In a tweet on Tuesday, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue wrote, “When in doubt, call the player.”
Lue, who is also the Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations, said he had not been asked to speak to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra about his job security.
“No.
No.
No,” Lue said.
“When you get to the last day of the season, it’s a long season, and we’ve got to get it done.
And I’m happy with our guys and with how they’ve played.
And, you know, I just know they’re going to come out on the court on the final day, and it’s going to be tough to stop them.”
Lues’ comments came after Heat forward Josh Richardson, who has been sidelined with a sprained left ankle, tweeted he was “not worried” about the team’s playoff chances.
Lue also defended his team for being the NBA’s top offensive rebounding team last season and for its ability to stop opponents in transition, saying, “They had a lot of opportunities.
They just didn’t do it.”
Lubas has been out of the rotation since the All-Star break with a foot injury.
Lue had said he was unsure if he would be able to play in the NBA Finals after the injury.
He had been in the Cavaliers’ rotation for the last two games, when Cleveland lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round and Miami swept the Heat in the second round.
The Cavs have been one of the league’s elite offensive teams for the past several years, winning four NBA titles and two NBA Finals.
They have averaged 111.4 points and a league-best 102.8 rebounds per game.
Lubis said on Tuesday that the Cavs are “a good team” with a young core and that “they’ll be in a position to compete” in the playoffs.
Lukashenko has been nursing a knee injury for three weeks.
