CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs submitted three plays to the NBA after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Three times Cleveland believed that the physicality by the Pacers went a step too far.
Ahead of Game 2, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson, who had been named the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year the night before, made a point to reiterate his point about the excessive force played with and how the league needs to protect its players.
“Let me be clear, in no way am I saying the intent by Indiana was to injure or hurt [anyone], none of that,” Atkinson stated in his six-minute pregame tirade. “That’s not who Rick [Carlisle] is. That’s not who that team is. But I will say, and this is a little bit like big picture, again, my opinion, we have to decide, the league, what that line is, what that excessive line is.
“There’s a real push by the league, real energy to make sure everybody’s playing. I believe we have to have the same energy in terms of keeping guys healthy in the playoffs. … There were two guys hurt during the game and now questionable, I have a problem with that, quite honestly.”
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The three plays referenced by Atkinson are as follows:
- Jarrett Allen’s made dunk in the third quarter that saw Myles Turner put his elbow into Allen’s chest, sending him tumbling to the floor and landing awkwardly before being able to continue playing. There was no foul call.
- Evan Mobley’s made turnaround hook shot in the fourth quarter when Turner didn’t leave enough space for Mobley to land, injuring Mobley’s ankle. There was no foul call on the play.
- De’Andre Hunter’s drive to the basket for a dunk attempt in the fourth quarter that saw him fall hard to the floor after Bennedict Mathurin put his off arm into Hunter’s body. Hunter dislocated his thumb in his right hand on the play. There was no foul call.
Now the Cavs will be without Darius Garland (toe), Mobley (ankle) and Hunter (thumb) for Game 2 after already losing Game 1 on Sunday.
When asked about the plays submitted, and the physicality of the series already, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle referenced his experience with the physicality in the playoffs.
“When you turn in plays, the other team has to be notified of that. So we were notified. They turned in three plays. I mean, I don’t want to tell you the number of plays we turned in during our Milwaukee series and we won four out of five games,” Carlisle said during his pregame press conference. “There are so many things in a heated playoff series that you disagree with. The play with Allen, that was a missed call, clearly. The play with Mathurin was challenged and the challenge was deemed unsuccessful. Nobody wants players hurt.”
After last postseason, there were murmurs that the Pacers had an easier path to the Eastern Conference finals due to the injuries that opposing teams were dealing with. Carlisle made it a point that his team would rather face their opponents at full strength to prove their mettle in this era of the NBA.
“If guys are missing games and are not a hundred percent, I mean that disappoints the hell out of us,” Carlisle said. “I mean, you don’t get into this wanting it to be easier or perceived as easier. Even if all three of those guys don’t play, it’s not going to be easier. So I understand where [Atkinson’s] coming from completely.”
But both coaches understand that the level of physicality is only beginning to rise as each team tries to set the tone to attempt to swing the series. The Cavs are looking to cling on to their home-court advantage, and the Pacers are trying to put them in a chokehold by heading back to Indiana with a 2-0 series lead.
“This whole notion about us being this overly-physical team is, I mean, I’m smiling about it a little bit,” Carlisle said. “We’re not a big, bruising team. Our physicality has got to be persistence. … There’s a level of intensity which equals physicality, and these games are all coming down to one possession. So, it’s a compelling time of the year.”
