Kenny Atkinson clearly believes in the classic saying, "Defense wins championships." It did not sound like the Cleveland Cavaliers were a group that fit the billing after their high-scoring 136-131 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.
Atkinson said: "I just told the team in the locker room, if we're going to play defense like this, we're going to have a short playoff stint."
When the Cavaliers hired J.B. Bickerstaff to be their head coach in 2021, he brought in a defensive-minded and physical culture that sparked the Cavs’ turnaround. They were top-seven in defensive rating from 2022-2024, including finishing at number one during the 2022-23 season.
Bickerstaff was fired prior to the 2024-25 season. In Atkinson’s first year, Cleveland was still a sound defensive team. They finished eighth in defensive rating, a driving force behind their 64-win season.
This season, though, the Cavs have struggled to find consistency on that of the floor. After their track meet with the Magic, the Cavaliers are now 14th in the league in defensive rating. That slippage caused Atkinson to make those stunning postgame comments.
Cavaliers defensive woes deserved to be called out by Kenny Atkinson
Atkinson has been on the record saying he is not worried about the team’s ability to score, but he feels that they have titled too far one way. He called out the team’s leaders to be part of the change defensively, saying it starts with them.
He doesn’t like the communication, he doesn’t like the effort, and he doesn’t like the IQ on the defensive end right now. Atkinson even said that this isn’t a personnel issue. It is just about wanting it more on that end of the floor.
The Cavs defense was exposed against the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs, the reason why they bowed out in five games, but it feels like Cleveland has not fully recovered from that.
The Cavs have battled inconsistency on that end of the floor all year. The struggles have reared its ugly head over the last month, as Cleveland is 20th in defensive rating since the end of February.
The team has capable defenders at all levels. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen anchor the paint. Dean Wade is a jack of all trades defensively. Keon Ellis creates turnovers and is a defensive pest. Jaylon Tyson and Dennis Schroder are physical point of attack defenders. Max Strus and Sam Merrill are almost always in the right spots and are willing to do the dirty work.
Like Atkinson said, this team has the personnel to be successful defensively in a playoff setting. They have shown flashes of it all year, but it just feels like this group has not been able to fully put it together on that end.
The Cavs have two weeks until the playoffs start. They have championship aspirations and have been one of the NBA’s best teams since Jan. 1. However, if Cleveland wants to get to where they want to go, it’s going to start with getting stops.