Cavs coach Lue says Celtics more difficult to defend than Warriors

Tyronn Lue

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue said the Boston Celtics are tougher to defend than the Golden State Warriors.

Lue and reigning champions the Cavs are one win away from facing the Warriors in the NBA Finals for the third consecutive seasons.

However, Lue believes the Celtics – who trail 3-1 in the Eastern Conference finals series following Tuesday's 112-99 loss – and their unpredictability is more of a concern.

"I don't even think about [the Warriors]," Lue told reporters.

"We're just focused on Boston. 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 Boston head coach Brad Stevens' plays are what throws Cleveland off guard, which is what makes defending the Celtics more difficult.

"Like, they hit the post, Golden State runs splits and all that stuff, but these guys are running all kinds of s***," Lue said of Stevens' style.

"I'll be like, 'F***.' They're running all kinds of s***, man. And Brad's got them moving and cutting and playing with pace, and everybody is a threat. It's tough, you know, it's tough."

Lue added: "With Isaiah [Thomas] going down, that's 29 points a game, and now you got to scheme and try to do something for a whole 'nother system.

"It's tough. And we really didn't know what to expect. But I thought we did a good job of making some adjustments in the end of the second quarter and the third quarter and the second half [in Game 4] that really helped us out."