Cavs’ Kenny Atkinson clarifies his infamous quote vs Knicks: ‘they dominated us’

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson addressed and clarified his past comments regarding the New York Knicks ahead of a Saturday night rematch. Atkinson had previously drawn scrutiny after mentioning that analytical metrics, including expected wins, favored the Cavaliers despite the team falling into an 0-3 series deficit against the Knicks during the Eastern Conference Finals.

Atkinson stated that his original remarks were intended as an answer to what hope the team had while trailing, rather than arguing that Cleveland deserved to win. He emphasized that the Knicks thoroughly dominated the Cavaliers and acknowledged that process and shot quality do not outweigh critical intangibles such as physical and mental toughness.