The Cleveland Cavaliers won 64 games in the regular season.
They dominated from start to finish, beating the best teams in both conferences and even splitting the season series with the defending NBA champions.
However, they just couldn’t figure the Indiana Pacers out.
They lost three out of four to the Pacers in the regular season and four out of five in the playoffs.
That’s why, following his team’s win on the road, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle still wanted to give his colleague Kenny Atkinson and the Cavs plenty of credit for what they did this season:
“They had a great year, and I’m sorry that their season had to end like this in a way,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “I mean (Cavs coach) Kenny (Atkinson) did an amazing job. Their guys, they just kind of had the perfect season, and then we came along and we’re hot at the right time.”
Losing seven out of nine games to the same opponent might shed light on how terrible this matchup was for the Cavaliers.
Nevertheless, as a coach, it’s your job to figure out other teams, take away their strengths, and make whatever adjustments are necessary to get the job done.
The Cavs never seemed to have the proper attitude to win this series.
They looked overwhelmed and unprepared in most of the games, and the Pacers just kept imposing their tempo, physicality, and style of play.
This was a disappointing and heartbreaking ending to one of the greatest seasons in franchise history.
And even though the Cavs overperformed and the fans might feel encouraged for winning 64 games in a coach’s first year in the job, this has been the same case with this team for years now.
Maybe it’s time to shake things up and break up this core once and for all.
NEXT: Donovan Mitchell Reacts To Game 5 Loss Against Pacers
