Cavs' Kenny Atkinson uniquely criticized team's lackluster defense against Bulls

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the best team in the NBA and show no signs of slowing down. However, despite how dominant Cleveland has been in opening the season, they aren’t flawless. The Cavs scored in bunches in their 144-126 NBA Cup win over the Chicago Bulls. Running up the scoreboard helped Cleveland handle any possible NBA Cup tiebreakers. However, their defense allowed Chicago to reach triple digits in scoring. That didn’t sit right with head coach Kenny Atkinson, who let his team know at halftime when the Cavs were only leading 77-73. According to Donovan Mitchell, Atkinson took out his frustrations on a flip-flop.

"He came in here (the locker room) at halftime and slammed a flip-flop because he was upset we gave up 73 points,” Mitchell said. “That's what we want. That's how we get better. Obviously, we haven't lost, but how do you find ways to continue to build good habits? It's by continuing to coach us hard and not let in any room for mental errors or lapses. That's what you want in a coach."

Despite the antics, Mitchell clearly appreciates Atkinson’s tough coaching style, which the team believes is essential for improvement. Although Atkinson’s approach probably drew some laughs, it reflected the coach’s commitment to holding players accountable.

"When you're playing, you hear how good you are," Mitchell said. "You hear about the streaks. You hear about all the positives. … [Coaching us hard] is what we want. I think we all prefer to hear how good we are on a daily basis, and sometimes we hear how bad we are when we miss a parlay or whatever, but I think for us, that's how you get better.

How Kenny Atkinson’s positivity didn’t make the Cavs flip-flop against the Bulls

Atkinson has heard and received this message.

"They always ask me, 'Coach us harder,' " Atkinson said pregame. "It's amazing. 'Hey, Coach, you're showing too many positive clips.' They want to know how they can get better.

"As a coach, I always try to err on the side of positive — win, lose, or draw — but we have a lot of progress to make. We have a lot of areas to improve."

Coming out of halftime, it appears that Cleveland took the flip-flop’s sacrifice to heart. Although Chicago could still score in bunches, it wasn’t at the rate the Bulls were hitting in the first half. In the first half, Chicago scored 73 points, making 58.3% of their attempts and connecting on 13 three-pointers. However, the Cavs clamped up on the Bulls in the second half. In the final two quarters, Chicago only scored 53 points, making 42.5% of their attempts and connecting on only seven three-point attempts.

"We definitely did not play great defensively, but it's also like the shot-making as a league right now is incredible," Atkinson admitted. "What I didn't like about the first half, we only turned them over twice. I think in the second half, we turned them over 13 times, and that's what we got 'em on."

With the 144-point total, Cleveland scored at least 130 points for a team record sixth time this season, marking more history in an already historic season. But after Atkinson stressed the importance of defense to protect their explosive scoring, the Cavs responded. After the much-needed reminder, the Cavs turned defense into offense when it mattered most. Cleveland forced 13 turnovers over the final two periods, including turning five turnovers into 10 points in the final quarter. Off of those Bulls miscues, the Cavs were able to score 16 points, keeping their opponent arm’s length away.

The Cavs are focused on building habits that extend beyond their unbeaten streak, using every win as a stepping stone. However, with Atkinson coaching and challenging the team correctly, long-term success seems much more realistic for Cleveland.

"How do you find ways to continue to build habits?" Mitchell said. "And it's continuing to coach, coaching hard. And not letting room for any mental errors or any lapses."

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