WASHINGTON, D.C. — The parallels between the New England Patriots rallying from a 25-point deficit before grounding the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI on Sunday and the Cleveland Cavaliers falling down 3-1 in the NBA Finals only to best the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 was not lost on Cavs coach Tyronn Lue.
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Super Bowl LI coverage: Patriots complete epic comeback
The Falcons jumped out to a big lead in Super Bowl LI, but the Patriots stormed back with one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Falcons jumped out to a big lead in Super Bowl LI, but the Patriots stormed back with one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. Here’s everything you need to know.
“Keep believing,” Lue said Monday morning before his team’s shootaround in preparation for their game against the Washington Wizards. “With the Patriots and our team, we have greats. Having LeBron James on your team, Kyrie (Irving) who is great and then having a Tom Brady and one of the best coaches of all time in all sports (in Bill Belichick), you just got to have that belief. And when you have someone to will you home and will you all the way in, it’s tough to beat. And that’s what they did last night.”
Lue told reporters Saturday he was picking the Pats because of his relationship with Belichick, whom he became familiar with when he was an assistant coach on Doc Rivers’ staff with the Boston Celtics.
The Cavs became the first team in league history to bounce back from a 3-1 hole with a title on the line, doing so against a Warriors team that set a new all-time record for regular season wins by going 73-9.
“The game ain’t over ’til it’s over,” James said when asked about New England’s win. “You got to play the game out and as a fan watching the game you see the ups and downs. But, you seen the momentum start to change a little bit when they was able to get that first score, so I never counted him out.”
What binds the Cavs’ performance together with the Pats’, according to James?
“It’s just perseverance,” he said. “That’s it. Like I said you play the game to the end, stick with the game plan and see how it ends.”
Sunday’s game ended with Brady throwing for a Super Bowl record 466 yards, winning a record fourth Super Bowl MVP and his fifth championship ring.
Afterward, James referred to Brady as “the G.O.A.T.” (greatest of all time) in a video he posted to his multimedia platform, Uninterrupted, late Sunday night.
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