Cavs’ Kenny Atkinson is doubled after the vs recording. Trail Blazers

When you have three with a line match, coaches face a key decision – do you trust your defense to stop or do you take things in your hands offense and eliminate the game chance three? For Cleveland Cavaliers chief coach Kenny AtkinsonThe choice is clear: If the advanced metrics say it is safe, wrong. Every time.

It is a philosophy based in logic. The offense in that situation prevents the team from even trying to connect the game. Instead, they are forced to earn their points on the free throw line, where they can only two can be two. On paper, he has perfect CAWS sense. But in practice? That can sometimes become messy to Cleveland. And against Blazers Portland Trail Blazers, it is completely revealed completely.

With Cleveland is held on 103-100 lead and only 13 seconds leftAtkinson made his move. Ordered Intentional offense At Anferee Simons before Portland could set a potential game that binds three. Simons, an excellent free throw shooter, sank both attempts peacefully.

CAWS continued to control their destiny. Everything they had to do was that their freely thrown at the other end to maintain a multiple guide. Portland did what any team would do and immediately violated Darius Garland – one of the best free throw shooters in the NBA.

And then, at the moment when everything winced, Garland headed to line.

Individual free throw crashed, cutting cards “lead to only two instead of three. Miss cracked doors that should be closed, outside of the port, blazers suddenly had a realistic footage to tie or even win.

They took full advantage.

The blazer seemed to be a treadmill, they seemed happy as they could be willing to be copper

On the final possession of the portland Regulation, Simons drove in the tape and drew a misdemeanor before the buzzing. This time, the foul was not intentional. It was just bad luck.

Two more free throws later, the game was tied. Overtime.

It was the correct situation Atkinson’s strategy was designed to prevent. Instead of inserting Portland returns of returns, the songs found themselves fighting for their lives in the game that was to be done.

Despite frightened, Atkinson stood a firm in his belief.

“Believe the process,” he said. “And you know, it’s probably at the border when you want a little bit to want a little bit. … So, we play numbers there. And we’re going to get a game. So I’m not regretting.”

This is not the first time Atkinson pushed the boundaries of the “offense three” strategy.

Return 1. December, in the game against Boston Celtics, applied the same tactics with 11 seconds on the watch. He worked – but barely. The pens were forced to make six real free throws to survive and they hazardly approached traffic at the entrance aisle that could turn the game on their heads.

Difference? They executed perfectly in that game.

Against Portland, the unique Miss changed everything.

Cleveland is comfortable rolling the dice and violated whenever the tension is high

It is easy to guess the review decision. Portland, inexperienced team, fought outside the port in the fourth quarter, only 2-5 of deep. There was a real argument that made them forced them in the disputed three-poinster – instead of playing play through free throw – may have been a smarter game.

Still, Atkinson is not someone waving.

He has passed this strategy and is not supported now.

The jokes eventually saved the night in the extension, thank you for a great extent in the explosion of a nine-liter hunter in the optional framework. But close collapse asks questions about the risks involved in Atkonson’s approach.

In its core strategy is a bet. One who relies on the perfect execution.

Most of the night, it means that trust in elite free throw arrows like Garland to crash and eliminate any drama. But how blazers trail cubes are leaning, perfection is not always a guarantee. And when the individual Miss can send the game in Chaos, it’s fair to wonder if the risk really is worth the rewards.

One thing is for sure: Atkinson is willing to coke cubes, finding comfort for inconvenience. Like their main coach, sales will live with this philosophy. Now they just have to make sure they don’t die.