Philippines, 16 Jul 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Why did coach Ty Lue benched Korver in Cavs' Game 5 loss to Celts?


PhilBoxing.com




Days after seeing Cleveland face elimination, debate on why Cavaliers? coach Lue benched the Cavs? third best player Kyle Korver most of Game 5 where Boston took a 96-83 win and went ahead, 3-2, in their best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference finals continued.

The victory, which many least expected because of the way the Cavs annihilated the Celtics in Games 3 and 4 to tie the series in their own house following Boston?s twin triumphs at the Garden, pushed LeBon James and his teammates on the brink of elimination.

That, likewise, put the green and white Celts one win away from gaining a seat in the NBA Finals.

To a Boston fan, the only Cav one wouldn?t want to be in the Cleveland lineup outside of All-Stars James and Kevin Love, is Korver. So it came as a relief to the TD Garden crowd when the 37-year-old sniper never got off the bench in the first quarter of Game 5.

After averaging 13 points on 65 percent shooting (57 percent from 3-point range) in Games 2 and 4 of the series, Korver played just 19 minutes in Wednesday?s Cleveland loss, half of which came when his Cavs trailed by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Coach Lue?s explanation after the defeat was Celtics mentor Brad Stevens ?has been putting [Semi] Ojeleye in, so that?s been kind of Kyle?s matchup when he comes in the game. He didn?t play him tonight, so it kind of threw us for a loop.?

?But we got Bron out with two-and-a-half minutes, and at the start of the fourth he wasn?t ready to go. The same thing happened I think Game 1 or 2; I can?t remember,? Lue added.

So, Lue didn?t play his third-best player this series in a pivotal Game 5 because the Celtics didn?t play their eighth-best player. Funny, wasn?t it?

Lue, likewise, attributed to Korver?s elbow injury suffered at the team?s pre-game shootaround earlier although the sweet-shooting guard never showed it in his 19-minute stay on the floor making two of his five 3-point attempts to finish with seven points.

Bottom line is Ty Lue inadvertently admitted to being out-coached by Stevens.

Meanwhile, question on LeBron?s being spent also cropped up. And it was coach Lue, too, who opened the conversation regarding the MVP candidate?s health condition during the post-game interview with the press, saying: ?He looked a little tired to me.? Lue said of James.

James readily dismissed the notion though in his turn to talk. ?I?m fine, I didn?t mention fatigue, the media did,? he said.

James has logged an NBA-leading 648 minutes this postseason and that reinforced just how much wear and tear James has endured in his career above and beyond the grind of regular-season play.

During the Cavs? series with the Toronto Raptors, James complained of the lack of off-days in what could infer the need for rest.

Game 6 of the Boston-Cleveland Eastern Conference finals where the Cavs will try to escape being booted out of further contention is set Friday at their Quicken Loans Arena home in Cleveland.

Expect James, worn out or not, to log huge minutes in what could be his last effort to keep Cleveland?s title aspirations alive.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 14 JULY 2025: Katie Taylor Makes 3-0 Over Amanda Serrano; Baumgardner Defeats Miranda; Stevenson Outclasses Zepeda; Sheeraz Stops Berlanga
    By Eric Armit, , Tue, 15 Jul 2025
  • Champion Forever: A Century On, ‘The City By The Bay’ Honors Francisco Guilledo
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Tue, 15 Jul 2025
  • Philippines Shuts Out South Korea, 7-0, in WBSC Women’s Softball Asia Cup
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 15 Jul 2025
  • Manny ready for Barrios
    By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 15 Jul 2025
  • Don King Productions Rejects Jake Paul's Demand for Mikaelian Step-Aside, Citing WBC Ranking Rules
    By Dong Secuya, , Tue, 15 Jul 2025
  • Argentinian former world champion "Locomotora" Oliveras Suffers Stroke
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 15 Jul 2025
  • GM Antonio to compete in Taiwan chessfest
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 15 Jul 2025
  • PACQUIAO-BARRIOS FIGHT WEEK IS HERE
    , Tue, 15 Jul 2025
  • Unbeaten Prospect Alex Bray to Face Lesther Espino July 18, Live on DAZN
    , Tue, 15 Jul 2025
  • Philippine Blu Girls Crush Thailand in Explosive Start to Women’s Softball Asia Cup 2025
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 15 Jul 2025
  • Manny motors to Vegas
    By Joaquin Henson, , Mon, 14 Jul 2025
  • Bakbakan sa Elorde on July 19
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Mon, 14 Jul 2025
  • Ringside, Still: Remembering Chino Trinidad
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Sun, 13 Jul 2025
  • Hamzah Sheeraz Demolishes Edgar Berlanga in Stunner, Becomes Mandatory Challenger to Canelo Alvarez
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 13 Jul 2025
  • Shakur Stevenson Masterfully Tames William Zepeda to Retain WBC Lightweight Crown
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 13 Jul 2025
  • JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Score KO Wins in Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 13 Jul 2025
  • Yanon is PBF flyweight champ
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Sun, 13 Jul 2025
  • Taylor vs. Serrano Trilogy: Can Amanda Get The Nod?
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • BERLANGA-SHEERAZ, STEVENSON-CEPEDA, MORELL-KHATAEV MAKE WEIGHT IN NEW YORK
    By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • Johnny Spell Takes on Chancellor Batttenberg on Saturday, July 19th at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, PA
    , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Make Weight for Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Philippine Under-12 Girls Team Shines Bright, Clinches Multiple Medals at 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Penang
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Kenneth “Llover Boy” Takes on “El Nica” Concepcion Aug 17 on Gerry Peñalosa’s Show @ the Winford Resort and Casino Manila (Analysis)
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony Velazquez won’t be Boxing’s best kept secret in 2026
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Undefeated Gabriela Tellez Returns July 18 at “Night of Champions” Live on DAZN
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.