Story by
'Our playoff prep starts now': Cavs want to attack final season stretch before NBA playoffs
- Story by
- 'Our playoff prep starts now': Cavs want to attack final season stretch before NBA playoffs
CLEVELAND — Kenny Atkinson has been in this position in the past. His hope, now, is that a hard lesson learned 10 years ago ago can pay dividends for the Cavaliers over the next few months.
After Sunday's come-from-behind 133-129 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers , the Cavs were 50-10 and holding onto a commanding 7.5-game lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. That sizable lead included another come-from-behind 123-116 win in Boston Friday night.
Advertisement
The Cavs are the only team in the NBA to have already clinched a playoff spot. With 22 games remaining, it'd also take a sizable collapse for any team but Cleveland to hold the No. 1 seed in the East once the playoffs arrive.
The top question remaining for the Cavs is how they attack the final several weeks of the regular season, and how much rest they give to the starters. There shouldn't be much need for them to push too much as the season winds down, but there's also a rust vs. rest factor, and that they also don't want to lose momentum heading into the playoffs.
Atkinson has previously been on the wrong side of it. In 2014-15, when he was an assistant coach in Atlanta , the Hawks had a tremendous regular season , finishing with a 60-22 record. They ended the regular season with a seven-game lead over the second-place Cavaliers , virtually the same margin by which the current Cavs lead Boston now.
The Hawks made it to the conference finals but were then swept — pretty handily — by LeBron James and the Cavs. Looking back, Atkinson said the Hawks might have hit the brakes a bit too much. Health and rest is important before the playoffs, but there can be tradeoffs in how sharp a team feels.
Advertisement
The Cavs rested All-Star Donovan Mitchell for Sunday's game.
"I think we're safeguarding against that," Atkinson said Sunday. "We didn't take our foot off the gas [entirely], but we started resting guys a lot. We really tried to almost overstrategize it, and I was part of it … I think all of us, when we look back, [we ask] did we do that too much? So with this team, I think it's different."
No team wants to risk an injury or push players more than common sense would dictate, but it also wants to keep sharpening the blade, so to speak.
"There's almost, like, right now, a sense of urgency," Atkinson said. "We're not going to wait until three games before the playoffs and say, 'Oh, man, now we've gotta really focus.' Our playoff focus starts now. Our playoff prep starts now, and I think that keeps guys motivated, too."
Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter (12) celebrates after making a 3-pointer against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 2, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cavs beat Celtics in possible Eastern Conference Finals, playoffs preview
The Cavs want to stay sharp, which means an attention to detail. Atkinson is taking a page out of legendary NFL coach Bill Walsh's playbook.
Advertisement
They would, of course, benefit from home-court advantage in the playoffs. But more than that race, Atkinson has his eye on the little things.
"We're aware, but it's not a topic of conversation," Atkinson said of ensuring Cleveland gets the top seed. "We're extremely process oriented. … I love the Bill Walsh [perspective] — the results take care of itself if you're doing these things. That's kind of our approach."
Ty Jerome calls out NBA ref Natalie Sago after win over Trail Blazers
Sunday's win over the Trail Blazers didn't just feature an 18-point comeback and De'Andre Hunter's best game since joining the Cavs (32 points), it also included the most personal foul calls (53) in any game since the NBA/ABA merger.
Advertisement
Cleveland fans were often raining boos down on the officials. The Cavs bench was often standing in response to foul calls — and there were a lot of them.
After the game, Ty Jerome — who had a tremendous night with 25 points, five rebounds, six assists and six steals — didn't mince words when asked about the high number of foul calls. Several Cavs players were asked if they had ever played in game with so many fouls and free throws. Only Jerome was so direct in his response.
"Yeah, I thought the refs were really bad tonight. Especially Natalie [Sago]," Jerome said. "She was really bad. So when stuff like that happens, they kind of lose control of the game. [You just have to] keep your head. I thought that first half was ridiculous. The third quarter was horrendous, and you just got to keep your head and keep playing."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers preparing for playoffs; Ty Jerome calls out refs
