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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORSJune 6, 2015David BlattOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day Q. About this time last year you were coaching a team that always seemed to have its back against the wall and was in some really tough situations. Just wondered, what was it about that team that helped them get over those humps? Is there anything that you can do that kind of applies to the situation that you guys are in? COACH BLATT: A lot of similarities. We're missing some guys and we really had to be more as a team than we were as a group of individuals. We recognized that and understood that and just faced the challenge with a lot of confidence and belief in ourselves and found a way. Just continued to find a way. Q. I know the other night was a one‑shot game and things could have been entirely different. You maybe could get out of here 1‑0 maybe still with Kyrie. But when you're a coach trying to get ready for the next game, is it ever hard to let go of the last one? COACH BLATT: Well, the fact that we don't play night after night, and in this case we actually had a few days to relax and digest, that helps. Those games are tough because you recognize and you feel and you sense you're right there to win that game. It sort of gets snatched from you right at the very end. Those are tough. They cost you some hours of sleep. But you move forward and you learn from it, and you look forward to the next day. Q. I wanted to ask you about the three‑point shot, and maybe how it's viewed in Europe and is it as important as it is here? And how has your philosophy on the three‑point shot evolved over the years and particularly this season in the NBA? COACH BLATT: Well, there is a very different dynamic to it for a number of reasons. First of all, the distance is shorter. Second of all, the defenses that are being played are completely different. So I would say that the relationship between the two or the commonality between the two is minimal. The importance in both cases is great, obviously. How you play and how you utilize the three‑point shot depends, of course, on personnel and on your style of play and where your shots are coming from. But certainly in the NBA, and you've seen this from year to year, the importance of the three‑point shot has become greater and greater and greater. How you have to defend it and how you have to approach it, and offensively where you're going to take them from and in what situations has also evolved a great deal over the years. Q. I want to ask you a little bit about Kyrie. From whether it was Game 4 of the last series or coming into this series, there were suggestions on the record from the Cavs that Kyrie wasn't on a minutes restriction, but more of like some sort of guideline to play him in shorter bursts. I'm wondering if that was, indeed, in place for Game 1. And then, secondly, I definitely understand that you are not a doctor, but could you tell us your interpretation of what happened to him on the play where he got hurt? COACH BLATT: There were no minute restrictions coming into Game 1. There were no minute restrictions in Game 4 against Atlanta, although we did want to, as you mentioned, play him in short periods of time. That was not the case coming into Game 1. My take on the injury was that he got kneed in the side of his knee. It was a contact injury, and the result was a fracture of the kneecap. Q. I just wanted to ask‑‑ we've talked a lot about, and heard a lot about the number of injuries to star players over the last several years. I'm just wondering from your experiences in Europe and Israel and international ball, whether they have seen similar rashes of injuries to players, or whether the reduced scheduling there in your opinion plays a role in keeping guys a little safer? COACH BLATT: I would say, absolutely, the difference in schedule has a lot to do with the relative infrequency of the injuries that we see in our league. I can tell you from my experience coaching teams, you know, I've coached teams in the past that have played close to 80 games in a season, but that was over a nine‑month period. But I've also coached in the summertimes in the National Team environment where you may play anywhere from 8 to 11 games in a 15‑, 16‑, 17‑, 18‑day period. But that, again, is only for that period of time. You're not doing that year round. Certainly the heavy schedule that we play could be seen as a reason for the frequency of some of the injuries that we see, particularly the way that the game is going with the level of athletes, level of athleticism, speed and strength that goes into playing the game. But I think there are a lot of people more qualified than I to really do a serious study on that and to come up with conclusions that are more far reaching than I could give you right now. Q.  The numbers say that you guys have been really good with LeBron on the floor without Kyrie and Kevin out there with him. You've had some success. How would you characterize those units or those lineups where it's LeBron, and without another dominant ball handler like Kyrie? COACH BLATT: First of all, I'd prefer not to play that way, regardless what the numbers say. If you could arrange it for me, I'd be happy to try to disprove that theory, but that's not going to happen now. Look, we've found a way. Obviously. We won a Chicago series without Kevin and with Kyrie pretty limited and missing a couple of games or missing parts of games. Obviously, in the Atlanta series the same thing with Kev out and Kyrie out for parts of that series. That's a credit to the work that all the team has done. Certainly LeBron has recognized the need to take even more responsibility and has done it in a great way. But you'd love to see us at full strength, obviously, for The Finals. The situation as it is is what it is, and we are going to come out and play and play to win. Request no quarter and no sympathy. We've got to come out and play and play to win. That's it. Q. Do you prefer LeBron being more aggressive offensively or more a facilitator with Kyrie's injury? And also how does the two games in the east Finals without Kyrie help? COACH BLATT: Well, I think, first of all, LeBron's pretty good at both. You know, he has the ability to take responsibility for scoring the ball and at the same time to help his teammates and involve them in what we're doing. You know, we did win those games without Kyrie and Kev by playing together, by defending at a high level, by getting a little bit more out of ourselves as a unit and with guys just stepping up and taking responsibility and raising their level to help the team win. Q. Does the tendonitis have anything to do with this injury or is that completely different? COACH BLATT: You know, that's a doctor's question, but in my opinion, absolutely not. It has nothing to do with it. Q. How much differently do you play without Kyrie on the floor? You do things differently? COACH BLATT: Yes, somewhat we do, certainly. We've had great success with Kyrie Irving on the floor this year. He's an All‑Star player and a great, great player in our league, and we're going to miss him without question. But we have found ways to win and found the proper ways to play. All our guys are focused and committed to doing just that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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