Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt has taken some criticism in his first year as an NBA bench boss, but that would have been nothing compared to the storm that would be brewing had things gone differently in the final minute of Game 4 against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
After LeBron James was called for an offensive foul on Mike Dunleavy, Chicago's Derrick Rose drove for a layup to tie the game at 84 with nine seconds left. Blatt then tried to call a timeout - one that the Cavaliers didn't have.
Blatt's request was apparently not seen by refs, and he was immediately restrained by assistant coach Tyronn Lue.
Lue undoubtedly reminded Blatt of the penalty: a technical foul, a Bulls' free throw and possession. In other words, quite possibly a Chicago victory and a 3-1 series hole for Cleveland.
Instead, James hit a buzzer-beating game-winner at the other end with one second left. The series is now tied 2-2.
Blatt was blunt about the error after the 86-84 victory. "I almost blew it," he said. "Good thing they caught it, my guys."
"Players make mistakes, coaches make mistakes," James told reporters after the game. "We have to be able to cover for one another. T-Lue did that by covering up for Blatt and I just tried to cover for my guys on the floor. But that's why we're a unit."
It will be interesting to see if the missed call will be included in the NBA's Last Two Minute Report on Monday, given it's a potentially game-changing oversight.
No discussion of calling a timeout when a team has none remaining would be complete without the most infamous example ever, Michigan's Chris Webber in the 1993 NCAA championship game against North Carolina.
