The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off their fifth loss of the season.
They fell to the Indiana Pacers, who are tied for the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference this season.
While the Pacers are certainly a formidable opponent, the Cavaliers believe they can beat anyone who stands in front of them, and any loss at this point of the season is frustrating.
Kenny Atkinson talked about his team’s performance in a postgame press conference shared by Evan Dammarell on X, noting one reason why this loss was good for the Cavaliers.
“It’s a good test for our group and for our coaches to adjust and see if we can figure it out,” Atkinson said.
#Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson told me that the benefit that comes from this loss is that Cleveland will see Indiana in just two days.
βItβs a good test for our group and for our coaches to adjust and see if we can figure it out.β
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) January 13, 2025
As he mentioned, losing can expose some holes in your roster or game plan, and this can help the team move forward.
Atkinson noted that because the Cavaliers are scheduled to play the Pacers again in two days, they have a quick opportunity to collect themselves, take a breath, and get ready to beat this team.
They’ve already taken down several of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this year, including the reigning champs, so it’s not like the Cavaliers are lacking any confidence in their abilities.
If anything, this loss might have lit a bigger fire underneath them, hoping they can get back on track and start another win streak of 10-plus games.
This team keeps finding ways to win, and they’ll look to do that in their next matchup with the Pacers to make up for the loss.
NEXT: Kenny Atkinson Has Honest Admission About Loss To Pacers
