.jpg)
1 hour ago
3
Down 2-1 to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cleveland Cavaliers need something to shift. After a Game 3 victory on Saturday that kept the series alive, head coach Kenny Atkinson addressed the media on Sunday and laid out what this team has to do as the series shifts to Cleveland for Game 4 on Monday.
Asked what the mindset was like heading into the game, Atkinson told reporters, per Camryn Justice of WEWS News 5:
"I think, you know, just looking at kind of what they're saying, and it's like, uh, you know, I think they still feel like they have control of the series... Win Game 4 to really make them a little more aware of our threat. We got to go there at this point. Right now, I think they still feel very confident. I get it, I totally get it. But we have to put more doubt. Starts with getting this one tomorrow."
Cleveland needs one win to level the series and shift the entire conversation
Atkinson acknowledged that much after Game 2, telling reporters the team has fallen behind by double digits in seven of its last eight games, a pattern the staff has not yet solved.
"We got to look at everything," he said. "Everything's on the table."
Asked #Cavs Kenny Atkinson what the mindset is going into Game 4.
"We got to turn that narrative...right now, I think they still feel very confident...I get it, I totally get it. But we have to put more doubt. Starts with getting this one tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/2nQdp1CQdV
A loss would put Cleveland in a 1-3 hole, effectively ending their run. A win ties the series at 2-2 and resets the entire psychological frame, which is exactly what Atkinson was describing when he said the Pistons still feel confident.
Questions about Atkinson's future have already started surfacing in league circles if this series does not turn. He was the Coach of the Year last season. The Cavs were built to compete. If this group goes out in the second round after losing Garland and acquiring Harden, the summer evaluation will be blunt.
English (US)