The Cleveland Cavaliers just went through the ultimate momentum killer. They were just minutes away from making a statement and stealing homecourt advantage at Madison Square Garden before one of the most infamous collapses in playoff history.
The New York Knicks went on a 44-11 run to come back and beat the Cavs in overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which looked over midway through the third quarter. It was the type of loss that lingers for months.
A lot has been said of James Harden's defensive effort -- or lack thereof -- down the stretch during the Knicks' run, and rightfully so. However, coach Kenny Atkinson could've stopped that, and he chose not to.
Kenny Atkinson may have sealed his fate with the Cavaliers
Atkinson left James Harden on Jalen Brunson during a 20-1 run in the fourth quarter. Not one adjustment, not one sub, nothing. When asked about that decision, he claimed that he liked to hold onto his timeouts for the clutch:
"Yeah, I like to hold my timeouts. I didn't want to have one timeout at the end of the game. One or two-point game, I try to hold them," the coach said postgame (h/t Camryn Justice).
The thing is that the Cavaliers wouldn't have to use a timeout in a close-game situation if he had made some sort of adjustment. They were up 22 points with just over seven minutes left in a playoff game; blowing that lead was just unfathomable.
Atkinson didn't think of switching, letting Max Strus or Dean Wade guard Brunson, nothing. It was just radio silence from the sidelines, comfortably watching as another fan with great tickets, his team collapsed.
Donovan Mitchell may have been hurt, given that he didn't touch the ball late despite being in a groove for most of the game. If that's not the case, that's essentially another fireable offense right there.
Whatever the case, Kenny Atkinson's reputation has taken a massive hit. He's clearly a solid coach, and the fact that they were in a position to win is a testament to that, but this will go down as one of the greatest and most infamous choke jobs in professional sports history.
Props to the Knicks for fighting through adversity, and shame on Harden for not showing any pride and just stepping up to get at least one stop. But above all things, this loss is on the coach; there's just no way around it.
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