Two Rookie Coaches Face Off In The 2015 NBA Finals

A few days from today the NBA Finals will start with the Golden State Warriors hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the best-of-7 NBA Championship Title series featuring a match-up of two young rookie coaches, David Blatt and Steve Kerr. It seems the spotlight will be placed entirely on Lebron James and Steph Curry for the duration of the series, however, the rookie clash of coaches is expected to share the spotlight just as much as the former.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, David Blatt and Golden State Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr were winners last week of a not so difficult Eastern and Western Conference Playoff Semi-final Series on their respective home courts. With those wins, both coaches must be proud of the fact that their first seasons, at the helm of their respective franchises, would translate in an NBA Finals berth.

What’s most appealing about this matchup, however, is that we haven’t seen two rookie coaches in the Finals since 1947 in the first year of the NBA when Harold Olsen of the Chicago Stags faced off against Eddie Gottlieb of the Philadelphia (and now Golden State) Warriors.

David Blatt, 56, was a point guard at Providence and never played in the NBA. Instead he made a name for himself in Europe as a player and coach. He was recruited out of Europe to take over Mike Brown as the Cavs coach before this season started. Blatt previously coached in Israel, Russia, Italy, Greece and Turkey leading Russia to the bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics and Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Euroleague championship last year. With all of his achievements, it seems he always wanted to coach in the world’s top league.

Even as he arrived with no NBA experience, the Jewish American came with an affluent history in hoops. Sadly, Blatt had to leave his family in Israel to chase his dream, even though he had a successful coaching career overseas. Cleveland needed a fresh face to bring the Cavs back to the playoffs after a four-year absence and Blatt was the perfect choice.

On the other hand, Golden State couldn’t have found a more suitable replacement for Mark Jackson in Steve Kerr. Kerr’s appreciation of the game was enhanced due to his relationship with Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson in Chicago and Gregg Popovich at San Antonio. He played for seven different teams, including Cleveland, in a 15-year NBA career as a second round draft pick in 1988. Kerr, 49, was a role player whose basketball instincts and IQ carried him to five championships. His knowledge was so extensive that he became the president and general manager of the Phoenix Suns.

When he joined the Warriors, Kerr wasted no time in stamping his class. He set a record for a rookie coach with the hottest start ever at 19-2 and became the most winning first-year coach in NBA history with a 67-15 mark.

Kerr and Blatt already admired each other from afar before meeting. They got a chance to study their teams more closely this season, and that bond grew as they went through the NBA coaching grind for the first time.

“Anytime you’re put in the spotlight like he was early in the season when things weren’t going well for them, that’s when your character shows, that’s when your grit comes out,”

Kerr said.

“I thought he handled all that stuff beautifully and just kept going and they righted the ship. I’m glad to see that he’s getting the credit that’s due.”

 

For as quickly as their friendship formed, they never talked at length until Kerr got the Warriors job May 2014. They were brought together by their shared agent, Mike Tannenbaum, who is now the executive vice-president of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Mark Bartelstein, who introduced Tannenbaum to both, represents each coach now. Tannenbaum thought Kerr and Blatt had similar personalities. What he didn’t know — nobody in the NBA did before this season — is their basketball minds worked in similar ways, too.

“We share a lot of the same philosophies in terms of how we see the game, ball movement and spacing and pace and the chemistry that happens when the ball does move,”

Kerr said.

After he verbally committed to come to Golden State, the Cavaliers asked Blatt for an interview. Blatt wanted to pursue the position, but also didn’t want to sour his relationship with Kerr and the Warriors. So, he simply asked Kerr what to do.

“I told him, ‘Of course, go see if you can get that. And if not, we’ll talk,”

Kerr said.

Blatt has been thankful ever since. He even waited outside the Warriors’ locker room to talk with Kerr before the Cavs’ lone game at Oracle Arena in January.

“Life has taught me to never be convinced of anything until it happens,”

Blatt said.

“Had Steve not been willing to allow me to interview for the job, I’d be in Golden State right now.”

Instead, he’ll be trying to take what Kerr and the Warriors want most: an NBA title.

Two incredibly talented coaches and teams with the Larry O’Brien Trophy on their minds make for a captivating matchup in any series, but particularly when it’s the 2015 NBA Finals. The Warriors have been the best team in basketball this season and the playoffs, but the Cavaliers have Lebron James, the best player in the world.

This series will surely not disappoint, because by mid-June, either David Blatt or Steve Kerr will become just the third person in NBA history to win a league title during his first season as coach. Warriors in 6.