David Blatt

David Blatt has the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals in his first season as a coach in the league.

(Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer)

David Blatt probably felt like he was getting hit from all angles during his first season coaching in the NBA. It's why former NBA head coach and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy called him a "coaching pinata" during a conference call on Monday prior to the start of the NBA Finals.

"Throughout the course of the season, every leaked article that came out was attacking this guy's talent, acumen, abilities," Van Gundy said, "and he took all the blame and the players took all the credit for the wins."

Van Gundy, who serves as part of ABC's NBA Finals broadcast crew along with Mike Breen, former coach and player Mark Jackson and Doris Burke, didn't stop his praise there.

"I think he was masterful in, he simplified the game," Van Gundy said. "You know, he might have had one idea in how he was gonna come in and play, and then he saw what the players could do, should do and were willing to do and he modified his approach and it's been very successful."

Blatt's first season in the NBA after a long, successful career overseas, was a sometimes rocky one that bottomed out with a six-game losing streak in January that dropped the Cavaliers' record to 19-20. Prior to the start of that streak -- and smack in the middle of dropping ten of 12 games -- Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin backed his head coach, saying, "Coach Blatt is our coach. He's going to remain our coach. Do not write that as a vote of confidence. He never needed one. It was never a question. So don't write it that way."

Griffin's support, Van Gundy said, was vital. "I think [Blatt] and David Griffin really have shown tremendous leadership qualities throughout this turbulent year. David [Griffin] and his unwavering support, without giving a vote of confidence, but, like, this unwavering support that all the coaching turnover was done in Cleveland, that they were going to stay the course, even when they struggled."

Van Gundy spent 11 seasons as a coach, seven with the New York Knicks and four with the Houston Rockets. In response to a question about reports that LeBron James was deviating from Blatt and calling his own plays, Van Gundy said that's nothing new.

"You give particular leeway to great players who have earned it, who have earned the right to speak," Van Gundy said. "You got some guys on your team, and every team has this, who have earned the right to speak."

In regards to James redrawing Blatt's end-of-game play in Game 4 against Chicago in the conference semifinals leading to his game-winning three, Van Gundy said the problem wasn't that the incident happened, it was that the media found out at all.

"Some of the great things are kept behind closed doors. Some of the ugly things are kept behind closed doors. And so when something like that is told to the media, then the media runs with it and presents a perception to the fan base that David Blatt's not in control. And that's the furthest thing from the truth.

"That's why I think it would have been better if James had just kept it to himself," Van Gundy said, "or said, even this, 'Great call by Coach Blatt, and we got a great shot and we won the game,' because to me that eliminates a lot of the chatter -- the negative chatter -- that's unnecessary."

The matchups

Van Gundy told reporters on the call that one matchup he is looking forward to involves two relative newcomers on the big stage.

"It's Tristan Thompson vs. Draymond Green. I can't wait. I love how both people approach their jobs," Van Gundy said.

Thompson is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game in the postseason, including four offensive rebounds. Green finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, despite receiving more first-place votes than award winner Kawhi Leonard.

"Thompson is versatile between [power forward] and [center]. I think moving LeBron to the four really makes him difficult and when he's teamed with Thompson at the five, really hard to guard their pick-and-rolls," Van Gundy said. "I really love Thompson's ability to switch."

Complementing the King

A healthy Kyrie Irving and LeBron James are a nightmare for any defense. Van Gundy thinks J.R. Smith is the perfect complement to both of their games:

"As far as an offensive player to complement LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, he is an absolute bargain at his salary and with his skillset, a great, great fit."

Thanks to the ability of both Irving and James to penetrate, Smith sees plenty of open looks. "It's hard to take away James and Irving at the rim," Van Gundy said, "and then not give up the three-point shot."