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NBA Finals 2017: Tyronn Lue says Cavaliers were 'too nice' at start of series

NBA Finals 2017: Tyronn Lue says Cavaliers were 'too nice' at start of series

NBA Finals 2017: Tyronn Lue says Cavaliers were 'too nice' at start of series

Tyronn Lue could have cracked the code as to why the Cavaliers didn't fare well against the Warriors during the first couple of games of the NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers coach said there wasn't enough physicality at the beginning of the series. And when the Cavs defeated Golden State in Game 4 on Friday, it was because they were brutal and unapologetic for it.

"I thought the first two games [we] were being too nice," Lue told reporters Sunday. "The first three games, helping guys up off the floor, smiling, talking to guys and — yeah, I didn't like that. So I think Game 4, talking trash, being physical, whatever you got to do to try to get that edge to win, you got to do it."

Game 4 saw Kevin Love get punished for a flagrant foul after he hit Kevin Durant, on top of six other technicals on the Cavaliers. It also saw a defensive push from Cleveland, holding Warriors star Stephen Curry to just 14 points and 4 of 13 field goals.

Lue indicated he will take the penalties and accusations of playing dirty if that results in a win.

"Our mindset has to be winning games and not smiling back and forth or talking and playing," Lue said. "I mean, they're coming right after us, so we have to go after them. I don't see anything's funny or anything's to smile about. So hitting and being physical and just everything they do to us in the first three games, we have to do that.

"Last game, in Game 4, I thought that's who we are. Got to be physical. If it's talking trash or knocking guys on the floor, whatever you got to do, you got to do it. We have to be physical."