On Wednesday night, the LA Clippers defeated the Phoenix Suns for the second time this season, but not before head coach Tyronn Lue had some glowing remarks for Monty Williams.
The Suns trailed by as many as 39 points Wednesday, but pulled to within four points late in the game. Lue said his team has to do a better job of crossing the finish line and closing out games, but he also credited Monty Williams for getting his Suns to play hard for all 48 minutes.
“I thought we played a hell of a game, I just think we gotta do a better job of running through the finish line,” Tyronn Lue said after the Clippers' 40th win of the season. “Being up 39 points, this team is gonna continue to keep playing. Monty Williams — Coach of the Year — the job he's done. The guys are gonna keep playing. If we'd have gotten our starters back in the game, of course it probably woulda been different, but I wasn't bringing them back.”
Ty Lue says Monty Williams is his pick for NBA Coach of the Year.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 7, 2022
Lue noted while his team either came out of multiple times and didn't execute or took bad shots early in the shot clock, the Suns' comeback is nothing out of the ordinary. The Clippers know better than anyone, given the fact that they have the most 25+ point comebacks this season, including a 35-point comeback against the Washington Wizards back in January.
“You can never relax, because you never know what happens,” Tyronn Lue added. “We was down 35 and came back and won and they were down 39 and almost came back and won as well, so you can never relax in the NBA. The players are too good, the coaches are too good, and as soon as you let your guard down, things like this happen. So, it's a learning experience from that standpoint, but the first three quarters I did see some good things what our team can be, and now we gotta incorporate Luke [Kennard] and see what our rotations gonna be and what it looks like come Saturday.
“Monty's done a hell of a job of building that culture over there, you can never give up. You never know what's gonna happen. And like I said, that's why he's my coach of the year this year.”
"Playing along PG, it still doesn’t seem real me. He was a guy I looked up to growing up. We had some battles in Toronto in the playoffs. Early on in my career he gave me some words of encouragement – my rookie year, that stuck with me."
Norman Powell on playing with Paul George pic.twitter.com/Izd2QQ58zp
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 7, 2022
The Suns earned their 63rd win of the season on Tuesday night, when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers. The victory marked a new franchise record for wins in a single season, encapsulating just how good the Suns have been this year led by Monty Williams.
Williams is most likely to win the award, as no team is even remotely close to the Suns' 63-17 record, and with two games left to close out the year, there's still a chance they can add to their franchise record total. Memphis has the second-best record in the league at 55-24, still eight fewer wins behind the Suns.
The Suns will host every single playoff series they participate in this postseason, from the first-round down to the NBA Finals, should they make it that far. They're expected to tip off their postseason run on Sunday, April 17th, but a definitive NBA schedule has not been released yet.
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