The Cleveland Cavaliers lost home court advantage in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series to the Indiana Pacers, falling 121-112 on Sunday night. The top seed in the East left the game with more than just the loss, too.
Speaking to reporters on Monday head coach Kenny Atkinson revealed two key Cavaliers—Evan Mobley and DeAndre Hunter—were questionable entering Game 2. Mobley tweaked his ankle and Hunter dislocated his thumb on plays Atkinson felt were pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable. He stated he didn't think the plays were dirty, per se, but called the Pacers out for crossing the "line of physicality."
"I don't think they were dirty plays, but I think it passed a line of physicality," Atkinson said, per Cavs reporter Danny Cunningham. "That line we've kind of been talking about where it became excessive. So number one was the non-call on De’Andre's layup, which I don't know... I felt he got absolutely obliterated and dislocated his thumb, so he'll be questionable. And then Evan, around the same time, I can't remember if it was before or after, (Myles) Turner contests his two-point shot, comes under, clearly under him... I think you guys saw him limping the rest of the game."
In playoff basketball the physicality is heightened considerably compared to the regular season, and players tend to accumulate more severe bumps and bruises during a deep postseason run. Atkinson clearly thinks what happened to the Cavs in Game 1 was a bit beyond that, even if it wasn't intentional from Indiana.
The Cavaliers are already dealing with a banged-up Darius Garland, who missed Game 1 with a toe injury. Now they have more to juggle, and Atkinson's strong comments set quite a stage for Game 2 on Tuesday evening.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cavs HC Kenny Atkinson Calls Out Pacers for Crossing 'Line of Physicality' in Game 1.
