Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue is making sure that his team doesn’t get too ahead of themselves after their Game 3 blowout win over the Boston Celtics, and is looking for the Cavs to maintain their sense of urgency ahead of Game 4 on Monday.
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“We know what it takes,” Lue said on Sunday, according to ESPN. “We did it before. We’ve got a lot of veterans, a veteran crew and they know what it takes to win. We can’t get satisfied with just one win, it’s just one, we’ve got to come out [Monday] night and duplicate it again.”
Lue used the film study to show his players the exact type of effort he wants to see as things progress in the series.
“Just remind them that this is the way we have to play,” Lue said of his approach with the team.
Naturally, the Cavs will be leaning on LeBron James’ performance to guide them in Game 4, and while James has been his usual, super-productive self offensively, he has amplified his play on the defensive side of the court, which sparked the rest of his teammates in Game 3’s victory.
“I thought [Saturday] night was one of LeBron’s best games I’ve seen in a long time as far as helping, closing out to Jaylen Brown’s chest, making him put it on the floor,” Lue explained. “Closing out to [Marcus] Morris. Closing out to [Marcus] Smart, so he did a really good job of just setting the tone of multiple efforts and that was good for us.”
The Cavs will be turning to their bench to put in another solid performance, mainly Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.
Clarkson in particular saw an uptick in his shot volume, but struggled, shooting just 3-for-11 from the field and 3-for-7 from 3 point land
“I don’t think he’s nervous,” Lue said. “He’s not scared or afraid at all. When you take 11 or 12 shots off the bench in the playoffs, you’re not scared, you’re not afraid, so that’s what he does.
“He’s just got to be smart, time and score when to do it, but he’s doing a good job of just trying to be aggressive and attacking and I think he will make shots.”
“When I’m on the court, it’s always just basically shooting it with confidence,” Clarkson said. “The more looks I get, I feel like they will go in.”
“Larry knows his job,” said Clarkson. “He’s going to screen, he’s going to roll, he’s going to get rebounds and he’s going to defend. I think his time is coming in this series.”
“His energy, his athleticism, his ability to switch and guard multiple positions is good for us,” Lue said. “When he’s rolling to the basket, he got a couple dunks last night, and when they pull in to help, now you’ve got Kyle Korver and JR making 3s. His athletic ability and his force rolling to the rim is really key for us.”
“We’re starting to figure out that LeBron doesn’t have to take 20-some shots to beat a great team by 30,” Nance said. “The rest of us are very good basketball players in our own right and it’s nice to show that.”