In Cleveland, the stars don’t lead by example

One step forward, two steps back… This is the pace of the Cavaliers this season, and Kenny Atkinson is running out of arguments to motivate his players. Last night in Houston, the Cavaliers were almost complete with only Max Struss missing, yet they signedone of their worst performances.

“I rarely say this, but I felt like the game was over in the first quarter. Eight turnovers, I think. . . . Their physical impact. . . . We just weren’t ready to fight tonight. I don’t know how else to put it.” sorry Cleveland coach.

What saddens him is that he thought the team was on the right track after its performance at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Eve. “I was encouraged after the game against the Knicks because we were ready to fight. But tonight we were out of it… Call it what you want, Christmas failure, I don’t know. It wasn’t the same team as the other night against the Knicks. The lack of concentration was obvious: eight turnovers, and they obviously dominated us physically. And I didn’t like our reaction.”

Give a chance to those who deserve it…

More precisely, the starters disappointed Atkinson. It must be said that the Mitchell-Garland-Mobley-Allen quartet was a disaster! “On the other hand, I liked the reaction of our young people. Jaylen Tyson, Tyrese Proctor, Thomas Bryant. That’s where I saw the fighting spirit tonight.” the Cavaliers coach insists. “I saw it in our rotation players. Jaylen was a beacon tonight. This is how you’re supposed to play. He was ready to fight, ready to be tough, ready for this game. I singled him out after the game saying, ‘We needed this tonight, collectively.’ And we didn’t get it.”

Atkinson’s only regret? He didn’t let his stars go before… “Yes, a little, that’s clear” he confirms. “We tried early in the fourth quarter, and then we brought in Craig Porter, Jalen Tyson, those guys. In hindsight, I probably should have sent them out earlier. That’s a fair criticism. I could have sent our starters out early and given those who deserved to be on the field a chance.”