LeBron James isn't changing his game. Tyronn Lue isn't changing his lineup. The Cleveland Cavaliers aren't slowing down.
Defiant in the face of a 2-0 deficit to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, the defending champions are sticking with their plan.
They may have no choice.
Back home after being outrun and outgunned by the Warriors, who won games one and two by a combined 41 points, the Cavs find themselves in the same predicament they were in last year.
This time, though, the hole feels deeper because Kevin Durant is now leading a team seeking revenge after blowing a 3-1 lead in last year's Finals.
Still, Lue believes his team can equal the Warriors' frenetic pace and turn the series around as they did in 2016.
"We just have to take care of the basketball," Lue said Tuesday after the Cavs practised at Quicken Loans Arena.
"I think taking good shots when we're playing with pace and not turning the basketball over, letting them get out in transition.
"So that's our game. We're not going to change our game because of who we're playing.
"I'm confident that we can play that way, and we did it last year.
"A lot of people said we couldn't, but that's our game.
"That's who we are, and we're not going to change just because we're playing Golden State."
According to ESPN's research, the pace of play in the first two games was faster than in any of James' previous 212 career post-season games.
The first quarter of game two in which the Warriors outscored the Cavs 40-34 and the teams combined for 130 possessions, was the fastest of James' career - spanning 5,100 quarters.
It's no wonder James, who is averaging 28.5 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, appeared gassed in the second half.
Cleveland prefer to play at a high tempo too, and while that would seem to play into a trap with Golden State, James is adamant the Cavs aren't pumping their brakes.
"That's not our game. We don't play slowdown basketball," James said.
"We play at our pace. We play our game.
"We got to this point playing our way.
"We have won a lot of games playing the way we play, so we're not going to change."
Cleveland's losses in Oakland appear lopsided, but star guard Kyrie Irving said the tape revealed some positives.
"When you watch it, it doesn't necessarily seem as bad because you understand that the things that you can't control," he said.
"They're just kind of boneheaded plays that you are just like, 'Oh, man, we can be better.'
"Whether they're speeding us up or whether they're getting in our chest or challenging us, we need to hit back.
"And it's just as simple as that."
Share
