Sometimes coaches say things they really should keep to themselves. Tyronn Lue had one of those moments after Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Following his team’s collapse in the final three minutes — a collapse that saw them go from being six points ahead to losing by five without scoring a single time — Lue uttered the following words.
Ty Lue said he doesn't really remember the last 3 minutes of the game 🤔🤔"I got it look at. I don't know. I don't remember."
— Kevin Jones (@Mr_KevinJones) June 8, 2017
Oh, man.
I mean, those final three minutes were kind of a blur, but that’s the kind of thing a head coach should never say.
It’s understandable that Lue would be somewhat taken aback by the turn of events.
In those final three minutes, Cleveland went from being on the verge of making this series winnable. Of making the 2017 NBA Finals a true deja vue moment for everyone. A win would have taken everyone back to the team’s epic comeback last year when they lost two in Oakland, came back and won Game 3 in Cleveland en route to a historic 1-3 comeback.
Instead, in those final three minutes, Kevin Durant ripped the heart out of everyone in the building not wearing a Golden State uniform.
Durant will do anything for that ring. #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/YF49Frt2Ub
— Cycle (@bycycle) June 8, 2017
The series is over. It’s done. There is no coming back from this.
Even still, Lue cannot tell the world he has no real recollection of how the series ended. That he has to look at tape. It’s just a horrible look for a coach many feel is completely overmatched to begin with. A coach that many feel simply lets LeBron James run the show in crunch time.