Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Lue likes Cavs’ feistiness
Coach hoping that attitude continues for rest of series
OAKLAND, Calif. — Seven technical fouls, one flagrant foul, stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant jawing at each other and several other dustups.
For Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue, the physical turn the NBA Finals took in Game 4 on Friday was just what he wanted and is the recipe he hopes the Cavaliers will follow for the rest of the series against the Warriors.
“Personally, I liked it,” Lue said Sunday. “I thought the first two games we were being too nice. The first three games (we were) helping guys up off the floor, smiling, talking to guys — yeah, I didn’t like that.
“So I think Game 4, talking trash, being physical — whatever you got to do to try to get that edge to win, you got to do it.”
The Cavaliers looked to carry that same mindset into Game 5 on Monday night, when they once again tried to stave off elimination.
After two straight Warriors blowouts to open the series and their thrilling comeback in Game 3, things turned feisty in Game 4 as the teams that are meeting in a third straight finals showed some animosity.
James said the Cavaliers were upset about comments from Warriors forward Draymond Green, who talked of wanting to celebrate a title on Cleveland’s floor for the second time in three seasons.
The game started off with an edge and things really took off in the third quarter. It began when Durant took exception to a blow to the head from Kevin Love that led to a flagrant foul and a face-toface confrontation with James.
It escalated later in the quarter after a scramble to the floor for a loose ball led to a jump ball. The Cavaliers’ Iman Shumpert stood over Warriors center Zaza Pachulia and tried to grab the ball after the whistle. Pachulia then delivered two swipes to Shumpert’s groin area, leading to technical fouls on both players.
“It was totally between the lines and with respect of the rules,” Pachulia said of the physical play. “Nothing crossed the line. It’s emotional. It’s possibly the last game of the season, so you definitely don’t want to give up anything easy.
“We know it’s not going to be easy for us. We’re going to (have to) earn it.”
The more physical play appeared to be just the thing to get Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson unleashed. A key player the last two years because of his relentless rebounding and hard-nosed play, Thompson had been mostly invisible the first three games with just 11 rebounds.
He nearly matched that in Game 4 by grabbing 10, including four on the offensive end that gave the Cavaliers extra opportunities to score and prevented the Warriors from getting out on the break.
“T-Lue has been saying since Game 1 (that) the team that comes out and sets the tone early and is more physical one through five will definitely have the advantage,” Thompson said. “We did that (in) Game 4 and we’ve got to have that same type of effort, and even more, in Game 5.”
That’s exactly the attitude Lue wanted.
“They’re coming right after us, so we have to get after them,” he said. “I don’t see anything to smile about.
“Hitting and being physical and everything they do to us we have to do. In Game 4, I thought that’s who we (were). If it’s talking trash or knocking guys on the floor, whatever you got to do, you got to do it.”