The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to struggle after losing Game 3 in their NBA Playoffs series against the Toronto Raptors, and their Game 4 defeat did little to change things.
In fact, the Cavaliers were able to mount a brief comeback, only for Toronto to step up its game yet again. The result is that Atkinson and company find themselves trailing 0-2 going into Game 5.
Kendrick Perkins criticizes the Cavs for poor management leading into Game 5
It would be an understatement to say that Perkins is unhappy with Atkinson’s decision making and how he leads his team. Cleveland has far too many talented players to look listless in back-to-back games.
Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and the likes have proven to be among the most skilled players in the league. For this reason, it makes sense that they are expected to dominate the entire Playoffs.
But if Atkinson cannot get his team to play with intensity in these playoffs, then things are going to get much more difficult moving forward. After all, Cleveland does not have a whole lot left to give considering the season they had thus far.
It should not be forgotten that Atkinson deserves credit for helping Cleveland turn into a contender. But the Playoffs are a very different beast, and Atkinson needs to do everything he can to make sure that Cleveland can keep up with the competition.
At this point, the Cavaliers are under tremendous pressure to show off their skills. Unfortunately for them, they failed to do so, which resulted in two losses to the Raptors.
Perkins was particularly critical of how the Cavaliers were managed going into Game 4, and he made it clear that Cleveland needs to make the necessary adjustments before the next game starts.
In other words, it is not enough for Cleveland to simply play hard in order to win their next game against the Raptors. The Cavaliers need to improve their overall system of playing if they hope to beat their opponent.
If there was one thing the Raptors did well in Game 4, it was to play confidently. On the other hand, Cleveland failed to put up a good fight despite having all the tools needed to win.
Therefore, Cleveland is going to have to make some crucial changes going forward if it hopes to overcome the Raptors in the NBA Playoffs series.
