Shots fired!
Okay, well, not really.
More like: Immense respect for the Boston Celtics and offensive architect Brad Stevens fired!
Although the Cleveland Cavaliers have been in control of the Eastern Conference Finals from the jump, their head coach, Tyronn Lue, believes the Celtics offense is harder for his team to plan around than that of the Golden State Warriors. Here’s what he said, per Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon:
“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,” Lue said. “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.”
Anyone who interprets this as Lue throwing shade at the Warriors, the Cavaliers’ NBA Finals-opponent-to-be, is out of their freaking minds. In a way, it kind of makes sense. The Warriors offense is free-flowing and freewheeling, but it can also be predictable. Boston’s is more of an equal opportunity machine.
That doesn’t make the Celtics’ approach better. Far from it. The Warriors have players who run their system to perfection, and who can hit tougher shots when it matters most. They are unstoppable by way of talent, where the Celtics might make you think more without actually hurting you.
Either way, the Cavaliers have to go through both to win a title, which is pretty darn difficult no matter how you view the logistics behind their defensive approach.
