Gary Bernson flies north to Boston from his southern home a lot now that David Blatt sometimes fills the opposing coach’s chair in the Garden. The Atlanta real-estate investor grew up with the Cavaliers coach in Framingham and, through a friendship with Celtics executive committee member James Pallotta, has been treated to front-row seats when Blatt comes to town.
When last here, Blatt’s Cavaliers completed a first-round sweep of the Celtics last spring with an overwhelming Game 4 performance. The team returns for the first time since that series on Tuesday.
Last year, these were LeBron James’ Cavaliers, not Blatt’s, not really.