The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ decision to replace J.B. Bickerstaff with Kenny Atkinson proved to be the right one.
However, there were some doubts about whether he could keep his foot on the gas in the playoffs, and so far, those doubts have only gotten bigger.
Atkinson didn’t find much trouble getting past the lesser Miami Heat in the first round.
Now, Rick Carlisle has coached circles around him.
More than that, he hasn’t had the Cavs ready for this series.
Notably, that’s why Ethan Sands of Cleveland.com claims that it’s now or never for the former Brooklyn Nets head coach, calling him out and urging him to prove his worth:
“This time, if Atkinson is to prove that he’s not defined by the failures of the past, it won’t be by overcoming a basketball titan. It will be by outwitting a well-coached, scrappy team. The Cavs need the man with the clipboard to meet the moment, to bend the chessboard in his direction,” Sands wrote. “Should Atkinson fail to find the right counters now, someone else will be writing the final chapter — and it won’t be in Cleveland ink.”
Atkinson is clearly a very good head coach.
You don’t put together this kind of turnaround out of mere luck, and there’s a reason why he ran away with the NBA’s Coach of the Year honors.
Then again, the regular season is nice and all, but it’s pretty much meaningless.
Nothing, not winning an In-Season Tournament or finishing the season with the best record in the league, means a thing if you don’t take care of business in the playoffs.
Everything you did in the year will be for nothing if you don’t get the job done at this point in the season.
The Cavs will fight to live another day and stave off elimination after being blown out in Game 4.
This will be their last chance to prove the doubters wrong by demonstrating that they have some character.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Key To Cavs Winning Game 5
