Is Tyronn Lue Telling the Truth or Poking the Bear?
As laughable as it is to suggest that the Celtics are a more difficult team to defend than the Warriors, I love what Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue is doing here. Like the smaller guy who picks a fight with a bully knowing he has big time backup from his best friend, Lue is poking the bear, ready to rely on LeBron James to cash the checks his mouth is writing.
For full context, here is the quote from Cleveland's head coach: "I don't even think about them. We're just focused on Boston. The stuff they're running, it's harder to defend than Golden State's [offense] for me, as far as the actions and all the running around and all the guys who are making all the plays, so it's a totally different thing."
For as good of a coach as Brad Stevens is, the offensive sets, as sophisticated as they may be, cannot make up for the talent and unselfish nature of Golden State. In addition to the ability to make 3-pointers in bunches, I've never seen an NBA team share the ball as much as the Warriors this season. Yes, much of it is done with a certain flair, but always with one objective: to get the ball to the open man or into the hot hand. On top of that, the Cavs are far from a great defensive team. They were the worst team in terms of defensive metrics in April and we've already seen them squander double digit leads in this postseason.