CLEVELAND — Kenny Atkinson had one standout regret. But, considering the circumstances, the Cleveland Cavaliers coach might not have had much of a choice in the matter, either.
The Cavaliers lost Game 2 to the Indiana Pacers 120-119 on May 6 in gut-wrenching, stunning, take-the-air-out-of-the-arena fashion to fall behind 2-0 in the second-round playoff series.
In the aftermath of Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning, step-back 3, as it continued to sink in and the Cavs were still mentally picking up the pieces of what had just happened, Atkinson — as any good coach does — took responsibility for not just what transpired, but why.
The Cavs at one point led by 20. They led by seven with under a minute remaining, until it all fell apart and the Pacers ended the game on an 8-0 run that included several mistakes by the Cavs that came down to fatigue, both mental and physical.
The Cavs were gassed. It wasn’t just Donovan Mitchell, who put forth what otherwise might have been a legendary performance in franchise and NBA playoff history with 48 points, nine assists and four steals while constantly driving to the basket and taking numerous hard hits. It was pretty much the entire lineup.
It was arguably most evident as the Cavs struggled to inbound the ball a few times, including two burned timeouts and a crucially devastating turnover in the final minute.
It wasn’t the only element, of course. A few mental lapses opened the door for the Pacers. But it was undoubtedly a major factor.
“We ran out of gas,” Atkinson said. “We couldn’t really separate ourselves. We couldn’t get open in the half court. … Every possession they just upped their physicality again, grabbing, holding, couldn’t move, and we ran out of gas.
“My only regret is not playing more guys. We shortened the rotation, obviously. That could have been — that’s my sole regret.”
Cavs lose Game 2 without Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter
It was the result of Cleveland being without two All-Stars and a key contributor off the bench, as Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter were all unavailable. Mobley and Hunter were hurt during Game 1 of the series, after which Atkinson went on a seven-minute, impassioned plea for the NBA to collectively discuss what is acceptable when it comes to playoff physicality.
All year, the Cavs have relied on perhaps their league-best depth, a 10-man rotation, the result of Atkinson’s approach that led to the No. 1 seed and a masterful sweep of the Miami Heat in the first round.
But with no Garland, no Mobley and no Hunter, there was little choice. The rotation was shortened, primarily, to seven players. Javonte Green (10 minutes) and Craig Porter Jr. (nearly four minutes) also received some time on the floor, but not the 26-39 minutes the other seven did, which included higher-than-normal minutes, especially for Isaac Okoro and Sam Merrill. And Max Strus nearly played 40 minutes.
All of it led to a combination of mental and physical fatigue, and, eventually, Haliburton’s 3 going through the net.
“It probably did,” said center Jarrett Allen. “When you get physically tired, you start having a lot more mental lapses. But you can ask anybody in this league, you can’t let that be an excuse, you have to be locked in for all 48 minutes no matter how tired you are. We’re the highest level athletes in the world. We can’t let fatigue be the factor for mental lapses.”
Garland was an All-Star. Mobley was an All-Star and the Defensive Player of the Year. Hunter was often in the conversation this season for Sixth Man of the Year. That’s a mountain of NBA talent to suddenly be without, but it wasn’t just the talent the Cavs missed — it was that they lost the element of an unrelenting rotation over 48 minutes that kept their stars fresh while still fielding a playoff-level lineup.
That balance has become more difficult with so many key contributors sidelined. Losing the talent hurts enough. Also losing their league-best depth acts as a double haymaker, especially at the end of games and especially against a Pacers team that plays with such pace and ball movement, which forces teams to try to keep up and expend energy.
Perhaps Green and Porter Jr., along with some others, will simply have to receive more playing time if the three contributors all remain sidelined. But after trusting a certain 10-man rotation since the trade deadline, the Cavs have been dealt a blow by an injury situation that has taken away one of their superpowers.
NBA 2-minute report for Cavaliers, Pacers Game 2 reveals 3 missed calls
There’s another element to the Game 2 loss that might make it difficult for the Cavaliers to accept — the NBA 2-minute report revealed three missed calls, including one on the most vital play of the entire game.
The NBA’s 2-minute report is an assessment by the league of calls or non-calls by officials within the final few minutes of close games. It revealed three incorrect calls from Game 2, two of which went against Cleveland.
On one of the three plays noted, Mitchell should have been called for a defensive three seconds just before Haliburton was fouled in the final minute.
The second play indicated a lane violation should have been called on the play on which Aaron Nesmith dunked after a missed free throw with 48 seconds left, a key sequences as the Pacers closed the gap.
The final play on the report is the big one. On the free throw with 12 seconds left that Haliburton missed and then ended up with the rebound, which led to the game-winning 3 a few moments later, the league stated the officials should have called a lane violation on that play as well, which would have resulted in a jump ball at midcourt.
