David Blatt Nearly Cost Cavs Game 4 by Signaling for Timeout When They Had None

LeBron James gave the Cleveland Cavaliers an 86-84 victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 4 with a buzzer-beating jumper. However, Cleveland coach David Blatt nearly cost his team the game—and possibly the series—by pulling a Chris Webber.

After the Bulls' Derrick Rose made a layup to tie the game at 84-84 with nine seconds left, Blatt walked onto the court and tried to call a timeout. The only problem was that the Cavaliers had used up their final three timeouts on their previous possession. 

Rookie mistake.

Luckily, Cleveland assistant coach Tyronn Lue quickly noticed what Blatt was doing and pulled him off the court.

Had the referees seen Blatt signaling for a timeout, the first-year coach would have been assessed a technical foul, giving the Bulls a chance to take the lead in the final seconds. That would have put the Cavaliers in an incredibly tough spot.

Instead, Cleveland was able to inbound the ball and eventually hit the game-winning shot to even the series at 2-2.

Blatt commented on his near-gaffe after the game, per Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver:

Imagine if that timeout call had put the Cavaliers in a 3-1 hole. "The Timeout" would just be added to the long line of heartbreaking moments in Cleveland sports history.

LeBron James spoke on the near timeout after the game, per Golliver: