LeBron James was left speechless and “crushed” after learning about Kyrie Irving‘s transfer from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics in 2017, former head coach Tyronn Lue revealed recently.

During a podcast with Shannon Sharpe, Lue recalled what happened with Irving following the Cavaliers’ 2017 NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors. Lue said he “begged and pleaded” with Irving to stay with the team, but said it was the nine-time NBA All-Star who made up his mind on leaving Cleveland.

However, it was James’ reaction while signing jerseys for an event that stuck with the former Cavaliers boss.

“I come sit next to Bron,” Lue said. “We sitting there, hand him the phone, SportsCenter: Kyrie Irving has just been traded to the Boston Celtics. Bron dropped the marker and just laid back in his chair for about 10 minutes and doesn’t say a word. Just pissed off. Bron was crushed.”

Lue coached the Cavs for two and a half seasons, winning an NBA Championship during the 2015/16 campaign. James and Irving were teammates during that time, but that ended in the summer of 2017 when the team traded the former Duke point guard to the Celtics.

Lue also said James would have stayed in Cleveland had Irving continued to play for the Cavaliers.

Irving joined the Cavs in 2011 after being drafted as the first overall pick. He spent six seasons in Cleveland, linking with James in 2014 and winning the championship two years later against the Warriors. The Cavs became the first team in NBA Finals history to win after trailing 3-1, winning a dramatic Game 7, which saw Irving and James both make huge plays late in the match.

One year after Irving departed, James also packed his bags and joined the Los Angeles Lakers, where he’s been ever since. James added another ring while with the Purple and Gold, winning the 2020 NBA Finals against his former team, the Miami Heat.

The Western Conference finals will see Game 6! Paul George scored a playoff career-high 41 points to help the Los Angeles Clippers stave off elimination in Phoenix on Monday night. Game 6 will now shift back to Los Angeles on Wednesday.

After the thrilling game, George was asked if he’s picked on more than other stars across the NBA. “I do,” George answered. “And it’s the honest truth. It’s a fact. But I can’t worry about that. It comes with the job, I guess… I still try to go and dominate… And so I’m beyond that, you know what I mean. I am who I am. I wish I could shoot 80%, 75%, on a nightly basis, but it’s not realistic. What I can do is do everything else,” he added. “They can judge me on what they want to. That part don’t matter to me. I’m going to go out there and hoop and give it everything I got.”

The Clippers showed true grit and determination during this Game 5 victory. They were already down star forward Kawhi Leonard (sprained right knee), and they had just learned they’d be without starting center Ivica Zubac (sprained right MCL). Most teams would fold under this immense pressure, but not the Clippers. In Zubac’s place, Marcus Morris Sr. started at center and had his best game of the series, hitting his first six shots and scoring 13 of his 22 points in the first quarter. The Clippers jumped out to a 20-5 lead in the opening minutes. That allowed George to feel his way into the game, according to coach Tyronn Lue.

Teammate Demarcus Cousins was also quick to give his props to George after the game. “I don’t know where this trolling bulls— has come from where the internet controls the narratives about these players,” he said. “It’s becoming foolish, man. Like I said earlier in the year, [George is] one of the most special players to ever lace his shoes up. Give this dude his flowers, man. I don’t understand the slander. It’s becoming quite silly now. Respect these players, man. Respect these greats.”

Cousins is completely on point about hyping up his teammate. George shot an unbelievable 10-of-14 on contested shots. He did a lot of his damage on pull-ups, going 7-for-10 on those shots, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. And he scored on seven different primary Suns defenders. “If they were going to finish this series off, they were going to have to work for it,” George said. “That was just the mentality we came into this with. We weren’t going to back down. We weren’t going to just throw in the towel. The fact of the matter is, they got to beat us.”

Paul George was a prominent reason the Clippers fell in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, missing critical free throws late in the final frame of play. However, he avenged his poor performance down the stretch with a masterful output in Game 3, cutting the series lead for the Suns in half.

George rebounded by notching 27 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists. That effort propelled the Clippers to a 106-92 victory, a win that was effectively necessary to keep their season alive. The win marked the first time the Clippers had ever won a game in the Western Conference Final.

Despite missing superstar Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers received deeply-needed production from Reggie Jackson, lockdown defense from Patrick Beverley and a vacuum on the glass through the long reach of Ivica Zubac.

It didn’t help the Suns that Devin Booker shot just 5 for 21 on the night, a shooter that is typically prolific with the ball. Add that onto solid performances, and the red-hot hand of Clippers reserve Terance Mann, and the fate of Game 3 was essentially sealed.

The Clippers are the first team in history to overcome multiple 2-0 game deficits to win a series in one playoff run, and head coach Tyronn Lue will look to recreate that magic in Game 4. Lue was candid about how he sees winning games. “Whatever it takes, doesn’t matter to me,” he said.

Part of the Clippers’ success in Game 4 will depend on whether they can match the aggressive pace with which Phoenix plays. George was not blind to this fact. “We can’t allow [Phoenix] to play harder than us, and I thought that was just the way we approached tonight,” George said.

Game 4 will tip off in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The Phoenix Suns pulled off one of the most memorable plays in NBA Playoffs history. It was perhaps the most clutch play in the history of the franchise considering the Suns have never won an NBA championship.

The Suns were down with 0.9 seconds left in Tuesday’s Game 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers were up 103-102, and with barely any time left, and the Suns needed a quick play to steal the game. Phoenix head coach Monty Williams huddled his team during a timeout and devised a plan to win the game. The plan was for Jae Crowder to inbound an alley-oop pass to Deandre Ayton.

Once the timeout ended, it was time to put the plan into motion. As Crowder inbounded the pass, Devin Booker provided a key screen for Ayton, allowing the big man to get open and stuff the ball over Clippers’ center Ivica Zubac for the buzzer-beater victory. The play was beautifully executed to the Phoenix fans’ delight, as the Suns now lead the series 2-0.

“The celebration and reaction were a little shaky,” Ayton said. “Because I wasn’t sure what I did. I wasn’t sure if it counted.”

Suns point guard Chris Paul (currently sidelined due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols) complimented the play on Twitter. “Big time play call, Coach Mont,” Paul said.

The alley-oop game-winner ended a Clippers rally that was led by Paul George, who finished with 26 points. George made a layup with 31 seconds left to give the Clippers a 101-100 lead. On their next offensive possession, he converted a 22-footer to put Los Angeles up 103-102.

While they were up, George had an opportunity to increase the Clippers’ lead when he was sent to the free-throw line. George, who is an 85% free throw shooter, missed both free throws with 8.2 seconds left in the game. This gave the Suns hope, and they executed flawlessly down the stretch.

“Obviously, it was an opportunity that was missed,” George said after the game. “Pat [Beverly] made an unbelievable play that put me in the position to extend the lead. I am always confident at the free-throw line. I have always been very successful in clutch moments at the free-throw line. Tonight, I was just unsuccessful.”

The Suns were led by Cameron Payne, who finished with a career-high 29 points and nine assists. Ayton added 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Booker had 20 points.

“We just had no answer for Cameron Payne,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. “He got downhill all night. His speed and his quickness really hurt us all night.”

Phoenix has won a franchise-record nine straight playoff games. Meanwhile, the Clippers are in a 2-0 hole for the third time in the playoffs. Los Angeles is still confident because they have come back from this deficit before. After losing the first two games in the first round against the Mavericks, the Clippers finished Dallas off in Game 7. In the following round, Los Angeles won four straight games against the top-seeded Jazz after losing the first two games on the road.

Phoenix did what they were supposed to by holding home-court advantage. The series heads to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night. Without Kawhi Leonard, who is still out due to injury, the Clippers have an incredibly tough task ahead of them. However, it would be foolish to count them out after what they accomplished in the first two rounds of the postseason.

Donovan Mitchell has been dominant for the Utah Jazz. Utah was able to hold off the Los Angeles Clippers for a 117-111 win in Game 2 Thursday night.

Utah is 6-0 with Mitchell in the starting lineup this postseason, and he’s averaging 32.7 points per game. In Game 1, Mitchell torched the Clippers’ defense, scoring 45 points in a Jazz 112-109 win. He scored 32 of his 45 points in the second half of Game 1.

The Jazz star continued the big production in Thursday’s game by dropping 37 points in another Utah win to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. Just three minutes into Game 2, the All-Star had already racked up 10 points, and by the end of the first half, he had 27.

“He’s just stepping up in a big way,” Jordan Clarkson said of Mitchell. “He’s been a real superstar, MVP-caliber player, All-NBA type of guy. That’s his job, and that’s what he does.”

