you, however, a contested JR Smith is an elite shooter
very different having a catch and shoot in the flow of the game versus a late game last shot
Bruh we talking about percentages when discussing LeBron vs JR Smith in a game winning situation. STAT NERDS HAVE GONE TOO FAAAARRR 😂
Glazing the bigger star is not the answer to who should you want shooting the ball in that situation
JR is the better shooter
We don’t want the player with most game winners in NBA history shooting the game winner because it’s “glazing.” I thought you were just a stat nerd, but you’re just a hater. Makes the unhinged take make more sense 😂
LeBron is an average shooter.
In that season specifically he was a below average shooter.
JR is clutch, but its a tie game so might as well give your superstar the ball if he can win it.
Because if you can get an open shot vs a contested shot you should try for that.
Like I don’t blame LeBron for calling it off, the stakes were low. But I also don’t blame Blatt for trying something tricky. The stakes were low.
What do you mean the stakes were low? The Cavs were down 2-1
He probably meant low bc it was either a win or another chance in OT. They weren’t down & needing to tie or pull ahead
What do you mean the stakes were low?
Tied game and you have the ball—LeBron even mentions it in the video. Either you win the game or you go to OT. There’s basically no risk of losing the game in that moment
It was a tie game, there’s much less pressure to make the shot
Tbf the stakes don’t really matter. You do whatever you think has the best chance of getting a bucket. But yea obviously the defense is going to focus on Lebron so with that factored in making a play for another player makes sense
Analytically JR Smith had 27 game winners that playoffs
I agree, Blatt signed up to coach a bad team that was hopefully getting a high draft pick.
He was not prepared to run a team with the best player on the planet and championship aspirations.
Still did well all things considered. Main reason he left the league was health and politics.
Nah he was forced out because he acted like he was too good for teams when interviewing with them. The reports about it came out later on.
Huh? Didn’t he like almost immediately sign with a Euroleague team?
He was treated like king over there, not in the NBA. He couldn’t deal with the fact NBA teams didn’t treat him in a similar way so he went back. It’s like the Euroleague players who come to the NBA, become rotational players but still believe they should be treated as elite players.
Blatt was upset teams weren’t rolling the red carpet out for him.
you got a source lol
Here’s an ESPN article from the time that details what happened during his tenure. The TLDR is he didn’t get as much respect from players and organizations as he thought he would as a long time international coach.
At the time, Blatt said “I’ve been a head coach for 22 years. People overlook that too easily and, I think, unfairly.” He clashed with all the players in the locker room because of that attitude. It’s ultimately the reason he got fired and I find it reasonable to think that experience was what led him to go back to Europe
It contributed definitely, but that’s like a small part of the article lol. That quote you pulled is literally the only time it’s referenced. The main reasons for the locker room issues were an inability to direct LeBron & Kyrie, and reducing minute for key players around December, plus Ty Lue forming a better connection in general.
Which it’s true as many other coaches has spoken the same problems. NBA team disregard Europe coaching experience as invalid.
You better keep an eye because Thiago it’s also a really nice coach but can suffer from it.
I remember what /u/Patient_Tradition294 is saying.
He’s like the GOAT coach in the Israeli League so he came to America thinking the players would respect that.
No source, no belief
You can look up Brendan Haywood comments on Blatt who has discussed at length multiple times why he was a failure for the Cavs.
I’ll have to try to dig up the articles about Blatt’s post Cavs interview failures, has been years since I read them.
Brendan Haywood ain’t an unbiased source
Unbiased source lol, what? If anything, getting info from a reporter is less trustworthy vs a direct source. I guess the truth hurts.
He wasn’t forced out wtf are you talking about.
He got hired to have his own and ended getting into lebron’s team. Outside of the nba, coaches are supposed to be the only authority in the locker room which is exactly what David Blatt thought professionnal basketball is meant to be. But LeBron spent his entire season sapping his authority so he can get a friend in the friend instead. Blatt hated this ‘political’ side of the league so he left, that’s it.
When people call him LeGM this ain’t just a joke. Dude spent his entire career surrounding himself with sycophants
Blatt was a really really successful coach at that time.
David Blatt sucked ass tbf, probably LeBron’s worst coach ever
And I sat through multiple seasons of Darvin Ham
What made him good in Israel and wherever else, where he won titles? But bad here? Was it simply just not knowing how to communicate with bigger stars being paid absurd amounts of money? Or also not studying / understanding the NBA game vs what he came from?
