Lue says Cavs 'have the blueprint' to win NBA Finals
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue believes his team now know what it takes to beat the Golden State Warriors.
The Cavaliers suffered a crushing overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors in game one of the NBA Finals, but Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said his team can take positives from the game.
Cleveland had a chance to win in the game's final moments when George Hill stepped to the free-throw line with 4.7 seconds left and the Cavaliers trailing 107-106. He hit the first shot to tie the score before missing the second.
J.R. Smith rebounded Hill's miss but, instead of going up for a shot or passing the ball, he dribbled to half court, running out the clock. The Cavaliers went on to fall 124-114 in the extra period.
"Listen, we're not broken," Lue told reporters on Friday.
"We see what we need to do and how we need to perform to win. We have the blueprint and now we need to execute at a higher level."
He added: "The team understands we had a chance to win that game but we didn't. We have to move on. We can't dwell on it."
Hill said he was up almost the entire night thinking about the missed free-throw.
"As a player, a competitive guy, I was put in a situation to help my team win a game and I didn't come through," Hill said. "So for me, it sucked, it was one of the worst feelings ever… I blew that opportunity. But the good thing is it's a seven-game series."
LeBron James scored 51 points, dished out eight assists and grabbed eight rebounds in the losing effort.
The Warriors and Cavaliers meet in game two on Sunday.