Phil Handy, the Cavs’ assistant coach from 2013 to 2018, just disclosed a message Lue made for the Cavs before heading back to the Bay Area for a crucial Game 5.

“The Warriors beat us in Game 4, and we went down 3-1,” Handy stated on a podcast. “We got into the changing room. T-Lue’s message was to not panic. The dressing room was actually fairly serene and quiet. Nobody kept their head down.

“But T-Lue immediately told the team, ‘Listen, we only have one game to focus on.'” If you don’t believe we can win the next game at Golden State, don’t board the aircraft. “Those were his exact words.”

The Cavs had plenty of reasons to be upset following the Game 4 loss, especially after Stephen Curry lit them up for 38 points, 21 of which came from long range. Furthermore, history was not on their side, as just 10 teams had rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the playoffs at the time, with none of those teams doing it in the championship round.

Fortunately, Cleveland had Lue on the sidelines and LeBron James leading the team. Handy stated that the four-time MVP shared the “same sentiment” as Lue.

The Cavaliers took it one game at a time, beginning with a 112-97 road triumph in Game 5, in which James and Kyrie Irving each scored 41 points. They extended that momentum into the sixth meeting, defeating the Warriors 14 points to the 20-time All-Star’s second straight 41-point performance.

Game 7 was the only game in the 2016 Finals decided by single digits, with Cleveland and Golden State trading blows until the final seconds.

James led the Cavs to a 93-89 victory, recording a 27-point triple-double and making one of the most remarkable blocks in league history. He also made an unofficial assist by instructing Lue to pass the ball to Irving for the game-winning shot.

Since the 2015-16 season, only one other team has successfully come back from a 3-1 series deficit. The Denver Nuggets achieved it twice in the 2020 playoffs before falling 4-1 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.