NEW ORLEANS – Taking their cues from Jarrett Allen, the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated the first 9-0 start to a season in franchise history by pouring water bottles over coach Kenny Atkinson’s head in the locker room.
There will be much bigger games, with higher stakes, than the Cavs’ 131-122 victory 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,” said Atkinson, who also became the first NBA coach to win his first nine games with a new team. “This season’s so long. It’s so hard to win in this league. So, when you do have moments like this, you have to celebrate a little.”
After hitting 54.2% of their shots in the Big Easy — including 48.6% (17 of 35) from 3-point range — the Cavs are shooting an NBA-best 52.6% on the season from the field.
“We’re playing good basketball,” said All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who had a team-high 29 points in New Orleans, while five other teammates scored 11 or more. “We’ve done it in so many 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,” Mitchell said. “My biggest thing is just being consistent. Let’s continually be this team.”
Cleveland next plays at home Friday night against the Golden State Warriors, who set the NBA record for the 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 reserves while four of five starters scored 14 or more.
“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 whole roster,” he added.
In his four previous seasons as a head coach with Brooklyn, Atkinson had just one winning record, going 42-40 in 2018-19.
He spent the past four seasons as an assistant — the first with the Los Angeles Clippers and the last three with Golden State.
Now, he’s off to a rather auspicious start in his second head coaching stint, albeit with a team that won a playoff series a season ago and was expected to be in the Eastern Conference postseason picture again this season.
“The vibes are great, energy’s great, he’s done a phenomenal job with us and we’ve also bought in,” Mitchell said. “He’s given us input but also allowed us to give input ourselves and I think that’s what’s special.”
Atkinson, meanwhile, sounds gratified by the synergy he’s sensed not only among his players, but between them and himself.
“What I think about is this team and the camaraderie they have, and the chemistry we have going and how connected they are,” Atkinson said. “I’ve been fortunate to land with a really good group, a group that’s been really successful 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 a team,” Atkinson continued. “You’ve got to celebrate those moments and it’s pretty cool.”
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