The Detroit Pistons have been on a tear this season and aren’t the team they once were, but the Cleveland Cavaliers were still hoping for a win on Friday night.
They did not get one and lost 133-122.
Following the game, head coach Kenny Atkinson spoke about the loss and what went wrong for his team.
“Between the offensive rebounds and the free throws, it just kills your defense. You have to finish with a rebound or you can’t foul them,” Atkinson said, per Dylan on X.
He spoke at length about the rebounding problem his team has and how it needs to be improved quickly.
“With rebounding, there’s not a lot of tactics involved. I’ve come to the conclusion, whoever hits first and drives the other guy out, you go get the rebound. Obviously, we’re lacking in that area right now,” he added.
Kenny Atkinson Postgame After Loss vs Pistons:
“[0:51, Craig Porter Jr.] He was awesome. He gave us that pop we needed and made a lot of smart plays…. that comeback team, a big part of it was him—[1:24, Rebounding] You get a stop and they get 2, 3 extra shots at the rim. It’s… pic.twitter.com/zZGn645qaw
— Dylan🔮🪼 (@dillybar2145__) March 29, 2025
All in all, Atkinson didn’t sound too disappointed or panicked, but he admitted that the Cavaliers need to “get our legs under us, at this point and get home.”
The season is winding down, and there aren’t many games left.
It looks as if they will hold onto the top seed in the East, which means the Cavs should start planning for the first round of the playoffs.
They will likely play against either the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, or Miami Heat.
The first round will be a chance for Atkinson to prove that his team is learning from its mistakes, especially when it comes to getting boards.
His frontcourt needs to focus on being aggressive so they can control the ball.
At the same time, they cannot be too aggressive because, as he mentioned, free throws have been hurting the Cavs too.
The team lost on Friday, but Atkinson took note of why and now he’s going to try to fix their problems.
He’ll need to work fast because the postseason is quickly approaching.
NEXT: Kenny Atkinson Has Honest Admission About Cade Cunningham
