Atkinson’s choice led to the Trail Blazers tying the game and forcing overtime.
The logic for intentionally fouling your opponent in a game you’re up three is simple. You don’t want to let them have a shot at tying the game. Sending them to the line only gives them two free throws. It’s a thought process that Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson subscribes to.
The logic behind this philosophy is simple. Nearly every team does it during the closing seconds. Atkinson is, however, more aggressive than most.
Earlier this season, in the December 1 win over the Boston Celtics, Atkinson started fouling while up three with 11 seconds left in the game. It worked out, but there were a few tense moments. The Cavs were forced to make all six of their free throws to match Boston. They also nearly turned it over on one of the inbound passes, but Georges Niang made a nice play on what could’ve easily been a turnover.
Atkinson followed a similar strategy on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers. This time, it didn’t work.
The Cavs intentionally fouled Anfernee Simons while up three with 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter. He made both free throws to make it a one-point game. Naturally, they fouled the Cavaliers on the ensuing possession, which sent Garland to the line.
This strategy only works if the team leading makes both free throws in return. Darius Garland didn’t which made it a two-point game.
The miss left the door open for Portland to either tie or win the game on their final possession. Simons was unintentionally fouled on a layup attempt just before the end of regulation. He made both free throws which sent the game to overtime.
Even though it didn’t work, Atkinson didn’t second-guess his decision.
“Trust the process,” Atkinson said when asked about the choice to foul postgame.
“And you know, it’s probably on the limit of when you foul, you maybe want the clock down a little bit. I guess the rule is under 10. … But I felt like, because we have a great free throw shooting team … DG is what 90%? So, we’re playing the numbers there. Usually, he makes two and we’re off and we win the game. So I don’t regret it.”
The Cavs ended up winning in overtime thanks to nine points from De’Andre Hunter in the extra frame, but it’s fair to wonder if that would’ve been necessary if the Cavs chose to just play it out. Portland was 2-5 from three in the fourth quarter, and considering they’re an inexperienced team, you could argue they would’ve had a tough time getting a clean three-point look off.
Still, Atkinson’s logic has merit. If Garland makes both free throws, this isn’t a conversation at all.
It’s clear that Atkinson trusts this strategy and will likely continue to use it in close games going forward. We’ll see if it works out better for the Cavs in the future.