Ego management. Thats basically 50% of a NBA coachs job.
like with Jason Kidd, not super well respected as a coach by fans and most analysts, but the stars who he coaches all seem to love him, i guess he’s good at managing the egos lol
Yeah exactly.
We all love people who jerk us off lol
that’s not true, i hate myself
[deleted]
My mom is dead. My whole matrineal lineage is gone.
Same for Doc Rivers
Luka definitely doesn’t love him lol
He was arrogant and an asshole.
Lots of coaches are
Yeah but his arrogance was unearned. He acted like winning in Europe was as meaningful as winning in the NBA which I get on some level, but on another level come on.
He was a decent coach. I don’t blame him for staying out of the league. He saw how much politics was involved and how much sway the star player has. Ain’t like that so much overseas
The rest of the team didn’t like him either
Yeah feel bad for Blatt making dumb decisions and getting overruled so the team can actually win
You shouldn’t feel bad, he was overly cocky and players on the Cavs have came out to discuss how bad of a coach he was for the team.
Reddit just loves to pretend like he was amazing and wronged.
Feel bad? For a guy that didn’t want the best player in the world the potential game winner? Thats malpractice.
LeCoach tried to get Spo fired lmao
Spo was still unproven at that time. And Bron admitted he was wrong about Spo
I mean, you’re not wrong about Bron’s later stance but he still tried to, right? That’s the point lol
Because he wanted the HoF coach instead of the unproven, unknown coach.
I’m adding context. Spo wasn’t seen as an elite coach at the time
Even shoulder bumped him to assert dominance
Why? People give Lebron crap if he passes end of game. Here he commands the ball and rightfully so. If he wants it you live with that. Worst case he’s pissed and goes harder in OT.
Blatt was in over his head
he sucked tho
Should Duncan Robinson be taking any final shots over Cade?
Bro had prime Lebron and couldn’t do it. That’s why he go his asss fired.
Tyronne came in and won it against a peak GSW
Sixer mentality
Hahaha
Seems illegal for thibodeau to be standing there
Thibs taking a delay of game
They don’t call these nearly enough imo
the amount of interference people courtside can create was one of the craziest things I had to come to terms with when I first started watching basketball
The sideline space during the Bubble was peak
David Blatt called a timeout when the Cavs didn’t have any left to call just earlier in the game, which should have been a technical. I’m still butthurt over this as a Bulls fan lol.
Didnt they have 30 second timeouts in this era, that they didnt bother putting on the scoreboard graphic?
“No killer instinct,” “not clutch,” “not a sexy king,” blah blah blah
Look at the comments 🤣 it’s ok guys, you can admit that this is cold
If you know LeBron you’ll know he’d never do this if they were losing. Since it was tied there’s less pressure which he can handle. Nothing cold about bragging about scratching you coach’s play and padding yourself in the back.
The guy with the most game winners of all time isn’t going to help win a game? Huh?
Wtf?
what’s the point of even having the bron flair lol
It emphasizes the terroir of the bait, bringing out notes of wtf and really adds a bit of character to it.
This gotta be bait
Don’t do that Skip
lol
Look at the psyop coping hahaha feels good LeBron lives rent free
Most sane post-LeBron Heat fan.
Sit down nephew, take a breather. Hit the books because you don’t know ball.
Jordan would’ve never hugged JR Smith after taking his play. Not a killer.
if MJ did this it would have been a 35 minute segment in the last dance lol
MJ did in the NBA Finals (I think it was 97), but the game wasn’t tied at the time, the Bulls were down 1 or 2. Phil drew up the play for Kukoc, MJ blew it up and got the ball for himself, but missed the shot and the Jazz won.
Exactly lol
When was the last time the sixers won anything of significance ? Exactly…
what?
The question must be asked
Fair
wasn’t this the game they should’ve lost?
iirc, Blatt tried calling a timeout without having any timeouts left and the refs basically tried to act like they didn’t see it because LeBron down 3-1 to Chicago would’ve likely ended in them getting eliminated in the semis.
yeah it was. that bulls team is a big what-if and we still haven’t gotten over it.
the fact it was vs lebron also doubles the psychosis it triggers in the fanbase.
LeBron was not getting eliminated by that Bulls team lmao.
Well yeah, just needed the refs to not call a blatant technical
You think, if we don’t comb through the entire game, there were favorable calls for the Bulls?
