The Cleveland Cavaliers made history in 2016 by becoming the first team ever to successfully come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. Part of the reason they were able to rally against the Golden State Warriors was because former skipper Tyronn Lue had them physically and mentally ready.
Phil Handy, who served as an assistant coach for the Cavs from 2013 to 2018, recently revealed a message Lue had for the Cavs prior to flying back to the Bay Area for a do-or-die Game 5.
The Cavs had plenty of reasons to overreact to the Game 4 loss, especially after watching Stephen Curry light them up to the tune of 38 points, with 21 of those coming from long-range shots. In addition, history didn’t side with them because only 10 teams had recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the playoffs at the time, with none of those squads having done it in the championship stage.
Fortunately, Cleveland had Lue helming the sidelines and LeBron James leading the players. According to Handy, the four-time MVP had the “same sentiment” as Lue.
The Cavs took it one game at a time, starting with a 112-97 Game 5 victory on the road, in which James and Kyrie Irving scored 41 points apiece. They carried that momentum into the sixth meeting, defeating the Warriors by 14 points behind the 20-time All-Star’s second straight 41-point outing.
