“This is an incredible opportunity to lead an already talented young roster with an equally bright future.” When Kenny Atkinson was hired as the Cavs head coach last summer, he had some big shoes to fill. His predecessor, JB Bickerstaff had just led the team to the Conference semis for the first time since the LeBron James era. The Cavs expected Kenny to achieve even more. And the head coach has not let the organization down so far.
Surprisingly, Atkinson fit into the Cavs culture like a glove from the moment he stepped in. He led them to the top seed in the East with 64 wins. And last night, he guided Donovan Mitchell and Co. to their first sweep since 2018. However, he was deprived of one key duty by the star players on his squad. Heading into the series clinching encounter against the Heat, it was Atkinson’s job to motivate the team with the right pregame message.
Turns out, the team’s Big 4 already took care of that. When asked if he was aware of the team’s focus heading into the game, Atkinson said, “Yeah. But you never know. Again Chris, it’s like led by Donovan and our kind of Big 4, those guys. Those guys set the right tone, send the right message to the guys. I really don’t have to say anything. It’s all kind of been said amongst them before I get to my pregame speech or film.”
Yes, the team’s leaders – Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, make Atkinson’s job easy, which is one of the reasons behind their success. The head coach continued, “There is just a connection and a camaraderie and our leaders kind of send the right message and everybody kind of follows.” With such amazing leadership, the Cavs supporting cast knows exactly what to do when they step on the hardwood. It even helps them thrive amid adversity like they did last night without Darius Garland.
Kenny Atkinson credits Cavs’ depth amid historic sweep against Heat despite Darius Garland’s absence
After the Cavs won the first two games in Cleveland, everyone expected the Heat to respond appropriately, by at least getting one win at home and avoiding the sweep. Especially with the Cavs playing both road games without Darius Garland, as he was sidelined with a toe sprain. However, Atkinson’s squad never felt Garland’s absence. In fact, they looked even more dominant without him. In Games 3 and 4, they beat the Heat by a combined 92-point margin.
Feb 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Their last night’s 55-point victory was the fourth biggest in playoffs history. Atkinson addressed the massive win without Garland during the postgame presser, “Yeah, I mean that’s one of your All-Star players. Just goes to show how deep we are, right? You know Darius was out but that gave Dean some more minutes. We could kind of tie him more minutes. So, just shows how deep we are and legitimately deep.”
What makes this Cavs team so lethal is that they do not rely on one player to carry the load. Sure, they have superstars like Donovan and Garland to lead the charge. But their supporting cast is also good enough to make up for the stars’ absence. Even last night, six Cavs players scored in double digits, showcasing their all-around performance. That led to a bold claim by the head coach, “I’m not sure there is any team in the league that can go that deep with so many rotation players.” Not sure if that claim can be denied after their spectacular performance in the Heat series. Do you think Cavs are the deepest team in the NBA?
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