Mavs coach Carlisle shocked by Cavs' move to fire Blatt

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Even after wins, and there were a bunch of them, the Cavaliers didn't celebrate. Everything was too easy for them, way too easy.

Loaded with talent, they're lacking chemistry and cohesion. A championship roster without championship heart.

David Blatt took the fall.

The second-year coach, who guided the Cavs to the NBA Finals in 2015 and had them sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings this season, was shockingly fired on Friday (Saturday Manila time) by general manager David Griffin.

Griffin didn't think the NBA title-chasing Cavaliers were handling prosperity, expectations or acting like a championship team under Blatt, who was 83-40 in less than two seasons. Griffin saw a team going in the wrong direction.

"Sometimes you can win games in this league in the regular season and get worse," Griffin said at a hastily-arranged news conference at the team's practice facility. "We were regressing over a period of time. I'm in our locker room a lot, and I knew that there's just a disconnect there right now.

"I know that sounds crazy when we're sitting with a 30-11 record. I understand that. But we were 30-11 with a schedule that was reasonably easy. And I'm judging a lot more than wins and losses."

Griffin said he did not consult superstar LeBron James or any players before making the move to dismiss Blatt, who was surprised to learn he had been dismissed after going 83-40 in two seasons. Griffin also met with owner Dan Gilbert, who supported the move.

"Over the course of my business career I have learned that sometimes the hardest thing to do is also the right thing to do," Gilbert said. "Our ownership group supports David Griffin's decision."

Blatt will be replaced by top assistant Tyronn Lue, who was hired as the team's associate head coach shortly after he came to Cleveland. Lue will make his debut Saturday night when the Cavs host the Chicago Bulls. Griffin stressed that Lue is not an interim coach and said the team is discussing a contract with him.

"He has the pulse of our team," he said.

Blatt's firing stunned Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, president of National Basketball Coaches Association.

"It's just a real shocker," Carlisle said. "(Blatt is) one of the greatest coaches in European history. The ironic thing about all this is that he adjusted and adapted to the NBA game in my opinion, much quicker than any of us ever could have adjusted and adapted to the European game. He did a tremendous job just from a strategic standpoint. If you look at his record, this is bizarre."

As social media networks hummed with speculation and opinion about James' role the team's inner workings, Griffin said he made the decision with the basketball staff — not the star.

"I had a conversation with ownership where I got their approval to make this move. I'm not taking a poll. My job is to lead the franchise and to lead an organization where it needs to go," Griffin said. "That's what I'm tasked with doing and that's what I did. I didn't ask anybody's opinion on the team. I'm in the locker room. I've done this a long time and I know what it's supposed to feel like. I didn't need to ask questions."

Blatt's dismissal came one day after the coach was defensive before and after the Cavs beat the Los Angeles Clippers. Blatt had been bothered by criticism his team received after a 34-point loss to the defending champion Golden State Warriors earlier this week.

A person close to James said that the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player was told of Blatt's firing about one hour before reports of the move surfaced. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Blatt seemed to be adjusting to the NBA game following his well-documented struggles in 2015 — James' first season back in Cleveland. One of the most successful coaches in European history, Blatt was feeling good about the way his team was performing amid overwhelming expectations.

However, there was a discord he couldn't seem to fix. The relationship between James and Blatt was a running saga last season as the Cavs got off to a disappointing 19-20 start. However, the two worked through their differences and won the Eastern Conference title. Despite injuries to NBA All-Stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, the Cavs took the Warriors to six games in the NBA Finals before losing the title.

Following Thursday night's win over the Clippers, Blatt shared a moment with James at his locker. The pair shook hands and smiled at each other, without any hint that a coaching change could be forthcoming.

Moments earlier, Blatt was on the defensive given the Golden State blowout. He argued that although the Cavs were prohibitive favorites to return to the finals they deserved more credit than they were getting.

"It's about my team," Blatt said. "It's about my guys and I don't like it. I don't like it at all. My guys are out there fighting for the Cavaliers and doing the best job they can in a tough NBA — very tough — especially because this is a team that night after night has a target on its back.

Blatt is the third Cleveland coach to be fired in the past four seasons.