The Cleveland Cavaliers must be going through the five stages of grief right now after getting swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday.
It was not so much the elimination but the manner in which they were crushed. The Cavaliers looked hapless against the Knicks, losing by an average margin of nearly 20 points. They were embarrassed twice at Rocket Arena. They blew a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter in Game 1.
To summarize, it did not seem that the Cavaliers put up a fight in the best-of-seven series.
Still, coach Kenny Atkinson remained defiant. When asked in the postgame conference if their season was a success, Atkinson did not hesitate with his answer.
“Yes, absolutely. That was the task: Take another step,” said Atkinson, as quoted by 92.3 The Fan’s Danny Cunningham.
“We jumped a barrier that we were stuck on.”
He was likely referring to the team’s stint in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018.
But unfortunately for Cleveland, that was the farthest they could get this year.
The 58-year-old Atkinson steered the Wine and Gold to the fourth seed with a 52-30 record in his second year, a 12-win drop from his maiden stint with the squad.
Even the midseason acquisition of James Harden did not help the Cavaliers get over the hump. He struggled against the Knicks, averaging 16.0 points on 38.9% shooting from the field, including 17.9% from long distance. He also logged 4.3 turnovers.
Atkinson could be in the hot seat after their sorry exit.