The Cleveland Cavaliers won their third straight game on Friday night, a 120-95 win over the Phoenix Suns that made the team winners of five of their last six.
It was the end of yet another weird week for the Cavs, as they’ve won all three games since head coach Tyronn Lue stepped away from the team to deal with health issues. The Cavaliers have constantly been in flux this season, with injuries, a rotating roster and now a coaching illness making it hard to find cohesion on a team that’s won the East the last three seasons.
Acting Cavaliers head coach Larry Drew told the media after their latest win on Friday night that the Cavs are coming together as a result of Lue’s health issues, and it’s helped the team bond.
“I think for our team, we really rallied, No. 1, around Coach Lue, when the organization made the decision that he was going to step away for a few games,” Drew said according to ESPN. “We rallied around him. We rallied around one another.”
Seasons are long and full of drama and injuries and issues, Drew said, but how you respond to them makes all the difference.
“Sometimes you have to play the hand that’s dealt to you,” Drew said after Cleveland’s fifth win in six games. “And certainly, it was unfortunate what happened with Coach Lue. And the way our guys have responded … You go through the course of a season, and you deal with a lot of different things. And when you do that, you don’t know whether you’re going to be able to overcome it.”
Drew said a comeback win over the Toronto Raptors earlier in the week might have proved to be a turning point for the Cavaliers, and he might be right here. Lue is still involved in setting the Cavs lineup, and everyone is pulling for him to get his health in order. If Drew says Lue is helping the Cavs find unity from afar, you have to believe him.
