Brad Stevens Showing Tyronn Lue what Coaching Looks Like
Brad Stevens has shown the NBA world that he is the best coach in the eastern conference by a wide margin.
The Cleveland Cavaliers took a 3-1 series lead in the eastern conference finals with a tight win in Game 4. Kyrie Irving was the star in the game with 42 points.
After the Celtics pulled off the biggest upset in playoff history in Game 3, they came out firing in the first half of Game 4. They were playing terrific defense, and were moving the ball beautifully on offense.
Boston even managed to get LeBron James in foul trouble, which is something most teams can’t do. All of this added up to a ten point lead at halftime.
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Then in the second half, Irving caught fire, and the Cavs shot around 75% from the field to finish out the game. Shooting 59.5% for the game, Cleveland posted the best shooting mark against the Celtics all season long. If not for that, we might be looking at a 2-2 series tie heading back to Boston.
One of the main takeaways from this series has been the ability of Brad Stevens to stay competitive and even defeat the defending champs without his best player. Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue has made no adjustments to the Celtics during the series, and is being completely out-classed by Stevens.
After getting defeated at home by a Celtics team without Isaiah Thomas, what did Lue do to counter Boston’s ball movement and defensive pressure? Nothing. He was completely bailed out by a special performance by Irving. Cleveland’s potential as a team is limited thanks to their lack of strategy.
Strategy isn’t as necessary when you have the kind of talent Cleveland does, but it opens the door for better coaches like Stevens to beat you. Stevens has faced three coaches in these playoffs, and has out shined every single one of them.
Whether it be after timeout plays(ATO’s) or reshaping his offense on the fly without Thomas, Stevens has proved that he is the best coach in the east by a wide margin. It makes you wonder what this series would look like of Thomas wasn’t seriously injured from the start.
Next: Boston Celtics Prove They Can Compete
The Celtics might not have been ready to take out the Cavaliers this year. With more talent next year, Stevens’ team will be able to whether storms like Irving’s on Tuesday, and he’ll be able to coach guys like Lue under the table.