In this Nov. 2, 2015, AP photo, Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt pats LeBron James on the chest at the end of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia. James’ calculating image wasn’t helped when the Cavaliers stunningly fired Blatt on Friday, Jan. 22, despite Blatt leading the team to the NBA Finals last season and an Eastern Conference-best 30-11 record this season. James has played for three coaches during his two stints in Cleveland.
Israelis on Sunday harshly criticised the firing of local hero David Blatt as coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, calling him the victim of superstar LeBron James's influence over the team.
One sports commentator even compared Israelis' hate of James to their hate of Islamist movement Hamas, while insulting and racist comments written in Hebrew littered his Instagram account.
The 2014 hiring of Blatt, an Israeli citizen who led powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv to a European title, gave Israelis a jolt of pride. When the Cavaliers played in last year's NBA finals, many stayed up late to watch the games.
But a rift between Blatt and James, the Cavaliers' star player who many rank among the greatest ever, reportedly led to his downfall, with the team announcing Friday that they were firing him despite having one of the league's best records.
"LeBron James is now the most hated person in Israel," Sharon Davidovitch, a sports journalist for Israeli news site Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, told AFP.
He said the decision to move on from Blatt was correct since the players and coach apparently did not get along, but noted that Israeli fans were taking the decision hard.
http://news.yahoo.com/israelis-slam-hero-blatts-firing-cleveland-cavaliers-coach-000958408--nba.html
Israelis slam LeBron James over local hero Blatt's firing
By Mike Smith
Yahoo News
January 24, 2016
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