Tyronn Lue is not letting the refs off the hook
J.R. Smith wasn’t the only reason the Cavaliers lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Tyronn Lue believes the officiating was also a significant factor.
NBA officials owe J.R. Smith a tremendous debt of gratitude. His failure to understand time and score in the game’s closing moments has taken a great deal of attention away from their questionable decisions late in Game 1. Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue isn’t about to let the officials escape criticism.
Specifically, Lue is taking issue with the crew’s decision to change a crucial block/charge call late in the fourth quarter. LeBron James moved in to take a charge on Kevin Durant and clearly got his feet outside the restricted area. The officiating crew elected to review the play, and switched the call because of their belief that LeBron did not arrive in time.
Lue alleged that such a reversal has never happened “in the history of the game.” Whether or not that’s technically true is irrelevant. The Cavaliers coach is correct in the fact that we’ve never seen this type of call reversal in such an important NBA game.
Tyronn Lue tried to make sense of the controversial replay call late in Game 1 of the #NBAFinals. pic.twitter.com/c0neIMiPtc
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) June 1, 2018
Predictably, LeBron James was also thoroughly unimpressed with the call in question. He told reporters after the game that he “knew he took the hit.” When he was pressed for further comment he reluctantly admitted that he didn’t “know what else to say.”
The question now becomes whether or not the Cavaliers can bounce back. It’s all well and good for Lue to keep this issue alive in the press. It’s possible his public comments can help his team get a more favorable whistle in Game 2.
What he can’t do, is let this story serve as a distraction in his locker room. The Cavs did some good things in Game 1, but they need to devise a game plan to get James more help. They simply can’t rely on him to play like a basketball deity every night. If that happens, great, but it’s not a reasonable plan.
That means Lue needs to spend a lot of time in the film room with his coaching staff today. Significant adjustments will be needed to remain competitive in Game 2. He can be sure Steve Kerr and the Warriors will come out with a different mindset. Lue can’t afford to let the heartbreak of losing Game One cost his anymore games in the series.