The Cleveland Cavaliers are taking control of their series in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat. In fact, the Cavs are already up 2-0 in the series following a 121-112 victory at home Wednesday night over Tyler Herro and company, who came up with a much more competitive performance than in Game 1 that ultimately went for naught as Cleveland scored another win.
Nevertheless, the intensity of this series is being felt by everyone involved in the game, including Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson. That was perhaps best exemplified during one moment in Game 2 when Atkinson boldly gestured for a review right in front of a referee on the sidelines after asking for a timeout in the fourth quarter.
Kenny Atkinson’s reaction at the end is hilarious 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/UB4HCarqMG
— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) April 24, 2025
“Feel like that's going to be a reaction meme for years to come,” said a commenter.
Another Reddit user said: “He’s not mad just disappointed.”
From another comment: “I love him.”
That was echoed by a Cavs fan: “Hahahaha. I love him.”
“This is how Larry David would call for a challenge to the ref he’s already feuding with for something unrelated,” another Reddit user voiced out.
“Kenny is such a boring personality that when he does get animated, it’s pretty surprising. It’s so weird at times having Kenny this year after JB Bickerstaff was non-stop throwing a tantrum for every minute of a game,” observed a fan.
As for the game itself, the Cavs weathered a determined Miami unit in Game 2, thanks in large part to the incredible performance of the backcourt tandem of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. Mitchell paced the Cavs with 30 points on 10-for-21 shooting from the field with three 3-pointers
Cleveland buried the Heat with an avalanche of treys in Game 2, hitting 22 3-pointers on 45 attempts for an incredible 48.9 percent success rate from behind the arc. After two games, the Cavaliers have shot 49.4 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from long distance.
It will be interesting to see whether Atkinson's Cavs will be able to sustain that kind of shooting when the series shifts to South Beach for Games 3 and 4 this coming Saturday and Monday, respectively.