The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Cavs win against Maccabi Tel Aviv 107-80
David Blatt said he was a nervous wreck before the game.
It didn’t have a thing to do with him coaching in an NBA environment for the first time.
It was about facing his former team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, which suffered a 107-80 preseason loss to the Cavaliers Oct. 5 before 20,562 at Quicken Loans Arena.
“I was legitimately nervous before the game,” Blatt said. “It was because I was coaching against my friends. There was no way to win that game.”
He spent 10 years with Maccabi, the previous four as head coach. He guided it to the European championship last year before taking his talents to Cleveland.
“This is an emotional game for me,” he said. “It was a special evening.”
With the collection of talent the Cavaliers have assembled, there was never any question they would throttle the European power.
Blatt just didn’t want to embarrass Maccabi.
“We have experienced players,” he said. “The mountains we have to climb are higher than this one. We didn’t play at full throttle. There won’t be any euphoria. Our guys know what time it is. The battles will be bigger.”
LeBron James said he could sense Blatt was feeling anxious before the game.
“You could absolutely tell he was uptight, nervous and excited,” James said. “He has a lot of ties to that team.”
After the game, Blatt hugged Maccabi coach Guy Goodes.
“(I told him) I love him,” Blatt said. “He was a valued and loyal soldier to me. We have been in the trenches together.”
James finished with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes. He shot 4 of 11 from the field, 2 of 5 from behind the arc.
James didn’t play in the second half, which he said was planned.
“We talked before the game, and I was going to play between 16 to 18 minutes,” James said.
Blatt said he was going to keep a close eye on James’ minutes since he’s been suffering from a sore back. James missed a practice session Oct. 3. He said the next day that his back felt better.
Among the things Blatt focused on was the Cavaliers’ defense, which has been decidedly behind the free-flowing offense thus far in training camp.
He wasn’t happy with the defense in the first half. They made a “serious” adjustment at halftime. Maccabi shot just 26 percent from the field in the second half and managed just 36 points.
“The effort has been there,” Blatt said. “I’m not disappointed with our defense.”
The Cavaliers were dominant on the boards, 64-36, as center Anderson Vare- jao had a game-high 15 rebounds. Center Tristan Thompson, who remained in the starting lineup, added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Forward Kevin Love added 11 rebounds.
Guard Kyrie Irving paced the Cavaliers with 16 points and five assists. Quick shots
• One of the reasons Cavaliers’ practice Oct. 4 was so late — 8:30 p.m. — was because Blatt was observing Yom Kippur, the start of the Jewish New Year. He wasn’t allowed to eat or drink until dark — for a span of 25 hours.
• Blatt brought the Maccabi players to Cleveland Clinic Courts for a visit. Maccabi is thinking of building a similar practice facility.
• The Cavaliers are now a big deal in Israel, largely because of Blatt. “When I came to the Cavs, we acquired 7 million new fans,” Blatt said.
• After talking to the Cleveland media before the game, Blatt did an interview in Hebrew with the Israel reporters.
• The Israel media asked James about Blatt before the game. “You probably know him better than I do,” James said.
• One of Maccabi’s players, 6-7 forward Nate Linhart, played for the Akron Zips. He had five points and six rebounds.