Tyronn Lue’s coaching through two games against the Denver Nuggets has received mixed criticism. He often manages the game and clock well, but on rare occasions, he could be better at instinctively switching guys in.
Furthermore, in game two, Lue made a genius move to rest Ivica Zubac early in the first. The Nuggets were initially at an advantage, as Nikola Jokic was trying to put the ball on the floor against Ben Simmons, but David Adelman put in DeAndre Jordan when the superstar faced exhaustion.
Jordan has good experience, but his slow reaction time helped the Clippers make a run. When he entered the game, Denver was up by six. He checked out at 7:19 in the second, and the lead was sliced down the middle.
This was one of the most notable adjustments that differed from game one. Lue was essentially playing chess while the Nuggets were stuck playing checkers.
On the contrary, Lue made a haunting decision in the first two games of the playoffs in Denver that must be fixed while there is time to adjust.
Tyronn Lue is mistakenly spewing maximum minutes at the LA Clippers’ primary trio against the Denver Nuggets
With game one lost by two points and game two won by three, the LA Clippers have everything to lose if a key player heads to the locker room to be checked on. They need everyone to be healthy until the confetti is shed amongst fans, but this applies explicitly to the Clippers’ three best stars.
Moreover, the first game of a likely seven-game series went to overtime. Tyronn Lue felt it necessary to play James Harden for 43 minutes, Kawhi Leonard for 41 minutes, and Ivica Zubac for 39 minutes, and he did in a loss.
Game two had meticulous adjustments, but Lue kept the same outline and played Harden for 39 minutes, Leonard for 39 minutes, and Zubac for 40 minutes.
The Clippers’ six days off was a forgotten luxury, but even an unlimited resting period would be meaningless, as the coaching staff assigned each player in the trio 40 minutes. This will not be tolerable for 15 more wins.
That said, the three commanding starters Lue expects consistency from most will be drilled into the ground if the problem is not fixed. These minutes are a noteworthy risk after fans have waited long and hard due to injury.