Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson wins NBA Coach of the Year for his first season with Cavaliers
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson is believable while insisting he would have preferred to defeat the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals over becoming the recipient a prestigious end-of-season NBA award.
Nevertheless, Atkinson was named NBA Coach of the Year on Monday, May 5, less than 24 hours after the top-seeded Cavs fell 121-112 to the fourth-seeded Pacers to begin their best-of-seven, second-round playoff series. The league announced the Coach of the Year results on TNT.
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'No thoughts. I'd rather beat Indiana. That's my thoughts on that,' said Atkinson, who helped the Cavs sweep the eighth-seeded Miami Heat 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
Atkinson's competitive fire aided the Cavs during a historic season. He is the third Coach of the Year in Cavs history. The others are Mike Brown (2008-09) and Bill Fitch (1975-76).
Kenny Atkinson shaped by his 7 brothers: Cleveland Cavaliers coach embraces pressure to succeed in playoffs
Former Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff finished runner-up in NBA Coach of the Year voting for his first season with the Detroit Pistons
The Cavs hired Atkinson in June to replace J.B. Bickerstaff, whom the Detroit Pistons later hired as their coach.
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Atkinson, Bickerstaff and Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka were the three finalists for Coach of the Year.
A media panel of 100 voters picked the winner based on performances throughout the 2024-25 regular season. Atkinson received 401 points in the voting system used by the league, followed by Bickerstaff with 305 and Udoka with 113.
In the regular season, the Cavs went 64-18 to earn the East's No. 1 playoff seed and the Central Division title. They had winning streaks of 15 and 16 games, with their longest losing streak spanning just four games. Only two other teams in franchise history have reached 60 regular-season wins — 66-16 in 2008-09 and 61-21 in 2009-10. The Cavs have been the East's top playoff seed four times.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson smiles as he watches the action against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 20, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York.
With Kenny Atkinson in his first year as Cavs boss, the Cleveland Cavaliers finished the 2024-25 regular season with the NBA's top offense
Among the NBA's 30 teams, the Cavs finished the regular season first in offensive rating (121) and eighth in defensive rating (111.8)
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'He's got his hands all over this team,' Cavs small forward Max Strus said in April of Atkinson. 'We've gotten better in every aspect of the game, I think. But I'd say offensively, just our strategic game plans and organizationally with our spacing and whatnot, just how to utilize this team best, I think that is where he's really helped us.'
Atkinson became the fifth coach in NBA history to win 64-plus games in his first season with a team. The others who accomplished the feat are Bill Sharman (69 wins with the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers), Phil Jackson (67 wins with the 1999-2000 Lakers), Steve Kerr (67 wins with the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors) and Flip Saunders (64 wins with the 2005-06 Pistons). Sharman, Jackson and Kerr guided their teams to an NBA title in those same seasons.
Cavs injury nrews: Kenny Atkinson upset with no-calls. De'Andre Hunter, Evan Mobley questionable for Game 2
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers in a second-round NBA playoff series May 4, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cleveland Cavs credit Kenny Atkinson with empowering Cavaliers players
Atkinson's NBA Coach of the Year award was foreshadowed. On April 19, the National Basketball Coaches Association named him its coach of the year, an honor voted on by the NBA's coaches. He was also named the NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month twice this season.
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'It's the level of empowerment that he's given each individual on this team,' Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said in April of Atkinson's contributions. 'We've talked about it for so long, and you've seen it in the play. You've seen it in guys. You've seen it in the camaraderie, the chemistry.'
As for Bickerstaff and Udoka, their teams made the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round. Bickerstaff led the Pistons to a record of 44-38 in the regular season a year after they went 14-68. Udoka guided the Rockets to a record of 52-30 during his second season in charge of Houston.
Bickerstaff went 170-159 and 6-11 in the playoffs in four-plus seasons as coach of the Cavs. Last season, the Cavs went 48-34 before beating the Orlando Magic 4-3 in the first round of the playoffs and losing 4-1 to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cavs then fired Bickerstaff in May 2024 and hired Atkinson the following month.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson looks on during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 18, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Cavaliers' Kenny Atkinson joins Browns' Kevin Stefanski and Guardians' Stephen Vogt as coaches or managers of the year in Cleveland pro sports
Atkinson, 57, had one previous head coaching job in the NBA. He went 118-190 in three-plus regular seasons (2016-20) in charge of the Brooklyn Nets. Before joining the Cavs, Atkinson spent the previous three seasons as a Warriors assistant under Kerr. Atkinson captured an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2022.
