‘Nowhere Near Where We Need to Be’ — Cavs Owner Gets Brutally Honest As Calls Mount to ‘Blow It Up,’ Fire Kenny Atkinson
· Yahoo Sports
The New York Knicks officially ended the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season on Monday night, walking out of Rocket Arena with a 130-93 win to complete a 4-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals.
After the 37-point beatdown, the Cavs faithful didn’t wait long to express their disgust, flooding social media with demands to fire head coach Kenny Atkinson and dismantle the entire roster.
Visit sportbet.rodeo for more information.
Cleveland’s ‘Disasterclass’ Sparks Calls to Fire Kenny Atkinson, ‘Blow Up’ the Roster
The warning signs of a dead-tired Cleveland roster flashed early in Game 3 when the Cavs dropped a 121-108 decision at home, showing an alarming lack of defensive effort and urgency.
Game 4 offered no redemption. Or hope, for that matter.
New York built a 19-point halftime lead and dictated the tempo with surprising ease, while Cleveland offered zero resistance.
James Harden delivered extremely poor performances when his team needed him most. The 36-year-old finished Game 4 with 12 points on 2-of-8 shooting from the floor and committed 5 turnovers in 33 minutes of action.
SEE ALSO:‘Worst Eastern Conference Finals Ever’ — NBA World Rips Cavaliers for ‘Quitting’ on Knicks Series
Harden’s struggles defined Cleveland’s postseason run, as he recorded 84 turnovers across 18 playoff games, fueling the skepticism surrounding his acquisition from the LA Clippers.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 31 points in a vain effort and received virtually no help from the supporting cast.
Naturally, the Cleveland fanbase had reached its breaking point, and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert posted a message following the team’s elimination, offering a blunt assessment of the franchise.
“We took a step ahead this spring, but we are nowhere near where we need to be… We will dig in all summer and do everything we possibly can to take the next step. We will grind until we get there. Congrats to the @nyknicks, and best of luck in the Finals,” Gilbert shared.
Barstool Cleveland highlighted the fans’ impatience with head coach Kenny Atkinson.
“Should be unemployed before midnight,” they wrote.
“Gotta fire Kenny Atkinson, right? The Game 1 disaster cost them any shot at winning this series. The quotes about wanting to save timeouts and how they are up 2-1 on Analytics. I think you gotta can him after this disaster class?” Dave Portnoy said.
“Fire Kenny Atkinson. Fire Koby Altman. Trade Donovan Mitchell. Let James Harden walk. Trade Jarrett Allen. TRADE EVERYONE. BLOW IT ALL UP. IM FU**ING DONE,” one user exclaimed.
“If Dan Gilbert decides to move on from Kenny Atkinson after this collapse, don’t be surprised if Jason Kidd’s name starts surfacing as a potential candidate…” Cleveland journalist Mackenzie Pflum posted.
The series had likely slipped away long before the Game 4 blowout. Cleveland blew a massive 22-point lead in Game 1 and never really recovered from that collapse at Madison Square Garden.
Atkinson’s tactical rigidity and controversial comments also didn’t help the case, as their offensive system collapsed after barely surviving back-to-back 7-game slugfests against the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.
The Knicks, meanwhile, are rolling into the NBA Finals on an 11-game postseason winning streak, advancing for the first time since 1999.
New York will hope to clinch their first championship since 1973 as they await the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder-San Antonio Spurs series.