Coach Admits Cavaliers “Dominated' by Pacers; Mitchell Injury Update

Game 4 was largely decided by the conclusion of a disastrous first half for Cleveland, where they were outscored 80-39, tying the largest halftime deficit in NBA Playoff history.

So, what happened? “Complete domination by them… in every facet. It wasn’t like… tactics or anything.” Atkinson explained. “They dominated us in every facet of the game.”

The overarching theme from the head coach was the Pacers’ superior physicality and intensity. “They dominated with their force,” he said. “They raised their game to another level, and we didn’t match it. We talked about it, we knew it was coming… but for whatever reason, they were at another level. Their force was greater in every sense.”

“We were running our offense at half court. They had us pushed out, couldn’t get to our spots. It was really kind of physical, you know, physical domination,” Atkinson explained.

Looking ahead, the Cavaliers face a potential elimination game in Cleveland Tuesday night. “Hey, listen… we got two out of the three next games at home,” Atkinson said. “We’re great at home. Got to get the next one, see if we can come back here for game six.”

The Cavaliers’ storybook season now hangs precariously as they await news on Mitchell’s ankle while needing to overcome a Pacers team that thoroughly outplayed Cleveland on Sunday night.

“Hopefully we get Donovan back,” Atkinson added. “You go get game five and you’re back here for game six.”

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