The Cavaliers needed only one adjustment to flip Game 4, at least in Kenny Atkinson’s view. “It was a halftime speech, of course. Absolutely not,” the Cleveland coach said after Donovan Mitchell’s record-tying second half carried the Cavaliers past the Pistons 112-103 on Monday night.
Atkinson said the real change was simpler: “We had to play with more pace. We just were getting the ball up so slow. They were getting their defense set and that was the big thing we hit them with at halftime. We got to get the ball up quicker.”
That move opened the game for Mitchell, who scored 39 of his 43 points after halftime and matched an NBA playoff record. Atkinson said, “Donovan started to get in the open court. That’s when he’s at his best,” adding, “When we’re in the half court with them, they’re physical, they’re grabbing, they’re holding, they don’t let you move.”
The Cavaliers turned a 56-52 halftime deficit into a runaway with a 24-0 stretch that began in the final seconds of the second quarter and carried into the third. Atkinson called Mitchell’s turnaround “an incredible performance” and said, “He had four points at the end of the first half and finished with 39 the second half for a total of 43.”
The coach also gave Evan Mobley major credit for Cleveland’s defensive edge. “He was phenomenal. I mean, he was just blocking everything, you know, getting steals, blocking it. That was the defensive player of the year right there,” Atkinson said, later adding, “He was everywhere tonight. Clogging the lane. And he was doing it with great discipline.”
Mobley finished with 17 points, five blocks and three steals, and Atkinson said, “We should give a lot of flowers to Evan Mobley for tonight’s performance.” He also praised the big man’s improving offensive game.
Atkinson pointed to Cleveland’s improved ball movement and spacing as another key. “I think we’re screening better. Screening’s important,” he said. “I think our spacing, we figured out some things spacing wise. I think we’re moving off the ball again.”
The coach said the Donovan Mitchell-James Harden pairing is still evolving, but the fit is getting better. “They have great communication. They’re rarely disagree. Basically on the same page,” Atkinson said.
He also fed off the atmosphere at Rocket Arena, calling it “by far the best I’ve seen in Cleveland” and “up there with the best crowds I’ve ever seen.” With the series now tied 2-2, he said, “It’s a different story 2-2,” and added, “We obviously gained some confidence with these two wins.”
