Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Ty Lue did not let his crew watch film after being down 3-1 in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Advertisement
There is no denying that Ty Lue knows the secret sauce to making the biggest comebacks during games. No lead is safe when the opposing team has Lue as its coach. Known to rally back from 20+ point deficits, Lue has found splendid success in his career as a coach over his tenure as a player in the league.
However, nothing surpasses his achievement in the 2016 NBA Finals. Lue is the first coach in league history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. The 44-year old had joined the Cavs midway through the 2015-16 season, helping LeBron James deliver his promise to the city of Cleveland.
The Warriors were heavily favored over the Cavs, coming off a 73-9 season. Stephen Curry had won back-to-back MVPs and was on his way to eclipsing James as the best player in the world. But the kid from Akron would pull off the impossible, cementing one of the greatest legacies.
During a recent appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast, former Cavs coach Ty Lue opened up on the locker room environment during the 2016 Finals.
Ty Lue gives an insight into his strategy post being down 3-1 in the 2016 NBA Finals.
It was no walk in the park for Lue, who joined the team midseason with championship hopes pinned on them. James was into his second season post exit from the Heat and had the pressure of the world to deliver on his promise to bring his hometown a championship.
Amid all of this, it was Lue’s first coaching assignment. Nonetheless, the Cavs would finish the season as the first seed in the east, leading to a boost in the morale of the locker room. Their biggest challenge was yet to come against Steph Curry and co in the Finals.
The Cleveland team had a poor start to the series, leading everyone to believe that the Warriors will go down as the best team in NBA history. However, Coach Lue hadn’t lost belief, recently sharing an insight after losing three games in the 2016 Finals.
“I made the decision to not show them film after the 3-losses but instead let them have fun at practice, but when we won, I would show them what we could do to get better with film.”
(36:55 mark)
The above excerpts from Lue’s conversation clearly demonstrate him being a player’s coach. The two-time Lakers champion didn’t want a single member on the roster to be low on morale, making him a great mentor as well.
Currently coaching the Clippers, Coach Lue has done a spectacular job keeping the team in playoff contention despite not having the services of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard for most of the season.
