Tyronn Lue is one of the youngest and newest head coaches in the NBA. And while he doesn't have the long experience of other coaches, he still shows the same discipline. Jr Smith copping a fine of $100 from his own head coach is just another example of that discipline.
Tyronn Lue is a two-time NBA champion as a player for the Los Angeles Lakers. So he definitely knows a thing or two about how to get to the finish line. And his idea for guarding DeRozan, has his strategical leadership on full display.
Tyronn Lue punishes Smith for biting on DeRozan's pump fake
Before the Eastern Conference semi finals series started, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue placed a challenge on his group of guys. The challenge was made so that the team could defend Toronto Raptors superstar DeMar DeRozan at a high level. A $100 fine would be placed on any player who bites on DeMar's pump fake.
The reason for this challenge was that Lue was adamant that his Cavs players should not allow DeMar to have them fall for his pump fake. DeRozan's pump fake is one of the most dangerous in the league due to his ability to draw fouls once he gets you off of your feet, and his ability to knock down mid range shots forces defenders to contest.
But most of the time, jumping for the contest on Raptors' shooting guard's jump shot, doesn't end well.
It took until game four, but eventually one of the Cavaliers players fell for the dangerous pump fake. During the first quarter of game four, JR Smith jumped as DeMar pump faked on a mid range shot, this led to two free throws for the all-star.
Smith told Cleveland.com "I knew it as soon as I did it", as JR was visibly annoyed with his defensive decision, shaking his head as DeMar headed to the free throw line. JR Smith had no hard feelings for handing over the money though, the whole team agreed to this bet, and although no one did it in the first three games, a fourth game is when it finally happened.
Swisher took full responsibility, handing over the prize money to his head coach after the game in the locker room.
Coach Lue's plan worked
The masterplan of Tyronn Lue seemed to have worked. DeMar DeRozan underperformed in the series, averaging just 20.8 points per game at 42.6% from the field. This was significantly lower than his regular season average of over 27 points per contest. In game two of the series, DeRozan had his worst game of his playoff career, scoring just 5 points with 3 rebounds and 3 assists shooting an awful 2-11 from the field. And you can attribute DeMar's struggles a lot to the game plan of the Cavaliers coaching staff, and especially Tyronn Lue.
