Stephen A. Smith Blasts Kenny Atkinson for Comments Ahead of Game 4 vs Knicks

The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals 121-108 at home against the New York Knicks, falling into a 3-0 series deficit.

Despite the loss, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson remained optimistic, pointing to analytics that he believes show a more competitive series than the scoreboard suggests.

"Analytically… we've won 2 out of 3," Atkinson said Sunday. "There's an expected score and we've won two of the three.

"You know, if you believe in process and all that, take that layer. I see it for myself. I have this feeling like analytical table and I think last night the expected score was like one point or two… I know no one wants to hear that."

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On Monday ahead of Game 4, Stephen A. Smith didn't hold back in his criticism of Kenny Atkinson following his comments after the Cleveland Cavaliers' Game 3 loss to the New York Knicks.

"That moment is why Kenny Atkinson deserves to be an assistant coach," Smith said. "Right there. Now obviously I'm being somewhat facetious because the man led Cleveland to a No. 1 seed last year… and even though they underachieved in the playoffs, here they are in the Eastern Conference Finals.

"You are down 3-0 in a conference finals. You're four games away from a championship appearance and now you're on the verge of getting swept, and what comes out of your mouth is ‘we really did well in two out of the three games analytically?' You can't say that. You just can't."

No team in NBA history has ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit, meaning the Cavaliers face an extremely uphill battle the rest of the way.

To extend the series, Cleveland would need to become the first team ever to win four straight games against the Knicks - including at least two on the road at Madison Square Garden - just to force a Game 7 and keep their championship hopes alive.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 12:47 PM.