Get on it and report back.
Don’t feel like it
Seriously you can’t say what if when you are constantly losing to LeBron. You were just not good enough
you can say what if about any series that close
And the narrative after this was “the game was tied, so the shot wasn’t killer instinct because at worst you go to OT”
seriously what do 90% of coaches even do?
More often that not, the players do actually run the play the coach has drawn up.
Hand LeBron his gatorade
I can’t tell if this is a serious comment or not
Bulls were robbed this game since the ref wouldn’t call a tech on Blatt for calling a timeout with none remaining. Bulls would’ve been up 3-1.
You know out of all the bitching we do as basketball fans, this one was legitimately a clear cut no argument decision from the ref to give the Cavs an advantage for what is completely and always a tech. I will never not be pissed they decided to give the LeBron cavs that one back
What’s worse is if you watch it back the ref is staring right at Blatt. It’s inexcusable how they missed that call.
Damn this clip made me feel old 😭
Brendan Haywood tell this story in an entertaining way lol.
Why blatt would have drawn up a JR smith inbound is beyond me
Best player on the team and in the world has every right to do this. I did something similar on my very average high school soccer team. Down 2-0 at half to a school we usually crushed in every sport. Told our coach I was moving up too forward and sending a dude back to right back and our right back to central mid where I typically played. We still lost 3-2 but that position group stuck the remainder of the season.
That’s a fun anecdote as someone who played high school soccer
LeCoach
People say that he doesn’t have that dog mentality lol
I remember his game winner against Orlando. Even though I hated him because I loved KD, I could still respect greatness. I’ll never forget watching him in the 2008 Olympics.
Fuck this
You, strawberry, hit a home run!
Ok skip!
One thing about NBA reddit is that there are always people here who remember many of the contextual angles of what actually happened, beat for beat. 🥹
Blatt just wasn’t a good fit for the baseline requirements of NBA coaching…and coaching a LeBron led team required so much more than the baseline reqs.
His voice a LOT lower now.
LeBron has won multiple titles since then, where is David blatt ?? Who’s not giving the ball to LeBron James at this point in a game ?? Are you crazy man. What the hell was blatt thinking.
They had Kyrie on that team. Kyrie was always the closer
“To be honest I told my coach go fuck himself”
damn, I was really hoping he missed
P
It was at that moment David Griffin started thinking about leaving CLE. He was like “Fuck Lebron Lebron” 😆🤣😂
That’s not what happened.
LeBron caught the inbounds pass with 1.5 seconds left.
What else was he supposed to do? How did he overrule the play?
So you just don’t know what drawn up out of bounds plays are, or what?
Made sure to tell everyone too
There’s no controversy. LeBron has always wanted to take the last shot when the game is tied. That’s not pressure.
I promise you if they were down 1 LeBron would’ve been totally fine letting JR take the grenade 🤣🤣🤣
“LeBron never had coach great as …….”
At this point, we gotta know any coach just does what Bron wants to keep their job.
He would still do whatever he thinks is right even if coach was Red, Pop or Pat Reily. But he loses, its coaches fault.
One of very few dark spots in his career. LeGM and LeCoach
Oh Red and Pop would’ve lost their damn minds at some of the shit Bron has done
If the Bulls had a 1 point lead, I bet he will make “right” play instead of shooting it to not get blamed if they lose. LeCoward
idk if thats right, but i think its safe to say if he misses, he doesnt mention that he changed the play.
LeBron PR team putting in overtime but they employ people that think this stuff if a good look 😂
He has never been coachable inspite of his massive talent. Another reason why he is behind kobe & Jordan.
LeBron fucking James is not behind Kobe Bryant in any metric or basketball related argument. Just stop.
Said who?
Imperial Japanese soldier still fighting in the Philippines, type of energy.
We are talking about the greatest NBA player here, why is Kobe fucking Bryant being brought up in the convo 🤣🤣🤣
I swear man, its baffling
Why not?
Because he’s been pushed out of the top 10 by Wardell Curry
Who decided top 10?
People who are familiar with basketball enough to know that LeBron, Jordan, Kareem, Bill, Larry, Tim, Shaq, Steph, Wilt and Magic are better at the game than Kobe.
People much more knowledgeable than you. So basically everyone with a functioning brain who actually watches basketball. 🤡
Is there a unanimous top 10 in existence.
Not a good idea considering LeBron’s choking tendencies.