Kenny Atkinson began his press conference by giving a man's support to the Nets, who were promised hell this season, but who are doing better than resisting, having not been far from knocking down the Celtics in Boston. Last night, they were still very close to taking the scalp of the Cavaliers…
Thanks to a 33-5 straddling the second and third quarters, Jordi Fernandez's players even took a 14-point lead (68-82) in the third quarter, forcing Cleveland to use a group that had never played together before this season, with Dean Wade as a pivot, to counter the opposing speed.
“Nothing was working. We had to do something different, change things.” explains Kenny Atkinson. “That's why we started Dean (Wade) as a pivot, also to give Evan (Mobley) a little rest. Everyone told me to keep him in play but we had to give him two minutes. It gave the guys a little energy to finish well, and it worked. Ty (Jerome) was very good at the end. Winning the last quarter 35-18, given our difficulties in the third, it's an incredible comeback. »
Like the Celtics, surprised by the all-terrain pressure imposed during almost the entire match, the Cavaliers suffered in the face of the intensity deployed by these surprising Nets.
“They play like a FIBA team” continues the Cleveland coach. “I felt like I was at the Olympics. They slow down the game, they are very physical, they put crazy pressure on the ball carrier. It slows down your pace, passing becomes complicated, they are on every dribble, they turn the match into a fight. We told the guys at halftime, this game was going to be special back-to-back, it was a war. »
The Cavaliers can be satisfied with having managed to reverse the situation, behind a great Evan Mobley but also thanks to the accuracy of Darius Garland and the substitutes. By going for the points in the racket, with a 14/18 shooting to finish the match, without a single 3-pointer made in the fourth quarter!
