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The Cleveland Cavaliers are at a franchise crossroads after an embarrassing Eastern Conference Finals sweep at the hands of the New York Knicks.
While Cleveland reached its first ECF since the LeBron James era, it was quite an arduous path. The Cavs needed seven games to get past both the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons. Then they looked completely outmatched against New York despite Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson puzzlingly claiming, "Analytically, we have won 2 of 3" after falling down 3-0.
So, where does Cleveland go from here? An obvious first step is firing Atkinson, whose insistence on James Harden being a quality defender was borderline coaching malpractice.
It's not a move Donovan Mitchell would support, however. The seven-time All-Star defended Atkinson after Game 4, calling the criticism he's receiving "hilarious."
"We've done something that we haven't done since 2018 … there's going to be criticism everywhere on Kenny, right? But why?" Mitchell said. "We got here. … We didn't just go out there and coach ourselves. People are going to be people. People probably criticize me just as much, and then James [Harden], but I love Kenny. We love Kenny. We ride with Kenny and, ultimately, that's all that matters, right?"
Count Harden among Atkinson's supporters too.
"Ultimate players coach -- he gets it, he understands his team," Harden said postgame. " ... For Kenny, he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible to understanding what I'm supposed to be doing out there."
Cleveland's backcourt believes in Atkinson, but after this stress-filled playoff run, it doesn't appears as if the city of Cleveland is with them.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Is Kenny Atkinson getting fired? Not if Donovan Mitchell, James Harden have a say
Continue reading...
While Cleveland reached its first ECF since the LeBron James era, it was quite an arduous path. The Cavs needed seven games to get past both the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons. Then they looked completely outmatched against New York despite Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson puzzlingly claiming, "Analytically, we have won 2 of 3" after falling down 3-0.
So, where does Cleveland go from here? An obvious first step is firing Atkinson, whose insistence on James Harden being a quality defender was borderline coaching malpractice.
It's not a move Donovan Mitchell would support, however. The seven-time All-Star defended Atkinson after Game 4, calling the criticism he's receiving "hilarious."
"We've done something that we haven't done since 2018 … there's going to be criticism everywhere on Kenny, right? But why?" Mitchell said. "We got here. … We didn't just go out there and coach ourselves. People are going to be people. People probably criticize me just as much, and then James [Harden], but I love Kenny. We love Kenny. We ride with Kenny and, ultimately, that's all that matters, right?"
Count Harden among Atkinson's supporters too.
"Ultimate players coach -- he gets it, he understands his team," Harden said postgame. " ... For Kenny, he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible to understanding what I'm supposed to be doing out there."
Cleveland's backcourt believes in Atkinson, but after this stress-filled playoff run, it doesn't appears as if the city of Cleveland is with them.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Is Kenny Atkinson getting fired? Not if Donovan Mitchell, James Harden have a say
Continue reading...
