Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reportedly delivered a message that fired up his team prior to its win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
“Sensing his road-weary and heavy-legged team, playing its third game in four nights, needed a wake-up call, Atkinson gathered the East leaders for a customary pregame speech,” Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor wrote. “It started like so many others, with a lighthearted and jovial delivery.”
However, Atkinson changed his attitude, and star guard Donovan Mitchell said that the flip from the Cavs coach “really got us going.”
“He came in, talking about Duke and the Final Four and (expletive), and then he threw the water bottle at the (TV) screen,” Mitchell said. “Just out of nowhere, he flipped. That really got us going. That’s why we appreciate him. He picks his spots and always does it the right way.”
The Cavs ended up beating the Clippers by five points on Sunday, picking up their 60th win in the 2024-25 season. Cleveland remains the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and it has a 4.5-game cushion on the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics.
“Atkinson told Cleveland.com he doesn’t remember throwing the water bottle,” Fedor wrote. “Either way, whatever truly happened inside that boisterous locker room at Rocket Arena, it clearly got the Cavs’ attention — the intended purpose of this rare outburst.”
Atkinson is in his first season as the Cavs’ head coach, but he’s changed the franchise pretty quickly. After making the playoffs in back-to-back seasons as the No. 4 seed in the East under former head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cavs have risen to a new level in the 2024-25 campaign.
Not only does Cleveland have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but it is still in the mix to set a franchise record for wins in a single season. Cleveland’s previous high came in the 2008-09 season when it won 66 games. The Cavs would need to win each of their last seven games in the 2024-25 campaign to surpass that mark.
After Sunday’s win, the Cavs have a couple of days off before they face the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. Cleveland could end up facing New York at some point in the playoffs, so Wednesday’s game should serve as a solid measuring stick for where the Cavs stand at this point in the season.
Cleveland is aiming to advance past the second round of the playoffs for the first time in the Donovan Mitchell era this season. Cleveland has won just one playoff series over the last two seasons.