Despite being on the brink of elimination, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue seems surprisingly calm about his teams’ chances heading into Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Celtics on Saturday (AEST).
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Cleveland fell behind, 3-2, in the series after losing Game 5 on Thursday, prompting both Lue and LeBron James to discuss fatigue afterward.
James has played more minutes than any other player this postseason at 648, but Lue believes his superstar player will be ready to go for Saturday's win-or-go-home game.
"I don't know his body. I just know that he always performs at a high level and (Thursday) was just one of those nights, but believe me he's not the only one feeling fatigue right now," Lue said (via cleveland.com).
"When you get to the Eastern Conference finals and you play so deep into the playoffs, a lot of guys get fatigued, and a lot of guys their team are playing more minutes than they've played all season.
"So, like I said, it could have been one of those nights for LeBron, but there's no question in my mind that he'll bounce back (Saturday)."
Lue’s confidence extends beyond James as the Cavs return home — where they’re 7-1 this postseason.
"I know we play well at home, but we have to beat them," Lue said.
"We can't just expect coming home for our great fans and crowd that we're going to win the game.
"We've got to play well and we understand that. I like what we've done the last three games defensively, even Game 5 in Boston.
"If we continue to play defence the way we've been playing, I do love our chances."
Game 6 tipoff is set for 10:30am AEST at Quicken Loans Arena.