If you were a coach of any team, and found yourself in a position like the Cavs are in, what would you do?  Specifically, what would your message be? 

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox found themselves down 3-0 in their best-of-seven American League Championship Series and (now Indians) manager Terry Francona kept it simple.  He told everyone that David Ortiz could do it all by himself. Truthfully, I don't know what he said, but that seems plausible.

In this year's Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder mailed it in for Game 7, after failing to deliver the knockout blow at home, in a game they easily could have, and likely should have, won.

So, it makes me wonder, what would I tell my team.  Last night, I was thinking about what the Cavs were up against and I think it's kind of like this - the Warriors have one mission, and that is to win Game 6.  The Cavaliers have one mission, and that is to win Game 6.  The correlation is simple, they have to win, and we have to win.  The series isn't over until someone wins four games, and they don't have four wins.  So, it narrows it all down to this one game. 

The series becomes a string of consecutive one-game sets that you play.  You are on the tightrope, sure, but so are they.  We don't achieve our goal if we lose, but they don't achieve their goal if they lose.  I believe I would try to minimize the belief that they're in the driver's seat and we're up against a wall.  I'd tell them flat out that we're in the same shoes they are, and we have the same mission they do - win tonight.

Now, the Cavs faced the same predicament heading into Game 5.  But, the fact that you also have to win Games 6 and 7 is irrelevant if you don't win Game 5.  So, Tyronn Lue could have easily put that on the back burner.  Games 6 and 7 don't matter, if you don't win tonight. 

Oddly, I wonder if, in some ways, it doesn't relax a team.  Does being able to just zero in your focus on one thing allow you to clear out the distractions and focus?  If you can force a Game 7, doesn't that shift all of the pressure to the team that blew the 3-1 lead?  The psychology of it is an eternal debate.

What I'd like to know is, what would you tell your team?