NOT LONG AFTERAfter matching the second-largest NBA comeback in 1996, Tyronn Lue was given cold water by his teammates. His phone was ringing.
Lue heard on the other end a familiar, distinct, and drawn voice.
“So, you’re just going to keep getting up 25, come back and lose, huh?” Lue shares his best. Kawhi Leonard impression.
Lue is annoyed at the LA ClippersThey continue to fall into deep holes throughout the season. But, Reggie JacksonHalftime jokes were made shortly after the Clippers fell behind by 35 in Washington on Jan. 25, as the Clippers had won the WizardsThey were exactly where they wanted them to be.
Clippers have been the joker for most of their existence. However, since last season, the Clippers have a stubborn habit to make improbable comebacks. None more significant than their deficit in the postseason. erasing that 35-point deficitTo stun Wizards 116-115 — Only trailing Utah Jazz‘s victory over the Thespians by 36 points Denver NuggetsOn November 27, 1996
As Luke KennardSeven points scored in the final nine seconds. Nic BatumIt was hard to comprehend what was going on. Batum looked confused, his hands covering his head, and his mouth open wide after Kennard made a 3-pointer. Batum then fouled Kennard for the go-ahead play of four points with 1.9 seconds remaining. The Clippers finally emerged from a 66-31 hole in the first half.
Batum said, “That’s one the moments in NBA, you must be in it.” “I was like an avid fan. “I was like a fan” for the last 15 seconds. I wasn’t there to play, like everyone else.
Yes, they lose to Utah on Friday nights such as Friday. Two postseasons ago, they couldn’t keep up double-digit lead against Denver in a 3-1 series collapse. They have risen from a near 0-3 hole to beat Denver since then. DallasBefore winning in seven gamesUtah was stunned by their feat erasing a 25-point deficitWithout Leonard in Game 6, the franchise will reach its first Western Conference finals.
In the 25-year history of basketball, no team had ever won more than 24 points in a single season. The Clippers won it all three times in an eight-game stretch. This was a feat that stunned the Nuggets. Philadelphia 76ersDuring that time, the Clippers and Wizards were both in first place. After trailing by at least 20 points, the Clippers have won five consecutive comeback victories. Four of those victories were this season.
Their greatest comeback, however, is just beginning. The Clippers started the season without Leonard. Leonard is currently recovering from an ACL injury and has been absent since. Paul George (torn elbow ligament) since Dec. 22. They have lost all newly acquired assets Norman Powell (broken bone in footAfter only three February games, the Clippers were able to win (). This is usually a death sentence for playoff hopes. But the Clippers have turned a season that was disappointing into one where they are poised to make history and reach the play-in tournament as No. 8 seed.
A lot of this resiliency has to do with the man many in the organization consider to be the team’s third star — Lue.
Jackson is quick, however, to correct.
“He is the star.”
FOURTEEN DATE AVAILABLE BEFOREThe Clippers’ incredible comeback in D.C. saw them trailing 59-34 with 19 minutes remaining in their game against Nuggets on January 11.
The Clippers, as has been the case with Leonard and George, were struggling to score and looked like they were headed for another loss to the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
Lue’s approach to regaining the Clippers’ confidence is to identify the best combination players who can exploit the weaknesses of their opponents when they fall behind. Lue relies heavily on his veterans, but he has also been successful with unproven young players like the two-way forward Amir CoffeyThe entire second half is played by,
Lue uses a strategy that has helped the Clippers flourish defensively and offensively in the postseason. He goes small against Jokic, which is a risky move. The Clippers up their defensive pressure and force 10 2nd-half turnovers. This keeps Jokic from getting the ball. He finishes with 21 points and 13 rebounds, eight assists and six points on seven shots during the fourth quarter of an 87–85 Clippers’ victory.
Former CavaliersForward Richard Jefferson believes Lue’s basketball IQ and his ability to respond quickly to an opponent are equal. LeBron JamesHis brilliant brain. But, the former Cleveland coach isn’t just showing James what he can do, but also managing this season without his Clippers superstars.
Lue was a champion and helped guide the Cavs to the most dramatic comeback in NBA Finals history, erasing a 3-1 gap to beat Golden State in 2016. However, Lue will not be remembered as James wanting a title to Cleveland.
Lue quickly calls James “the best player of the world” and says he made James a better coach. However, MiamiErik Spoelstra, a coach at ”s, knows that it can take time for James to let go.
