Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson drew not only criticism but also calls for his ouster after he said, analytically, that his team was beating the New York Knicks even though they were on the verge of a humiliating defeat in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Cavs ended up getting swept, but they were hilariously crowned as Eastern Conference Analytics champions by a handful of folks. While fans continue to have a good laugh about Atkinson’s statement, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green urges Kenny’s critics to shut up because they don’t know what they are talking about.
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“There’s an analytic department that every NBA team has right now,” said Green on his podcast. “And they run all these analytics all year, from how many times I tie my shoe during the game or how many jump shots to where jump shots are, everything down to a T. One thing that they also do is every game, the coaches get an expected score of the game based on all these different facts.”
Expected points, expected score
Analytics has gone a long way in the NBA. Many say it’s gone too far, that it has ruined the game, because the biggest driver of today’s 3-point era is the analytics principle that if you can’t get a dunk or layup, the next most efficient shot is the 3-pointer. That’s what they call expected points. Then there’s also the expected score, which is what Kenny was talking about.
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According to ESPN, the Expected Score metric is calculated by taking a player’s shot attempts from various areas of the floor and applying the league-average point value for those shots, creating an estimate. The expected score is then compared with the actual performance to determine the point differential.
“Think about sports gambling and why people around the NBA can’t bet on sports. All these different things they take into account, and they come up with an expected score, and coaches get that expected score as part of all their things before the game. That’s what Kenny is talking about… For all of you out there, analytics plays a huge role in what your team does. So just because you don’t know what it is, don’t completely throw it out,” Green added.
People did not get the context of Atkinson’s statement
Draymond has a point. Fans don’t know what analytics truly means. But aside from that, most folks did not understand the meaning behind Atkinson’s words.
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If we go back and listen to that interview, he was not talking about his team winning the series. He was asked why he believes the Cavs can win Game 4, and he merely said the numbers show they’re doing well, so he’s confident they won’t get swept. If you check X, you’ll see that all the videos circulating online start only with Kenny’s answer, not the question that led to it.
Atkinson is one of the most brilliant coaches in the NBA. You know he wouldn’t say something stupid. He was correct. He just said it at the wrong time, and the media angled it differently in a manner that it became a negative statement. But the Cavs players know who their coach is. Management as well, because early reports say Atkinson will be coaching the Cavaliers next season as well.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.