Cavs Coach Takes Winding Road To NBA

05:53

May 13, 2015

To get to his current post as Cavs head coach, David Blatt had to work his way up from a rural part of Northern Israel -- and dodge some hot coins along the way. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers lead 3 games to 2 in their NBA playoff series against Chicago after beating the Bulls last night in Cleveland.

James is making his 10th straight postseason appearance, but his coach is new to the NBA playoffs. In fact, until this season, David Blatt had never played and never coached in the NBA, even as an assistant.

But the man who’s dodged flying objects while coaching in foreign leagues isn't fazed by the bright lights. Doug Tribou of NPR and WBUR's sports program Only A Game has our story.

Read more on this story via Only A Game

Reporter

Doug Tribou, reporter and producer for NPR and WBUR's Only A Game. He tweets @DougTribou.

This story was co-reported by Martin Kessler, assistant producer for NPR and WBUR’s Only A Game. He tweets @MartinKessler91.

This segment aired on May 13, 2015.