The San Antonio Spurs may have been without Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, but they pulled out all the stops against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game shifted strengths regularly in the second half. The Spurs even held a thin lead in the fourth quarter. However, it wasn’t enough. The Cavs took off and are now on another win streak as the regular season nears its end.

They ran off center Jarrett Allen in the fourth quarter who scored 19 in the fourth. But as much pride as Kenny Atkinson felt for his players scrapping till the finish, he wasn’t satisfied with the atmosphere. The long hauls caused due to stoppages and reviews took the crowd and his team out of the team. And Atkinson had a bold suggestion to fix the problem.

“I’d vote for um less stoppages, no challenges none of that just you know more flow to the game. I think it’ll be a better product,” said the Cavaliers head coach.

It sounds bizarre at first. The significance of a challenge has been pivotal in deciding the outcomes of games in the past. Moreover, it also mitigates the risk of having referees in the firing line (although it’s still the case). But Atkinson believes the crew does a “hell of a job”. But because he is from a different era, Atkinson also thinks mistakes are an organic part of the game.

“I’m old school maybe that’s how I grew up you know you make a mistake, we make mistakes, they’re going to make some mistakes but keep the game moving. Keep it going. keep the flow. I might be in the minority here but I just think it’s it’s better overall for the game,” Atkinson said.

It’s an interesting suggestion which surely prompts some thoughts. Naturally, luck is essential in any sport. Maybe not as much as skill and preparation, but it does play a hand. So scratching off reviews would bring that essence back. But at the same time, with the technological advancements, if the league can give teams a chance to challenge a call they know is a mistake, it makes sense to have a provision for the same.

In addition, with the coach only getting access to an additional challenge if they are correct, it does limit the abuse of power. Having challenges has enhanced the game in terms of accuracy and for teams to feel they could have some control outside of the players. So it’s unlikely that Atkinson’s plea goes anywhere.

Cavaliers have so many weapons

Regardless of the long stoppages or interruptions, the Cavaliers were pushed to their limits tonight. Albeit, with the playoffs fast approaching, Evan Mobley did sit out the game. But even then, the Spurs are left empty with their two-star players out for the season. Yet, they came close. The only reason they couldn’t.

Aside from Allen, Donovan Mitchell played a great hand, setting a career-high in assists with 14. “He changed the game… That second stint he came in you know they packed the paint. I mean extreme paint packing and he just started spraying the ball around. Once he got it out of their tight shell then we started making decisions behind that and that kind of broke the game out,” Atkinson said about the flourishing guard.

But there was another guy.

Sam Merrill may not reflect as much on the box scores, but he has the full trust of Atkinson. “He’s generating offense even when he’s not shooting right. He runs all those ghost screens, he cuts, he just turns the defense up quite honestly. That’s why we started him against Portland the other night because we knew we needed more actions,” the Cavs head coach revealed.

The 6’4″ guard only averages 7 points per game. However, when Merrill is on the floor, the Cavaliers are 4.9 points better than their opponents. Additionally, he devotes himself defensively, recording a 106 defensive rating this season. And it’s not just Merrill. The Cavaliers have a pool of talent as part of their depth that takes the pressure off from Mitchell and Darius Garland.

That’s the reason they are touted to be title contenders this season. They were amazing last season too. But this year they can get contributions from multiple directions making them a legitimate threat to any team.