“LeBron’s been with the league, what? 18 years?” Lue says. “He won four championships. LeBron James does not automatically make you a winner. I coach with a chip in my shoulder because, as people say, “Oh, he couldn’t do it without LeBron.” He can’t …'”
Lue had the opportunity to reunite when James was in town LakersLue was interviewed by the Lakers for the coaching position in 2019. Lue was offered a $38 million contract by the Lakers, which is far less than the $55-million contract he had with Cavs. The Lakers wanted to control Lue’s staff. Lue withdrew from negotiations, and Frank Vogel was hired.
“The Lakers [saw it]You will like it more [I’m just]Lue stated, “I am coming to coach LeBron.” “No, I’m here to win. I didn’t believe I was being treated fairly. I was not going to accept any job offer in order to get it.
“I thought that I was better than this.”
Despite having many future Hall of Famers, the Lakers have struggled to win a championship. Lue however has the Clippers ahead of his L.A. rivals. He plays six regulars that are either 25 or younger who have yet to make an All-Star appearance.
Lue comments on his ability to work with the team, “Like Spo in Miami, the job I was able do now,” Lue says about emerging from James’ shadow. “It has also made me want better because LeBron is no longer with us, so now I have to show people I know my stuff. As if I can coach. I can still coach.
“But, I just want the people to know that I can coach.”
WHETHER HE ISN’TLue can be seen playing Bourre cards on the plane with his team or throwing dice at a Las Vegas craps table packed with players. His brain is busy calculating all scenarios, studying the tendencies of each opponent, identifying their weaknesses, and adapting to win.
“In the middle is all that chaos, Ty at his best,” says Brian Shaw (Clippers assistant coach), who has known Lue ever since they were teammates in 1999 with the Lakers. “He’s better that the!” [craps table]Pit bosses and dealers who add and subtract from what they should be receiving. … Often, you’ll see the dealer trying to figure out how much they need to pay. He’ll reply, “$350 on this one, $750 in that one.”
“It’s truly amazing to watch. This is how his mind works.
Lue was poker-faced during a February stand of two games in Dallas. Lue spent too much time with the Clippers team in the first round. Ivica ZubacSwitch onto Luka DoncicThe Mavericks won 51 points to Doncic’s career high. Doncic scored 28 points during the first quarter. He also drilled seven 3-pointers. Many of these were step-backs over Zubac, just like in their first round matchup last postseason. Doncic averaged 74.6 points per 100 matches against Zubac in 59 half-court matches between the two of them, which is the highest score against any defensive player this season (minimum 20 matchups per Second Spectrum).
Lue admitted that he should have adjusted sooner, but the Clippers coach used a defiant tone to explain his strategy.
Lue was ready to take on the Mavericks.
Lue stated that coaching can be very similar to playing card games. He can be a tight player or loose player, but he should not bluff. You’re a coach in basketball. What he does and his tendencies is what I like. Are they switching from one to five? Is he fast?
Lue begins his 7-foot big on Doncic in the rematch two days later. It is a bold strategy to take the Mavericks off guard and not let them run their offense looking for mismatches and playing on those.
After seeing Zubac offered to him, Doncic looks back at Jason Kidd. This scheme may have been too easy for Doncic, who scored 22 points the first three quarters and 23 the fourth. He finished with 45 points and 15 rebounds as well as eight assists.
Lue’s gamble paid off, as the Clippers won 99-97. The Mavericks also got a second chance to see Lue’s chess moves.
A Mavericks source called Lue’s Zubac tactic “mental warfare.”
It’s not possibleAt the quarter’s halfway mark, the Clippers have dropped more than 20 to an MVP candidate big man for the second time in 10 Days. Despite the fact that they are still eating Joel EmbiidWith 7:39 left in the third quarter, Philadelphia has a 68–44 lead. The Sixers star center is eating a steady diet double teams. He’s scoring 40 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Lue remains calm. Clippers players always tell one another that no matter how large the deficit, they’re still playing the game.
“[Even when]We’re down 35 and we’re getting to the timeout. The guys are like, “Oh, yeah.” Jackson said that we’re still in it.
“We don’t think we have to go back. “We’re thinking, “Let’s just get it down to 30.”
