As a result of Wednesday night’s 96-83 loss to the Boston Celtics inside TD Garden, the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves trailing in the Eastern Conference Finals, 3-2. While the Cavs had several glaring issues in Game 5, there were some who thought coach Tyronn Lue’s rotations could have been a bit better.
Things got out of hand early in Game 5. The Celtics went on a 15-3 run early in the first quarter, resulting in a nine-point lead. Boston held a 32-19 advantage at the end of the first. And in the second quarter, the C’s took a 36-19 lead, their biggest of the game.
Coach Lue made several personnel adjustments throughout Thursday night’s game, but they just weren’t enough in the end. All of the blame can’t be placed on Lue’s shoulders, though. The Cavs, who went 9-34 from beyond the arc (26.5 percent) in Game 5, committed 15 turnovers as a team — six of those coming from LeBron James.
In a conference call on Thursday, coach Lue was asked if there is anything he wishes he would have done differently last night with regards to the Cavs’ rotation. According to Ben Axelrod of WKYC in Cleveland, coach Lue simply said “No.”
There were also those who speculated on James’ level of fatigue in Game 5. In fact, there were some who said he looked tired. Coach Lue was asked about this notion following Wednesday night’s game.
“Did LeBron look tired to you?” a reporter asked coach Lue after Game 5. “Did you think he looked tired tonight at all?”
“Yeah,” coach Lue replied. “He looked a little tired, to me, yes.”
James, who logged 39 minutes in Game 5, scoring 26 points on 11-22 shooting from the field (1-6 from beyond the arc), 10 rebounds, five assists and one steal, noted that “everybody is tired at this point.”
Coach Lue has been scrutinized for some of his decisions, fairly or unfairly. Though they might be tired, Lue says the Cavs are remaining focused on the ultimate goal.
“Our focus — LeBron’s focus — is to win,” coach Lue ESPN after Game 5. “That’s the only thing that matters.”
Friday night’s Game 6 matchup is set to tip inside Quicken Loans Arena at 8:30 p.m. EST with ESPN having live broadcast coverage. Now, with their backs against the wall, the Cavs will need to win two straight games.