No first-time NBA coach has been as analyzed and criticized as the Cavaliers’ David Blatt — maybe ever. (Sam Amico)

Writing for Fox Sports Ohio, Sam Amico also notes that a national basketball writer with 30 years of experience said he has never seen another NBA coach so “loathed by the media.” LeBron James, Blatt’s star player, has sometimes also seemed to undermine and openly disagree with his coach.

We can debate why  Blatt, an American-Israeli Jew,  has come under such fire, but I think it’s his response that is actually more important from the perspective of obtaining greater simcha (Jewish joy).

Writing about how LeBron gets all the credit when the Cleveland Cavaliers win and Blatt receives most of the criticism when they lose, Ryan Glasspiegel of The Big Lead imagines himself in Blatt’s shoes:

If I were Blatt, I think I’d have had multiple meltdowns this year and I’m not sure I’d have made it through. The frustrations were unrelenting. And yet, he’s embraced it all, and understood that his best survival tactic is to just give LeBron whatever he wants.

Earlier in the playoffs, Blatt addressed the intense criticism that has been thrown his way constantly:

There’s nothing wrong with being critiqued and there’s nothing wrong with being scrutinized and there’s certainly nothing wrong with being followed. That means that people think something of you and of your program. It seems like since Day 1 we’ve been very, very much under the microscope. I have to say, to the credit of my players and my staff that we’ve handled it extremely well. We have never given in to that. We’ve never given into the adversity we’ve been through this year with major injuries and great expectations from a brand new team…I’m proud of my guys and my program because of that.

Indeed, Blatt’s team has made it all the way to the NBA finals, in part due to his calm demeanor and his ability to accept constructive criticism, ignore the incessant bashing and continue to do his job.

I think we can all learn from Blatt in this regard, because being able to remain magnanimous in the face of criticism is important for those who wish to grow spiritually and obtain happiness. It’s obvious that becoming super upset and unglued by every criticism, whether it’s accurate or not, will not lead to a happy outcome for the person who is criticized.

In fact, Rabbi Noah Weinberg (ZT”L) of Aish.com wrote that it’s not enough to remain calm when criticized – we should actively LOVE criticism!

For those who are able to ignore their defensive instinct and depersonalize criticism, Rabbi Weinberg says that such feedback can “wake you up and get you back on track.”

But what if the criticism is unjust? Rabbi Weinberg has an answer for that, too:

Don’t worry about your pride. If your critic has only said it to put you down, this makes you bigger than him. And it really takes the wind out of his sails.

That has been David Blatt’s approach all year. He’s now having the last laugh, with his team in the NBA finals. I’m trying to learn from his example by accepting and even welcoming valid criticism, ignoring personal attacks and letting my actions speak for themselves…

That’s a good prescription for becoming a true champion!