At the end of the first half, Utah had a 66-53 lead. The scoring continued, and Utah built a 21-point lead in the third quarter. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, though, was able to find a way to stop Mitchell and Utah’s offense late in the game. The Clippers employed a zone defense that brought them to within seven points heading into the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, the Clippers were able to take the lead from the Jazz as Utah’s offense stagnated for a while. Reggie Jackson hit back-to-back threes, giving Los Angeles the lead. However, Utah’s Joe Ingles starred in the final quarter as he helped facilitate a game-ending 9-0 run that sealed the win for Utah.

Ingles and Clarkson finished each with 19 and 24 points respectively in the Jazz win.

Following Thursday’s win, Utah has a 2-0 series lead. So far, Mitchell is averaging 41.0 points on 52.5% shooting against the Clippers.

“I don’t feel like I have to go out there and do everything,” Mitchell said. “I think that’s a credit to my teammates, credit to the guys that we have on this team. They can go out there and make plays… I don’t feel like I have to go up there, walk it up, do everything. There are times where I will have to do that. That’s just part of my job, but for me, it’s great to have a group of guys that trust you and you trust. You just go out there and play and have fun.”

March was a difficult month for Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue. His roster had just undergone a drastic shift following a series of wild moves at the trade deadline, his team was stagnating in their pursuit for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and he was facing health difficulties which prevented him from finishing several games. He was apparently suffering from chest pains, which sometimes resulted in him coughing up blood. This eventually forced him to take some time off from coaching in order to treat what was, at that point, an undisclosed issues.

Earlier this week, however, Lue went public with a more in depth revelation about his absence, as he told Rachel Nichols of ESPN that he had been suffering from severe anxiety. He also mentioned that he is now on medication, which he indicates as provided him with a significant amount of relief.

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Lue told Nichols it was “Just anxiety, and the medication I’m on is great. No more chest pains, so everything’s been great.” He also indicated that it was difficult for him to take time off from the team, as he said, “I think for the first time in my career, 20 years, I had a chance to focus on me. It wasn’t as bad as people thought it was, but I did have some chest pains for the last couple of years. And I was just trying to be able to get through it not knowing what was wrong with me.

Thankfully, Lue stated that the changes he made in is lifestyle during those two weeks have been instrumental in improving his quality of life, saying, “So the two weeks I took off, just finally had a chance to focus on myself and change my diet. Hired a chef. Stopped drinking as many Shirley Temples. And stopped with the sweets and got back to taking care of myself. Now I feel great.”

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Lue’s revelation has come at the heels of an interesting time in the NBA, which has featured multiple star players come forth in telling the public that they suffer from mental health issues. In February, Toronto Raptors star guard DeMar DeRozan opened up about his struggles with depression. Then in March, around that time that Lue’s anxiety symptoms reached their climax, Cavaliers forward/center Kevin Love told reporters that he had suffered a panic attack in the middle of a November contest against the Atlanta Hawks.

While there is still a stigma surrounding mental illness in America, especially in the world of sports, it’s encouraging to see such prominent athletic figures coming forth to speak about their own struggles with mental health. It’s also great to see Lue back on the sidelines as the Cavaliers take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals for the fourth year in a row.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have found themselves in a rut after trailing the Eastern Conference Final series against the Boston Celtics 2-0, but LeBron James and Tyronn Lue are two of the Cavs organization’s members who have voiced confidence that Cleveland will bounce back when play shifts to Quicken Loans Arena.

Cavs Will Play Better In Game 3 At Home, Says Lebron James

During the post-game news conference after the Celtics’ 107-94 victory in Boston on Tuesday night, Lue said, “We’ll be better going back home, we know that. They played well in that second half, and we gotta be ready to go on Saturday.”

Game 3 is set for Saturday at 8:30pm EST in Cleveland. This marks the first time ever that a team led by James trails by two games in the playoffs.

The King reiterated his coach’s comments, telling reporters, “We have an opportunity go back home and protect home court. They did what they had to do and that was protect home,” James said of the Celtics. “Now it’s our time to try to do that as well.”

James was responding to a question about his level of concern about having lost Game 2 even after finishing with 42 points and a triple-double. The reporter cited the power forward’s comment after the Cavs’ Game 1 loss about having “zero concern” for the rest of his team’s playoff run.

James also had 12 assists and 10 rebounds on Tuesday, but suffered a neck strain in the first half after crashing into another player.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 23 points and Marcus Smart added 11 points. James and Lue both praised Smart — who returned from a thumb injury late in Boston’s first-round playoff series win over the Milwaukee Bucks — for the impact he has had on the Celtics since coming back from surgery. Smart also had nine assists, four steals and five rebounds in 31 minutes of play on Tuesday.

