Israeli coach David Blatt secures first NBA win

LeBron James scores 36 points as Cleveland Cavaliers charge past Chicago Bulls 114-108 in overtime

LeBron James scored 36 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls 114-108 in overtime on Friday night, handing Israeli-American and former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach David Blatt his first NBA victory.

James was at his best after struggling the previous night, scoring eight points in the extra period, and the Cavaliers picked up the win the after opening with a loss at home to New York.

Derrick Rose scored 20 points for Chicago, but his first meaningful home game in about a year was spoiled by a sprained left ankle and a dominant performance by the Cavaliers’ megastar. Rose, sidelined for most of the past two seasons by knee injuries, came up hobbling in the first half and headed to the locker room in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland rallied from five down in the closing minute of regulation after blowing a nine-point lead to start the fourth quarter.

James took over in OT, flipping in a wild reverse layup and scoring Cleveland’s first eight points in the extra period.

The Cavaliers were still clinging to a 106-104 lead after Kirk Hinrich hit two free throws with 46.8 seconds left. But Tristan Thompson iced it moments later with a hard dunk after rebounding James’ jumper to make it a four-point game with 24 seconds left.

Former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach David Blatt is now headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers (photo credit: AP/Ariel Schalit)

Earlier this week, James struggled from the start in his first game with Cleveland in four years, and the New York Knicks ruined the megastar’s emotional homecoming with a 95-90 victory over the Cavaliers on Thursday night.

The game was also a first for Blatt, though his debut was overshadowed by the massive hype surrounding the return of James.

Before the game, Blatt, who came to Cleveland after steering Maccabi Tel Aviv to a Euroleague Championship last spring, admitted he was “excited as hell.”

“I’ve been coaching for a long time and obviously this is my first NBA game and there is significance to that, but I’m going to leave that on the back-burner and focus on helping those guys be the best team they can be,” he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.