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Kenny Atkinson reveals Cavaliers’ bold game plan against Ausar Thompson originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cleveland Cavaliers took the decisive Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they will face the New York Knicks.
The 125-94 win witnessed a tactical genius from Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson as he rendered Pistons star Ausar Thompson ineffective on defense. In Game 6, Thompson's athleticism and defensive versatility proved to be an issue for the Cavs' offense who turned over the ball a lot of times.
But in Game 7, Atkinson shared a plan to his team on how to counter Thompson's defense on offense.
MORE:Kenny Atkinson gets honest about how Donovan Mitchell's carry job with the Cavaliers
Kenny Atkinson asked Cavs to avoid Ausar Thompson
After the win, the head coach acknowledged the Pistons star's impact, requiring them to make changes on their offense.
“I do think the tactical adjustment we made was avoiding Thompson," Kenny Atkinson told reporters.
"We were just like, if he's near the ball, throw it to someone else. And I've never experienced that in the NBA. And one of you guys said it to you, and that's the guy, the best, you know, him and his brother, I guess.
"I've never seen anything like it, where even if you have a great player with the ball and he's on it, pass it to someone else. And I think, you know, we had Evan handle it more than ever this series because of him, you know, because of Thompson. And they have other good defenders too, it's just, but that was huge not turning it over.”
Aside from this, the Cavs got great outputs from Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, as they contributed with 26 and 23 points, respectively. Now, they'll face a team, who swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.
More Cavaliers news:
The final score between the Cavaliers and Pistons' Game 7 matchup
The biggest problem with the Cavaliers was exposed by a former champion
Why the Cavaliers were motivated by the Game 6 loss vs the Pistons
How the Cavs' ownership keeps helping the fans get to postseason games on the road
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