Ty Lue says the Warriors are the best team he’s ever seen

It goes without saying that the Golden State Warriors are a great team. But are they the greatest team we’ve ever seen? Who knows?

Well, actually, Ty Lue might.

In a curious exchange with a reporter during last night’s postgame press conference, the Cavaliers head coach gave a curt and somewhat snarky response to a question about how dominant the Warriors have been. (Video via KNBR)

Q: Obviously, there’s no team that’s unbeatable; at the same time you know their record right now in the postseason. They have not lost a game. How well is this team playing? I know it’s tough to answer that when you’ve just been beaten by them somewhat soundly. How well is this team playing right now, and how does that record reflect how good this team is right now?

Lue: Yeah, they’re the best I ever seen.

Q: Can you elaborate on that?

Lue: They’re the best I ever seen.

Q: OK. OK.

Lue: I mean, no other team has done this, right? So 13-0, and they constantly break records every year, last year being 73-9, this year starting the playoffs 13-0. So they’re playing good basketball. But we can play better.

Lue has become somewhat Popovich-ian in his dealings with the media. In the past, he’s made it clear that the media make his job more difficult, and he is known to give short and vague answers to certain strategy questions.

Asking a question about an opponent is always a dangerous thing for a reporter. Put something in the wrong context, and the subject may tee off. Ask too long-winded a question, and the words get lost in the fog.

That’s what happened with Lue, and it explains why he gave a vague answer. Does he really believe the Warriors are the best team he’s ever seen? Maybe. But he’s had his fair share of deep runs in the playoffs and he knows how the game goes.

Besides, he has LeBron James on his side. He knows by now that anything is possible with him.

This doesn’t appear to be Lue trying to soften up the Warriors. It seems more like a snarky response to a question he didn’t really want to answer. But in answering the question somewhat seriously in his elaboration, Lue is saying exactly what we all are thinking and what we know he knows.

The reality for the Cleveland Cavaliers is that they’re playing against a team that had the best regular season record of all time last season, and they added an MVP-caliber player to that mix. Kevin Durant had one of his best lines in the playoffs with 38 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and no turnovers. The Warriors have four All-Stars and still blew the Cavaliers out of the water despite two of them combining to go 6-of-28 from the field.

But Lue is right — the Cavs can still play better. They’ve been here before. This is a resilient team that has overcome the odds, and its coach knows it.