After a career game in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Timofey Mozgov played just nine minutes in Game 5.
More than a couple reporters wanted to know why.
So, they asked and asked and asked Cavaliers coach David Blatt to explain his decision.
These are mostly fair questions, but here’s what I think Blatt wanted to say:
If Mozgov played more, Cleveland probably would have lost. If Mozgov played less, Cleveland probably would have lost.
The Cavaliers are probably going to lose. They’re short-handed, and the Warriors are the better team. It’s impressive Cleveland won two of the first four games, but this was never a series between evenly matched teams.
No matter what adjustments Blatt makes, they’ll probably fail to produce a victory. So, perhaps a win-loss result is not the best way to judge him.