NEW ORLEANS — Following Jarrett Allen’s lead, the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated the first 9-0 start in franchise history by pouring water over coach Kenny Atkinson’s head in the locker room.
There will be much more important games, with higher stakes, than the Cavs. Victory 131-122 in New Orleans on Wednesday night.
But Atkinson didn’t mind taking a moment to enjoy something no other Cavs team had done in the 55 years since Cleveland joined the NBA for the 1970-71 season.
“You have to do it,” said Atkinson, who also became the first NBA coach to win his first nine games with a new team. “This season is very long. It’s very difficult to win in this league. So, when you have moments like this, you have to celebrate a little.”
Kenny Atkinson has just become the first coach in @NBA history by starting 9-0 in his first year with a new team! #letmeknow pic.twitter.com/GX7RfnGyQW
– Cleveland Knights (@cavs) November 7, 2024
After shooting 54.2% in the Big Easy, including 48.6% (17 of 35) from 3-point range, the Cavs are shooting a career-best 52.6% from the field. the NBA in the season.
“We’re playing good basketball,” said All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who scored 29 points Wednesday, while five other teammates scored 11 or more. “We’ve done it in a lot of different ways. We’ve had blowouts, close games, come-from-behind wins.
“It’s just the habits that really get me excited about what we’re doing. The most important thing is to be consistent. Let’s continually be this team.”
Cleveland next plays at home on Friday night against the Golden State Warriors, who set the NBA record for best start to a season by winning their first 24 games during the 2015-16 campaign.
Against the Pelicans, the Cavs got 50 points from the reserves, while four of five starters scored 14 or more. They are the second team to start 9-0 and score 110 or more points in every game in NBA history, joining the 1960-61 Warriors.
“Again, everyone contributes,” Atkinson said. “It’s what good teams do. We’re in a good place physically. We’re in a good place mentally.
“When you win nine in a row, it’s not one or two guys; it’s the entire squad.”
In his previous four seasons as Brooklyn’s head coach, Atkinson had just one winning record, going 42-40 in 2018-19.
He spent the last four seasons as an assistant: the first with the LA Clippers and the last three with Golden State.
Now, he’s off to a fairly auspicious start in his second stint as head coach, albeit with a team that won a playoff series a season ago and was expected to be in the Eastern Conference playoffs again this season.
“The vibes are great, the energy is great, he’s done a phenomenal job with us and we’ve embraced it too,” Mitchell said. “He’s given us his opinion, but he’s also allowed us to give our opinion to ourselves and I think that’s what’s special.”
Atkinson, meanwhile, seems pleased by the synergy he has felt not only among his players, but also between them and himself.
“What I think about is this team and the camaraderie they have, the chemistry we have and how connected they are,” said Atkinson, who replaced the fired JB Bickerstaff. “I’ve been lucky enough to be with a really good group, a group that’s had a lot of success in the past and I’m happy for them, and I think they’re happy for me in the locker room.
“There’s a bond between the head coach and the team. You have to celebrate those moments and it’s great.”
