Tyronn Lue thinks the Celtics are better than the Warriors, kind of

Despite having little trouble with the Celtics through four games, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue still says their offense is harder to defend than the Warriors.

Ahead of what could be a close-out game on Thursday, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue is waxing poetic about Boston — or something. The team’s only loss in the series, which came in Game 3, was due to a poor performance by superstar LeBron James. Don’t try telling that to Lue, who thinks that the Celtics win and the struggles with defending them has to do with elite level talent.

Lue told Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com that he thinks the Celtics offense is harder to defend than the Warriors. No seriously, he said it:

"“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. Like, they hit the post, Golden State runs splits and all that stuff but these guys are running all kinds of (stuff). And Brad’s (Stevens) got them moving and cutting and playing with pace and everybody is a threat.”"

The Celtics have averaged exactly 100 points through four games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors, who cruised to a sweep of the San Antonio Spurs, averaged 115 in their series. Additionally, the Warriors won every game en route to the NBA Finals.

It is not a stretch to say that the Warriors have three of the best scorers in the NBA with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant. This statement from Lue is even more baffling when combined with the fact that the Celtics have been without Isaiah Thomas since the middle of Game 2. It’s profoundly more baffling when you consider the Cavs and Warriors charge up on petty comments made by one another — and Lue is providing that fuel himself.

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However, the Cavaliers were not prepared for the Celtics offense without Thomas. Boston changed their whole mindset following the injury. They tried to involve every player, which made for a lot of the ball movement Lue referenced.

The Cavaliers hope to close out the series with the Celtics in Boston Thursday at 8:30 PM ET.