Game 2 on Tuesday wasn’t the first time Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson was irritated with the refs. The same instance happened in Game 1, which led to an Indiana Pacers win.
Following Tuesday’s blunder, Atkinson recognizes that the Pacers turned up the intensity down the stretch. However, the head coach added a subtle jab towards the refs.
“That’s the shame of it,” Atkinson said via Evan Dammarell of ClutchPoints on X (formerly Twitter).
“We outplayed them. We outplayed them. But with fatigue comes decision-making at the rim, with turnovers, we made a couple questionable decisions.”
In the final seconds, the Cavs didn’t outplay the Pacers. It was the other way around. Indiana found a way to increase its intensity and capitalize on some mistakes.
Even with a Tyrese Haliburton missed free throw, they ended up stunningly winning the game. Despite that, the head coach isn’t concerned. However, there might be more cause for concern that’s outside of Cleveland’s realm.
For starters, Donovan Mitchell confessed to a potential injury. Meanwhile, Darius Garland missed Games 1 and 2 with a toe injury.
Not to mention, Ty Jerome shot 1-14 in Tuesday’s loss. While Atkinson made a promise to the Cavs after Jerome’s game, it might not be enough.
Kenny Atkinson sees the Cavs playing desperately vs the Pacers
Once again, being down 2-0 against a division rival isn’t easy to stomach. Not to mention, Cleveland is the top team in the Eastern Conference.
The dominant 64-win season might not mean anything if they can’t capitalize. However, it doesn’t negate Atkinson’s comments towards the officials.
If he continues it though, it could cost his team.
The officials are people, too, and could prevent certain calls based on what the Cavs’ head coach has said in the past. He hasn’t been inappropriate, but officials are people, too.
They can hold a grudge and possibly cost Cleveland a game based on what has been previously said about them. Although they shouldn’t, it’s a possibility.
Either way, that’s out of the Cavs’ control. All they can hope is to look to Game 3 and steal a game in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Hopefully, for them, they could steal two games and even up the series.
At the end of the day, Atkinson will need to be beyond creative to get the series back on track. Although injuries are out of their control, maximizing the roster is key.
The Cavs will play desperately and hope to turn around the series. No matter what, though, the refs might get an earful from the head coach, regardless of the outcome.
