CHICAGO — With nine seconds left in regulation, the Bulls’ Derrick Rose converted a layup to tie the Cavs at 84. Cavs head coach David Blatt then tried to call a timeout. Problem is, he had none left.
Fortunately for Blatt, Cavs assistant coach Tyronn Lue stepped in to pull him back before the referees caught on. That could have swung the game — Blatt would have given the Bulls a free throw and the ball, with the chance to take the lead.
“I almost blew it,” Blatt admitted postgame. “Good thing my guys caught it.”
LeBron James credited Lue with saving the moment, and potentially their season.
“It was huge,” James said. “That’s why we’re a unit. Players make mistakes, coaches make mistakes.”
Instead, the Cavs got the ball back and, ultimately, James won the game on a buzzer-beater. If the Cavs win this series, that play could be the moment that swung it.
