Kenny Atkinson didn’t like what one of the Cavaliers stars saw.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost Game 4 to the Indiana Pacers in a humiliating way. It was blown away by epic proportions and the game ended before the final buzzer of the fourth quarter.
Donovan Mitchell left the game with great frustration among NBA fans. The shooting guards were struggling to overcome an ankle injury.
Mitchell had mentioned concerns about his own injuries over the past few days, but it was estimated that the Cavaliers are mostly healthy, appearing in the game last night.
Either way, it was far from a flattering performance. And something Kenny Atkinson saw from one of his players really upset him.
Read more: Kenny Atkinson’s highlights: “Stunning” Cavaliers win against Pacer in Game 3 “Best Performance of the Year…”
During the game, De’andre Hunter had a bit of a quarrel with Bennedict Mathurin, who he was an invader.
Kenny Atkinson warned his players at a post-game press conference, saying they didn’t want to see violence or escalation from them.
“That’s why I’m not in this league. I’m not in it because of fighting, pushing, punching. I just don’t think I love it about sports. That’s the direction I go.”
“I was just telling our man to stay calm. If you’re being punched, you have to be on top, turn the other cheek.
“But they came out clearly with intention and physicality. I think most of the time we kept calm. But this is a game about power. They were far more powerful in every way.”
Read more: Donovan Mitchell praises the Indiana Pacers and talks about his return Cleveland Cavaliers teammate.
3-1, the Cavaliers are once again facing the possibility of elimination in the second round. After it happened last year, this will be a disaster.
The Cavaliers had the second-best record in the NBA this year. The fact that they boast of the year’s best defensive player and three All-Stars makes this even more embarrassing.
Hope has not been completely lost. The Cavaliers showed they could defeat the Pacer because the performance in Game 3 was great.
But they have to wrap around three performances like they had and they have to do it while not being kicked out of the pacer.