Story by
'I feel the responsibility': Cavs' Kenny Atkinson embraces pressure to succeed in playoffs
- Story by
- 'I feel the responsibility': Cavs' Kenny Atkinson embraces pressure to succeed in playoffs
INDEPENDENCE — Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson still has the footage.
Growing up as the seventh of Neil and Pauline Atkinson's eight children — all boys — in Northport, New York, Atkinson and his younger brother, Robert, found themselves in a dispute.
Advertisement
To settle it, their father armed them with boxing gloves and put two minutes on a timer with a video camera rolling.
"We just beat the crap out of each other," Atkinson told the Beacon Journal . "I'm swinging wildly. He's hitting me. I won 'cause I was a year older. We were like 8 and 9."
The 57-year-old Atkinson laughed while he recalled the story April 18 after the Cavs practiced at Cleveland Clinic Courts. He explained his upbringing fueled his competitive fire and introduced him to a variety of sports at a young age because he often tagged along with his older brothers.
"You were constantly under pressure," Atkinson said.
Advertisement
The Eastern Conference's No. 1 playoff seed , the Cavs have championship aspirations in Atkinson's first season at the helm of their franchise. They will open the postseason by facing the No. 8 seed Miami Heat in Game 1 at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 20, at Rocket Arena.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson looks on during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 18, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
How does Kenny Atkinson view his first crack at the NBA playoffs as Cleveland Cavaliers head coach?
Although Atkinson won an NBA title as a Golden State Warriors assistant coach in 2022, he has just five games of playoff experience on his head coaching resume. As a Brooklyn boss in 2019, Atkinson and the No. 6 seed Nets fell 4-1 in the first round to the No. 3 seed Philadelphia 76ers .
Advertisement
The 2024-25 Cavs present a much different situation. They expect greatness, a sentiment shared by their fans, and the team has a massive target on its back.
Atkinson's approach to managing all of it is to be honest with himself and his players.
"I feel the responsibility and a good type of pressure," Atkinson said. "This is great. Like, 'Oh, my gosh. Me? I'm in this mix to compete for something for the team and the city.' This is so unique, and I have good perspective because I've coached the worst team in the league record-wise. I've been on the other side, and I've struggled to get into the Play-In or the playoffs.
"I almost feel like we're in a privileged position, and I respect the heck out of that. I'm also saying, I'm telling myself, 'I'm going to enjoy this because it doesn't happen often.' You have to embrace it. But all the stuff you guys talk [about in the media like] pressure? Yes. Understanding that if you don't get to the conference finals, there's going to be disappointment. I understand how that all works, and I'm not shying from it."
Advertisement
Cavs playoffs: Donovan Mitchell's health, Evan Mobley's approach top list of keys for Cleveland Cavaliers
Confrontation is a way of life in a household with seven brothers, so Atkinson was conditioned to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
"There was a physicality in the sense that it was like a pack of cubs," Atkinson said. "We were always knocking each other and pushing each other.
"I cried a lot. Then they'd make fun of me. They called me 'Crier Tuck.' It was always the barbs, right? Like, 'Oh, you're not tough enough.'"
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson argues a call with referee Zach Zarba (15) during a game against the Miami Heat on March 5, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Kenny Atkinson says 'everything clicks' with the Cleveland Cavs, just like it did when he went to the Sweet 16 as a Richmond point guard
In Atkinson's mind, a competitive advantage was forged. All of his brothers played multiple sports, yet he became the only Division I college athlete in the bunch.
Advertisement
Starting at point guard for the University of Richmond, Atkinson helped the Spiders reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 1988. As a 13th seed, Richmond shocked No. 4 Indiana , the defending national champion coached by the legendary Bob Knight, in the first round of March Madness and then knocked off No. 5 Georgia Tech before falling to No. 1 Temple. Richmond finished 26-7 a year after going 15-14.
"We just had this incredible chemistry," Atkinson said. "And the Sweet 16 for Richmond, that's like going to the Final Four. It was magical."
The run Richmond enjoyed reminds Atkinson of this Cavs season.
