“I feel the responsibility and a good type of pressure. This is great. Like, ‘Oh, my gosh. Me? I’m in this mix to compete for something for the team and the city,’” Kenny Atkinson said, embracing the spotlight. And with good reason. In his debut season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atkinson led the team to a historic 15-0 start—the best beginning ever by a first-year coach with a new franchise. The Cavs dominated across the board, leading the league in points per game, offensive rating, and effective field goal percentage. It’s no surprise Atkinson was named the NBCA Coach of the Year. Now, with expectations higher than ever, he’s revealed the strategy that has the Cavs just one win away from advancing past the first round of the playoffs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won 3 consecutive games against the Miami Heat in the playoffs, putting them on track to enter the Conference Semi-Finals for the 2nd straight year. As a reporter highlighted during the post-game press conference, this is thanks to the Cavs’ effortlessly defending Tyler Herro. It was a feat that many teams have tried to do before, without as much success as this squad. Atkinson wasn’t afraid to share the reason for how his team managed to do so.

“I think, I think raising our ball pressure level, um, on Bam was, um, that was part of it. And obviously, when they have wear out there, we have another safety net behind,” said Atkinson. “Um, and then just being aware, like you said, kind of pregame, if they beat us with a back, I think they beat us with one back cut, you know, if they beat us with the back cut, we’ll kind of live with it. Um, let’s not overreact to that, and we just kind of stuck with the plan”.

Herro’s performance on Saturday was nothing short of disappointing. After all, he finished with just 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting, and 1-of-3 from distance. As highlighted by ‘The Athletic’ reporter Jared Weiss, Herro spent much of the 124-87 Game 3 loss “swimming through a sea of bodies, unable to find the ball as Miami”. With Herro not being so efficient, Bam Adebayo did all he could for Miami, and recorded 22 points and 9 rebounds in the loss. Cleveland’s collective firepower, however, diminished that scoring, as Atkinson’s squad had six players score in double digits in the blowout.

The sequence was yet another product of the Cavaliers’ game plan under Kenny Atkinson, who has made it a mission this postseason to exploit specific matchups. As NBA reporter James Herbert noted, Jarrett Allen and company have consistently hunted Tyler Herro—targeting him in one-on-one actions, dragging him into ball screens, and forcing him into uncomfortable off-ball situations.

When Darius Garland told reporters after Game 2 that they were “picking on” Herro, the Heat guard fired back, saying, “Somebody that doesn’t play defense shouldn’t be talking either.” Boy oh boy, did he have to go there?

Atkinson, meanwhile, continues to deploy his players with surgical precision, reinforcing why he’s one of the sharpest minds in the playoffs. And frankly, the Cavs’ tactical approach makes a lot more sense than Garland’s attempt at trash talk, which only left his side looking worse.

Kenny Atkinson defended himself after Darius Garland made Tyler Herro-focused strategy public knowledge

Darius Garland certainly brought some unwanted attention his way after he publicly revealed the Cavs’ strategy to win was “Pick on Tyler Herro and take care of the ball. Don’t play in tight spaces and pick on their weak defenders”. After all, you wouldn’t find players giving out game plans so easily, and potentially giving Miami some bulletin-board material for the rest of the series.

Of course, this wasn’t the reason why Garland was ruled out of Game 3, since the player is currently dealing with a toe injury. Nevertheless, the team had to do some damage control in the aftermath of these remarks. They sent out Kenny Atkinson, who clarified that Garland’s views do not match his own.

“I don’t control what they say at all. From our perspective, we have great respect for the Heat. … Tyler is a great player, he’s an All-Star,” said Atkinson, ahead of Game 3 at Kaseya Center. The veteran coach also revealed feeling that the storyline is “overblown”.

Well, if Atkinson’s recent remarks proved anything, it is that the team certainly has a special focus on Tyler Herro. Fortunately, just one more win, and the Cavs won’t have to deal with another controversy with the Heat till the next season.