Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals will mostly be remembered for “The Block”, “The Dagger”, and “The Stop”. Three plays that capped the third straight victory that put the Cleveland Cavaliers atop the basketball world and in a very special spot in league history for “The Comeback”.
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But behind the scenes, there is one other major influencer in the Wine and Gold side and that is head coach Tyronn Lue. He might just be as important as the Cavs’ Big Three in winning the title for Cleveland.
In a report by USA Today Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt, LeBron James shared Lue’s emphatic message to the team inside the locker room during halftime of the deciding game.
“He told us, ‘We’ve got 24 minutes. We’ve got to play as hard as we’ve ever played in the next 24 minutes,”
“ ‘It starts with you.’ He got on me a little bit. Told me to pick up everything I’ve been doing and give even more effort. We all responded.”
Despite being a rookie coach, Lue is head and shoulders above the typical greenhorn tactician. His no-nonsense persona, excellent feel for his players, and wealth of experience being around legendary coaches and players, all worked in his favor.
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But the part that stood out in all these is the fact that Tyronn Lue got up to LeBron James in a certain kind of way that few, or none, of his past coaches ever did. It benefited the team, James’ legacy, and Lue himself.