"Everything clicks," Atkinson said. "You know when it's special."
Advertisement
Cavs news: How Donovan Mitchell's sacrifice is paying off for the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) and guard Donovan Mitchell (45) wait alongside coach Kenny Atkinson to enter the game against the New York Knicks on April 2, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Cavaliers ' Kenny Atkinson named National Basketball Coaches Association coach of the year
Coming off a 4-1 series loss to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cavs fired coach J.B. Bickerstaff this past May and hired Atkinson in June. The team's personnel remained virtually identical until a Feb. 6 trade in which the Cavs acquired wing De'Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks , but Atkinson's makeover of the offense worked wonders.
Among the NBA's 30 teams, the Cavs finished the regular season first in offensive rating (121) and eighth in defensive rating (111.8). They went 64-18, giving them the second-most wins in club history. Atkinson became the fifth head coach in league history to earn 64 victories in his first season with a new team.
Advertisement
On April 19, the National Basketball Coaches Association named Atkinson its coach of the year. The NBA's 30 coaches vote on the award.
Throughout this season, Atkinson has downplayed his role and credited the talent, continuity and camaraderie on the roster.
"He means a lot to all of us," Cavs All-Star point guard Darius Garland said. "Just getting a new voice in the locker room, a new system, new culture, I think has played a big part in us [securing the best record in the East]. He instilled like a lot of confidence in all of us.
"He got Defensive Player of the Year [candidate Evan Mobley ] shooting 3s, so that was a huge thing for us because he can really shoot it, and it gives us a lot more space for driving angles and just attacking downhill. And that was, like, a small change that we never even thought about, really. So now this year, you see a big difference.
Advertisement
"[Atkinson] got Donovan [Mitchell in] MVP discussions all over again. JA [ Jarrett Allen ] should have been an All-Star. So, I mean, he's helped us a lot. I know he doesn't want to take credit for it, but he's a really good coach."
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson reacts against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 25, 2025, in Cleveland.
Kenny Atkinson had other NBA head coaching opportunities in recent years, but he saw the Cavs job as 'a must'
Atkinson considers himself fortunate to land with the Cavs. He went 118-190 in three-plus regular seasons (2016-20) in charge of the Nets. After Brooklyn fired Atkinson, he became a finalist in coaching searches conducted by the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks .
Advertisement
Atkinson even agreed in 2022 to coach the Charlotte Hornets before experiencing a change of heart. With Atkinson's wife, Laura, and two children, Annika and Anthony, in mind, he decided to remain with the Warriors.
"I give my wife a lot of credit," Atkinson said. "Because after I took [the Charlotte job], I had some doubts, just slight doubts, and she came to me. She was like, 'Listen, if we change cities again, this is going to be the third city in four years. I don't know if we're ready for this.'
"If you have some doubts and then your family's kind of like really pushing back, she would've been fine, but [it was] going to be a tough one for us [as a family]. So that's kind of how that went down."
Two years later, Atkinson took his second bite at the NBA head coaching apple with the Cavs.
Advertisement
"When this [job] came open," Atkinson said, "the other ones I was excited [about] — it's an NBA job — but this one I was like, 'Holy s***! Whatever my presentation is [during my interview], it's got to be the best thing I've ever done.'
"I said, 'I am going for this with full force.' The others weren't like that. It was more like, 'Yeah, I'm going to go for it. I'm going to compete and all that.' But this one, it was almost like a must. You know how you have must wins? This was like a must job."
Since Atkinson's arrival, he has felt love from fans whenever he's had time to venture away from his Cleveland Heights home, practices or games. His brothers are among his biggest supporters and have visited Northeast Ohio.
It's time to get back to fighting, though. The playoffs are here.
Advertisement
"These opportunities to do something, they just don't come along that often," Atkinson said. "Most of the time, you're on teams that are competing for a playoff spot or trying to get in the top four. The fact that we're in the mix — there's only very few teams in the mix — we don't take that for granted."
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs playoffs: Kenny Atkinson not shying away from great expectations
