Atkinson reviews Game 1 loss as Cavs face Knicks in Eastern Conference Finals Game 2

In the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden, the Cleveland Cavaliers surrendered a winnable contest to the New York Knicks through late-game breakdowns that exposed the fragile distance between competing and closing. Coach Kenny Atkinson turned to the film not in defeat but in search of understanding, knowing that playoff series are rarely decided by talent alone but by the composure to execute when the margin for error vanishes. Game 2 now carries the weight of a crossroads — a chance for Cleveland to reframe the series or risk falling into a narrative not of