Tag: Tyronn Lue

Tyronn Lue: 2001 Lakers are greatest NBA team of all time

Former Lakers guard Tyronn Lue thinks no one was better than the 2001 team he played on that went 15-1 en route to the NBA championship.

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When people debate the greatest team in NBA history, at least one edition of the Los Angeles Lakers inevitably comes up. The mid-1980s squads led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the candidate most often mentioned with the 1972 team also getting some consideration.

The Lakers of the early 2000s won three straight NBA championships, and in 2001 they went 15-1 through the playoffs and didn’t lose a single game for more than two calendar months. However, that iteration doesn’t get much love in this debate.

Tyronn Lue, the Los Angeles Clippers head coach who was a member of that 2001 team, said it was the greatest the league has ever seen while on the “All The Smoke” podcast.

Via Lakers Nation:

“Yea, the greatest of all time for sure. Nobody could beat that team.”

Lue’s reasoning was the difficulties presented by the dynamic duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

“I’m just basing it off of Shaq and Kob. People talk, you know Draymond (Green) go crazy. See the problem is, what they don’t understand is Shaq. You can double team, guard, SHAQ! Forget everything else like how are y’all gonna guard Shaq. That’s the biggest thing because now you’re in the bonus with six minutes to go in the quarter. Now Kobe gets loose you can’t touch him, now he’s going to the free-throw line. So how are you gonna guard Shaq, that’s what people don’t understand. That was the greatest team of all time to me, for sure. Any Kobe and Shaq team; I don’t see how you can beat that team.”

There may have been better NBA teams than the 2001 Lakers, but most of them didn’t win three straight titles.

On this day in Sixers history: Allen Iverson steps over Tyronn Lue in Game 1

On this day in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson stepped over Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson is one of the legendary players in NBA history. He always threw the Sixers on his back when the time called for it, and in his first NBA Finals game on June 6, 2001, he did so in a huge way.

After the Sixers knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, they took a trip to Los Angeles to take on the vaunted Lakers, who went undefeated on the Western side of the bracket. Given the Lakers were led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Sixers were heavy underdogs.

Iverson did not back down. He dropped 48 points with six assists with five rebounds and five steals in the opener. He then had an iconic highlight play in overtime when he crossed over Tyronn Lue and knocked down the shot before stepping over Lue as Philadelphia stole Game 1, 107-101, on the road.

Of course, the Lakers won the series, 4-1, after they realized Iverson and the Sixers wouldn’t back down. But this play by Iverson was impressive, and it goes down as one of the best plays in the history of the NBA Finals.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Ty Lue describes how Kobe, LeBron and Jordan are “all the same”

Former Lakers player and Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue describes the commonality Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and LeBron James all have.

Tyronn Lue is one of the luckiest men in the world.

He spent his first three seasons as an NBA player with the Los Angeles Lakers, which meant he got to be teammates with Kobe Bryant (and Shaquille O’Neal).

In 2001, he joined the Washington Wizards and spent two years as a teammate of Michael Jordan.

Then years later, he was an assistant coach and later the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, which meant working with LeBron James.

Bryant, Jordan and James are likely the three greatest NBA players of the past 30 years, and according to Lue, there is one quality they all shared that has gotten them to the highest pantheon of basketball greatness.

“Just seeing Kobe first, and then I left there and went to Washington and played with Jordan when he was 40,” Lue said. “Just seeing those two, and the way they worked, and how they grinded, and then, like you said, getting LeBron, those three guys, they all the same. Want to win, whatever it takes to win, but their work ethic — you come to the gym, you come in two hours early, and they already finished the workout. They sweating. They’re done.”

Bryant was known for his legendary work ethic and how he would work maniacally to become his best self, putting in time on the court towards refined everything from broad skills to what many fans would consider minutiae.

James has also become known for working relentlessly, especially when it comes to his health and conditioning.

A few years ago, a report came out that he spends $1.5 million a year to keep his body right.

It is no wonder then that James is having one of his best statistical seasons ever this year, despite being 37 years of age and carrying an insane amount of mileage.