The unheralded small line-up that includes Kennard is quite unique. Eric Bledsoe, Terance MannFor rookies Brandon Boston Jr. Backup and recovery center Isaiah HartensteinThe Clippers cut the Sixers’ 24 point lead to just four points before Lue returns to his veterans starters. Embiid scores 11. Only two other Sixers scored in the fourth quarter of a Clippers loss 102-101. Doc Rivers was the Clippers’ former coach and had to answer –and snap at — a postgame query about how coaching contributed to the Sixers’ collapse.
Clippers saw Rivers as a reminder of how much had happened in 16 months. They worked tirelessly to burrow the bubble last season.
The Clippers did not want to be associated with the bubble. There was nowhere to escape, no escape from one another or their opponents. George acknowledged to having fallen into depression. And Lou Williams, Montrezl HarrellAnd Patrick BeverleyThey all left and returned back to the bubble, each for their own reasons, which fractured their already complex team chemistry.
Jackson describes the isolation of a bubble as Jackson saying, “Off the Court was damn near Hell.”
After overcoming a 3-1 series deficit, Utah’s Nuggets team was able to overcome the Clippers. The Clippers fell, blowing 16-19 and 12 point leads in their final three series losses.
Morris states, “We lost that s— only because we were in a bubble.”[If]We weren’t in the bubble. Instead, we beat the s— out o’ them. That’s it. … Guys have stepped out of their comfort zones. Kudos to Denver.”
Leonard stated after the fiasco, that he wanted to see a higher basketball intelligence and more determination when things start to unravel. Lue’s game changes and game plans have been praised by players who nickname him “Belichick” and praise his ability communicate and empower them to take greater ownership. Jackson stated that Jackson held Lue accountable for his confrontation with the team last season, which saw him confront them all.
“He said, “I got your contract. It’s on you guys. Do you want to be a part of it? Jackson recalls, “If not, s—-, let me take you home and we’ll figure it out next year.” “I want to coach, but it all depends on whether you want to play. That’s up to you.
Jackson believes that Lue’s message was received and that the Clippers have “skyrocketed” to reach the Western Conference finals.
Lue also held a crucial team meeting during the season. The Clippers lost six out of eight games after George was removed indefinitely. Lue had lost three straight and met with his teammates before a walkthrough. AtlantaJanuary 9, 2009
After the meeting, Lue simplified his offense and allowed his players to play more freely. The Clippers won six of the next ten games including comebacks against Denver and Philadelphia.
Lue stated to ESPN that the event “really changed our season.”[Told the team]We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Do not let anyone make you feel sorry for yourself. [outside]Für Kawhi und PG’s pain.
“When you create a system around your two best players, there are many things we can’t do anymore. I had to see the mirror and decide what was best for this team.
“I had no choice but to go back to the drawing boards.”
WHILE LUE SPENTLeonard was in Cleveland during his All-Star break, thinking about new wrinkles that he could apply. Leonard, dressed in a navy blue jacket that legends don at the photo shoot of the NBA’s 76 greatest players, meets Leonard. Hakeem OlajuwonAnd Kareem Abdul-JabbarHe is then asked about his day.
Leonard said, “Oh yes, I feel much better.” “I’m trying hard to get back out on the road, man.”
The Clippers just bought Powell and Robert CovingtonTwo more wings were added before the trade deadline. Lue saw a potential five-man unit with all interchangeable wings, who could switch defensively, as a result of the idea of what Powell and Leonard can do.
Leonard, George, Powell and Morris. Covington may even be available, as he will be a free agency this summer. Clippers have enough potential defensively to dream about the “silly,” as Batum put the phrase, combinations next season. When the Clippers are preseason title favorites, with a healthy Leonard George and Powell, the Clippers will be able to play in the best possible defense.
Lue responds, “All the times,” to being asked what he thinks about healthy Clippers players. “We’ll reach that point where it’s possible to play this way,” Lue said. [small, switching and interchangeable]We’ll be a dangerous group.”
Lue hasn’t been able, since taking over Rivers’s shoes, to play the game he envisions. The Jazz and Mavericks got a glimpse of what Lue wants when they were small in the playoffs, before Leonard tore his ACL.
The Clippers have been showing Leonard and George, one impossible return at a time, the possibilities of the Clippers’ future.
“They call!” [Lue]Shaw stated that George and Leonard were “very, very often” after the game. “And they’ll say, ‘Ty’, you bad mother. They can see how competitive we are and they know what we’re doing.
“It just reinforces their belief in him, and reinforces his ability to coach,” said PG and Kawhi. They think it makes them say, “Man! If he can get that out of this team, I can only imagine how it will be when we’re all back at full strength. Healthy.”