The Cleveland Cavaliers can’t be stopped. For the second straight game, they went in without Donovan Mitchell, who is suffering from groin soreness. They faced a team, that their coach Kenny Atkinson calls “the second best” in the West in the Memphis Grizzlies. His comments come because of how hard the Ja Morant-led side competes. They expressed exactly that tonight, fighting till the very end.

Don’t get it twisted—the Cavaliers were in control for most of the game. But the Grizzlies? They thrive on playing with physicality, and Atkinson knew that. He came in with a plan. Early on, when his forward Evan Mobley got no love from the refs on a no-call, Cavs coach Atkinson wasn’t having it. He argued with the official, earning a technical foul in the first quarter. But that wasn’t just a random outburst—it was all part of his strategy to keep the officials alert to the high level of physicality being thrown around.

“I knew coming into this building right like they’re physical. So I just wanted to make them aware that it was getting a little too physical and just be aware of it. Sometimes you got to, I think, kind of take one you know and your guys know you got their back,” Atkinson said about his early technical foul.

His move may have worked. The Cavalier got 12 more free throws than the Grizzlies in their 16th straight win. His opposition may have alerted the officials a little more. But from that moment, Kenny Atkinson needed to walk a fine line. “After that, you got to back off. You don’t want to get thrown out that’s for sure,” he added.

Even without the free throw advantage, the Cavaliers were in a strong position against the Grizzlies. But everything shifted in the fourth quarter. No one saw that fightback coming. The Grizzlies’ reserves really stepped up, applying intense pressure, and that’s when things got a little tense for Atkinson. You could tell he started feeling the heat as the game took a sudden turn.

Nitpick is all Kenny Atkinson can do

Kenny Atkinson sees the Cleveland Cavaliers as a “special” team. Their achievements this season have been nothing short of exemplary. Twice they have notched up 15 games win streaks. Moreover, they have won games from the most dire spots. They have been down 20, at times without some of their key starters, and still, they have found a way.

When it comes to picking apart the top candidate for Coach of the Year, it’s hard to find any major flaws. But, watching the Grizzlies go on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter definitely made him uneasy. So, if we’re nitpicking, he did raise a few concerns about how his team performed in that final stretch. It’s those little moments that can make all the difference, right?

“Listen, if there’s one if I want to be nitpicky you know we can’t have our kind of that last group there going minus 11. We missed open shots and all that but what I didn’t love was the defense. We gave up you know layups and transition open threes. If you want to be a lead program you got to close out games better,” the head coach pointed.

But aside from the fourth quarter, it was hard to fault the Cavaliers tonight. Evan Mobley had another impressive showing scoring 22 points with three triples. Darius Garland acted as an ideal floor general and their bench once again stepped up, scoring 59 points. They are by far a real threat to any side in the league.

And when Mitchell returns, their problems in closing games should also be eradicated.