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Tyronn Lue on Daryl Morey: Last time he tweeted he cost the NBA a billion dollars

Tyronn Lue on Daryl Morey: Last time he tweeted he cost the NBA a billion dollars

Ohm Youngmisuk: Asked about Morey’s tweet, Ty Lue said his original comment was taken out of comment but added, “should he really be tweeting right now? Last time he tweeted he cost the NBA a billion dollars. So I don’t think he should be doing too …

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Mirjam Swanson @MirjamSwanson
Tyronn Lue says “we gotta crank it up” minutes-wise starting Tuesday with Utah. Notes that the Clippers have been trying to rest their vets of late, but going into the backstretch that’ll pick up again. – 1:15 AM
Mirjam Swanson @MirjamSwanson
Is Tyronn Lue’s team running out of gas? “Looks like it a little bit, yeah.”
“They played well, we didn’t play our best game.” – 1:11 AM
Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Tyronn Lue is challenging Robert Covington foul on Tobias Harris drive. – 11:20 PM

More on this storyline

Paul George progressing after going through on-court work

Ohm Youngmisuk: Ty Lue says Paul George is still feeling good and progressing this week after going through minimal contact on-court work. Lue says Norm Powell did shooting on the court this week as well. Source: Twitter @NotoriousOHM What’s the …

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Mirjam Swanson @MirjamSwanson
Paul George in the mix as Clippers prepare to begin practice. pic.twitter.com/ADP8bk0hVn – 2:11 PM

Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Minor Clippers injury updates:
– Ty Lue says Paul George continues to progress, no plan yet on when he can practice but no setbacks
– Norman Powell not taking contact but able to “do some things” on court
– No update on Kawhi Leonard – 1:47 PM
Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Ty Lue says Paul George is still feeling good and progressing this week after going through minimal contact on-court work. Lue says Norm Powell did shooting on the court this week as well. – 1:46 PM
Andrew Greif @AndrewGreif
Ty Lue said that Norm Powell was able to do some on-court work yesterday. Paul George is working on his conditioning and will continue playing against minimal contact but hasn’t felt any pain in his elbow, Lue said. – 1:45 PM
Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Clippers coach Ty Lue said Paul George has worked on his conditioning and some contact work. Norman Powell has done non-contact work. – 1:45 PM
Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
🎂 Happy 32nd birthday to Gordon Hayward!
📊 733 GP, 15.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.5 APG
🎯 45.3 FG%, 37.1 3P%, 82.6 FT%
⭐️ 1x (2017)
Hayward is one of five members of the 2010 NBA Draft class to reach 10,000 career points (Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, and Eric Bledsoe). pic.twitter.com/gLJhb2v8i5 – 8:41 AM

Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Michael Malone on possibly protecting his strategy tonight with a potential play-in matchup with the Clippers to come: “They know us. We know them. There really are no surprises at this point. The only surprises would be if Paul George came back, if Jamal Murray came back.” – 9:38 PM
Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Michael Malone on the thought that Clippers may be back here for a Play-In game📼
Says that his team just needs a win, and notes that all of these matchups with Clippers have come down to last shot.
Adds that only surprise would be if Paul George or Jamal Murray came back… pic.twitter.com/lIJm9T9e9f – 8:24 PM

Mirjam Swanson @MirjamSwanson
Mike Malone on the Clippers (on Zoom): “We’ve had three games against them and they’ve all gone to the wire … so they know us, we know them. The only surprise would be if Paul George came back, Jamal Murray came back.” – 8:20 PM
Jim Owczarski @JimOwczarski
#Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday has moved past #Clippers star Paul George for No. 82 on the all-time steals list. – 8:13 PM
Brandon Rahbar @BrandonRahbar
SGA + Tre Mann combined for 66 points vs Boston.
Shai and Tre are the first 2 of 6 players that OKC got in the Paul George trade.
(Plus the one year Gallinari bonus.) – 2:20 PM
Andrew Greif @AndrewGreif
Paul George takes preliminary steps toward practice latimes.com/sports/clipper… – 3:52 PM
Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Paul George takes next step and goes through 4-on-4 practice with minimal contact against Clippers coaches. Norman Powell also was slated to shoot today at practice. The play-in tournament starts in about 3 weeks espn.com/nba/story/_/id… – 3:50 PM

More on this storyline

Paul George participated in a four-on-four practice against LA Clippers assistant coaches with minimal contact on Sunday and his shooting elbow is “feeling better.” With the play-in tournament three weeks away, George took an encouraging next step in rehab and is making progress as he tries to make a return for the eighth-place Clippers. Around the All-Star break a month ago, George was still shooting left-handed while the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow was healing. -via ESPN / March 21, 2022