Smart and J.R. Smith got into a heated exchange in Game 2 after Smith shoved Al Horford in the back to stop a layup attempt. Smith drew a flagrant foul and he and Smart both received technical fouls. According to NBA.com, Smart called Smith’s push a “dirty shot.”

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue is taking a leave of absence from the team in order to take care of his health.

Tyronn Lue health issues news

Lue, 40, did not specify what his affliction is beyond citing chest pains and “other troubling symptoms,” and did not say for how long he would be gone.

The coach also revealed in a statement that he has had trouble sleeping throughout the year.

“Despite a battery of tests, there have been no conclusions as to what the exact issue is,” the statement said.

Associate head coach Larry Drew will take over in Lue’s absence, league sources stated.

Some Cavs players said they weren’t surprised about the news concerning their head coach, and that Lue’s health is the most important issue to address right now.

“I think it’s probably well overdue,” LeBron James said. “Understanding what he’s been going through throughout the season, so obviously health is the most important with everything in life, so I’m not surprised by it at all.”

Lue added that he has full support from owner Dan Gilbert, GM Koby Altman and the Cavaliers’ medical staff.

Cleveland (41-29) is currently in third place in their conference. They next host Toronto on Wednesday night. Cleveland defeated Milwaukee 124-117 on Monday night.

The Cleveland Cavaliers seemed to place much of the blame for Saturday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City on Kevin Love, but Tyronn Lue has stepped in to shut down these comments.

Tyronn Lue comments on kevin love

“It’s not about one person, it’s about all of us,” said coach Lue. “We’ve got to respond. It’s time to start playing better. We’ve got guys back healthy, we’ve got to start performing, start playing better.”

Cavs players complained that Love only played 3:04 in the 148-124 defeat because he felt sick, then went home before the game ended and didn’t attend Sunday’s practice. They questioned both love and the entire organization for not accounting for where Love was in the second half.

Lue said trainer Steven Spiro told him about Love’s migraine symptoms on Sunday, so the coach said blaming the five-time All-Star forward was misguided.

“I mean, that’s crazy,” Lue said. “If Kevin was out there we might have given up 170. Who knows, man. We’ve got to be better, got to just stay together. We’re being tested right now. This is when your true character comes out and the character of who you are as a person and as a player. We’ve got to step up and play basketball.”

Love has made teammate LeBron James angry in the past. Asked if he felt like he was being scapegoated, Love simply said: “I think you guys can answer that.”

“It’s not about me,” Love said. “I’m not going to make it about myself. I’m sure with other guys it’s the same thing.”

James’ thoughts on the Cavs’ current situation are not known, as the star forward refused to comment.

The Cavaliers (27-19, third in Eastern Conference) also lost to San Antonio on Tuesday and next host Indiana on Friday night. Cleveland has lost seven of nine games.

CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 5: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives around Mario Hezonja #8 of the Orlando Magic during the first half of a preseason game at Quicken Loans Arena on October 5, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Cleveland Cavaliers may now be the NBA champions, but President Barack Obama has advice for how they can improve their image even more.

Obama Tells Cavs Coach Tyronn Lue To Tell J.R. Smith And Other Players To ‘Put On A Shirt’

In a filmed phone call with Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, shared by Rachel Nichols on Twitter, the President’s message was very clear. He singled out Cavs shooting guard/small forward J.R. Smith, saying:

“Tell J.R. and everybody to put on a shirt though,” Obama joked. “You can’t just be walking around without a shirt, for the last, like a whole week.”

Lue simply laughed along with the President and promised to relay the message to his players.

“Now [Iman] Shumpert’s taking off his shirt, Kyrie’s [Irving] taking off his shirt,” Obama continued. “C’mon man… But I guess if you are built like that, you know.”

“I guess if you’re in decent shape, you can do it,” Lue responded with a chuckle.

The Cavs victory parade was held in Cleveland on Wednesday after the team defeated the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on June 19.

Poor Mo Williams, however, also shirtless at the parade, wasn’t even on the President’s radar, and half the team appeared to have been keen on removing their shirts anyway.

PHOTO: CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 22: J.R. Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers takes a photo as the crowd cheers during the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship victory parade and rally on June 22, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)