Tyronn Lue rallied his team during a timeout with 2 minutes, 14 seconds remaining in Sunday’s Game 4 and looked them squarely in the eye after the Clippers’ 31-point lead evaporated to one.
Lue was the calm Clippers coach at a time when Dallas Mavericks overloaded his team and changed the momentum of the game.
Lue was determined in the midst of a Mavericks offensive storm in which Kyrie Irving was virtually unstoppable.
Lue remained steadfast in his belief in the Clippers during the game’s most tense moment, even with his best player, Kawhi Leonard, sidelined with right knee inflammation.
Lue crossed his arms after his team took the court, looked at the media as fans inside the American Airlines Center raved, smiled and murmured:
“We’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.
See more information: James Harden closes out Game 4 win as Clippers tie series with Mavericks
The play that Lue called went to Paul George low, but he fumbled the basketball, recovered it and knocked down a 23-foot three-pointer in the corner for a two-point lead that the Clippers never relinquished.
When the game ended and the Clippers tied the best-of-seven series at 2-2, Lue was asked if his steely demeanor when the game is on the line affects his players.
He laughed.
“I hope so. Yes, I hope so. I think so,” Lue said. “Just stay in the moment. I think the teams are going to run. Dallas has a big crowd, a big fan base, and they’re going to make some noise. . And when they took the lead, I didn’t want to see any heads hanging. [anyone] pointing a finger. Like, let’s regroup and win the game.
“And then you have to panic, there’s no need to be loud and boisterous at the timeout. Just go in, get your point across and win the game. And then our guys, like I said, they focused again, we the we came back, got a two-point lead after that break, and from that point on we were able to win the game.”
It’s clear that Lue is the leader the Clippers follow.
They lost Game 2 at Crypto.com Arena last Tuesday night, in the process losing home field advantage to the Mavericks.
George offered this answer as to why he was confident the Clippers could get at least a win in Dallas and bring the series back home on Wednesday for Game 5 in good standing.
“The guys we put in the locker room and at TLue,” George said of his coach.
James Harden emphasized that point after his 33-point, seven-assist, six-rebound masterpiece in 40 minutes, saying Lue gave the Clippers the “blueprint” they needed to beat the Mavericks.
It’s about maintaining your composure through the ups and downs of the game. He is studying during film sessions. You are preparing the right way. It’s executing the game plan on offense and defense. He is on his feet when the time calls for it.
“I think we’ve seen the plan and what it’s going to take to beat this team,” Harden said Sunday. “So for us, it’s just watching film, getting better and figuring out and finding ways to do that consistently, over the course of a four-quarter game. [It’s] easier said than done.
“But for us, I think we can’t waste possessions because this team is so talented offensively that they can make you pay for it. … As long as we can get a shot, we will live with the results.”
There’s no word yet on whether Leonard will play in Game 5, but the Clippers have won two playoff games without him.
They know the project and they know Lue will prepare them.
“Prepare for this as if it were a whole new game. Prepare like it’s Game 1,” George said. “Don’t get too excited about this victory. Go home, try to take care of business. But just take it one game at a time.”
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
