After the positivity heading into the playoffs, being swept was not featured in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ plan of action.A 130-93 drubbing at the hands of the New York Knicks at Rocket Arena sealed their passage to the NBA Finals with a 4-0 series win, and for the Cavs, a season of great hope, promise and motivation ends on a whimper.However, for Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson, there is a silver lining with barriers broken, lessons learned, and roadblocks ploughed through – well, that was until they met the immovable Knicks.“We jumped a barrier that we were stuck on, second round, stuck on that,” Atkinson said. “We made the jump again with a roster we’re trying to figure out in two-and-a-half months to get ready for the playoffs. So, with not great preparation time to put it together on the fly, it says a lot about the guys in the room, so I consider it a success.”Game 6 leaves the Cavs cursed To put your finger on what went wrong, Atkinson certainly points towards New York being more rested, having more than a week to prepare for their Eastern Conference Finals battle, compared to the Cavs getting just over 48 hours, having gone through their second straight seven-game series against the Detroit Pistons, with the Toronto Raptors forcing them to go the distance in the first round."I tell you what didn't help was losing those two Game 6's. I've been in this a long time, and you have to take advantage of those opportunities."Kenny Aktinson on why the Cavs ran out of gas in the ECF"I'm not saying we'd beat the Knicks, but it gives us a better chance"— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) May 26, 2026“I’ll tell you what didn’t help was losing those two Game 6’s,” Atkinson explained. “Having been in this a long time and seeing this before, you have to take advantage of those opportunities.”Conversely, the Knicks breezed into the East with a semifinal sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers before leaving the Cavaliers in the dust as they head to the Finals on an 11-game win streak, with the victor of the San Antonio Spurs and reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on their radar.“They’re playing better basketball. You’ve got to give them credit. They’re on a heater. I don’t want to detract from what we’ve done, but sometimes you’ve got to give the other team credit," Atkinson said.Fatigue clearly showed The effort was there in spurts from the Cavs. In Game 1, they looked comfortable with a 22-point lead before the Knicks ambushed them down the stretch and in overtime to steal the opener.From there, it was a familiar tale of New York overpowering Cleveland in almost every department. But most visibly, the Cavaliers' leader, Donovan Mitchell, looked less than 100%. Questions about his fitness reigned throughout the series and again after Game 4. It was an expected response, given the tests the Cavs had gone through in the earlier rounds.“He just came back to me as normal, he’s banged up like you are at this time of year,” Atkinson revealed. “There wasn’t any specific, ‘oh he’s got to get an MRI or look at this.’ I think he’s just generally banged up, generally fatigued."The fatigue showed from Game 2 onwards. In Game 4, which ultimately decided the Cavs’ fate, it was night and day. The Knicks were ruthless on second chances, outscoring the Cavaliers 32-5. They also had a 33-9 advantage in fast-break points. Pulling the starters with 7:47 left against a lifeless Cleveland side, New York carried the defibrillator all through the Eastern Finals, but this time decided not to shock some life into the hosts.Season over.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow