Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t mince words after his team’s 121-112 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“It took us a while to get used,” Atkinson said postgame when asked about Indiana’s speed. “They had us kind of in the blender a little bit.”
The Cavaliers, the East’s top seed, were outshot and outpaced by a Pacers squad that hit 19-of-36 from beyond the arc.
Atkinson credited Indiana’s elite shot-making, calling it “otherworldly” while pointing out that Cleveland held them to poor shot quality early — yet it didn’t matter.
“Elite shot-making by them — give them a ton of credit,” Atkinson said. “We were forcing tough shots… but give them credit. This is the playoffs.”
The coach also addressed DeAndre Hunter’s hard fall in the second half, saying, “Doesn’t look good… they reviewed it, so they didn’t see a foul.” He added, “We got hammered three times.”
Donovan Mitchell attempted 30 shots and scored 33 points, but Atkinson said Cleveland’s offense lacked balance.
“Didn’t distribute the ball like we normally did,” he noted. “We didn’t get into any of that swing-swing or one-more-pass stuff.”
The absence of All-Star guard Darius Garland was noticeable, and Atkinson confirmed Garland’s status remains uncertain.
“It’s a day-to-day thing,” he said. “We don’t want him out there 60%, 50%. Not with the way they’re pressuring the ball.”
Sam Merrill earned the starting nod in Garland’s place, and Atkinson explained the decision was made to give Donovan Mitchell more space.
“Sam creates advantages off the ball,” he said. “The shooting gives us another shooter, relieves a little pressure off Don.”
Asked about Jared Allen’s performance, Atkinson said, “I thought he was good. We needed his rim-rolling and screening.”
He also acknowledged Indiana’s pace and spacing as major problems defensively.
“Tyrese is a master,” Atkinson said, referring to Haliburton’s 22-point, 13-assist showing. “They sprayed it, we were in our shell.”
Despite the loss, Atkinson remained confident in his group’s leadership and ability to respond.
“We’ll bounce back,” he said. “We just got to check our health status… and be ready to go for Game 2.”
Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday in Cleveland.