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Atkinson winning Coach of the Year continues a trend in Cleveland professional sports.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has won two Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year awards. He received the honor for the 2020 season as a first-year head coach and again for the 2023 season.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was named the Baseball Writers' Association of America's 2024 AL Manager of the Year after his first season as an MLB manager.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kenny Atkinson wins NBA Coach of the Year with Cavs' 64-win season
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NBA Finals: What to know as OKC Thunder and Indiana Pacers battle for title
The 2025 NBA playoffs have been ones to remember with shock results, historical big comebacks and the traditional heavyweights struggling. And at the end of a thrilling postseason, it is two teams with vastly different stories in the Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will face off in the best-of-seven series for the Larry O'Brien Trophy and the chance to lift aloft a championship banner in their home arena. Both have had grueling journeys to reach this spot, so here's everything you need to know. The NBA Finals begin with Game 1 on Thursday in Oklahoma City with the Thunder having home-court advantage because of their better regular season record. All games will be broadcast on ABC. Here's the full NBA Finals schedule: · Game 1: Pacers @ Thunder, Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET · Game 2: Pacers @ Thunder, Sunday at 8 p.m. ET · Game 3: Thunder @ Pacers, June 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET · Game 4: Thunder @ Pacers, June 13 at 8:30 p.m. ET · Game 5 (if needed): Pacers @ Thunder, June 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET · Game 6 (if needed): Thunder @ Pacers, June 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET · Game 7 (if needed): Pacers @ Thunder, June 22 at 8 p.m. ET The Thunder's and Pacers' route to the NBA Finals couldn't have been more different. The Thunder spent the majority of the regular season atop the Western Conference standings and were many peoples' picks for the title. They are led by this season's MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and have a deep rotation filled with productive role players who have stepped up in the biggest moments. On the other hand, the Pacers had a good but not great regular season, not challenging for the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference and even having a sub-.500 record in January. 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Chet Holmgren has provided key blocks at certain points and Alex Caruso turned into a key defender of three-time MVP Nikola Jokić in the Nuggets series. On the other side, Indiana has made a high-scoring offense a key part of its game. Most of it revolves around Haliburton, with his pin-point passing able to set up his teammates in good spots while Siakam provides a physical presence inside. Haliburton is averaging 18.8 points, 9.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game this postseason as Indiana has outgunned many of its opponents; in the 2025 postseason so far, the Pacers are 12-0 when they score 114 or more points but 0-4 when they don't hit the mark. 'When you get to this point of the season, it's two teams and it's one goal and so it becomes an all-or-nothing thing,' Carlisle said. 'And we understand the magnitude of the opponent. Oklahoma City has been dominant all year long – with capital letters in the word 'dominant.' 'Defensively, they're historically great and they got all kinds of guys that can score. It's two teams that have similar structures, slightly different styles.' The fate of this year's NBA title might revolve around one end of the court and whether Indiana can break down a stout OKC. The NBA Finals could be defined by the two star guards on display – Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder and Haliburton for the Pacers. Both were traded away from their first teams – Gilgeous-Alexander was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers and Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings – but have blossomed with their new teams. Gilgeous-Alexander is the league's MVP this season, beating out Jokić for his first award, after leading the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game. The 26-year-old is arguably one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in the NBA at the moment, but it has been a long road to get to this point. 'It's been a roller coaster,' Gilgeous-Alexander said earlier this week. 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That doesn't mean he's universally loved around the league though, with The Athletic conducting an anonymous survey of NBA players who voted Haliburton as the league's most overrated player. Though his play and game-winners this postseason have surely changed some of those opinions. For the Thunder or Pacers to have any chance of winning this year's Larry O'Brien Trophy, it will likely rest on their star guards' shoulders to get them to the finish line.
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NBA Finals: What to know as OKC Thunder and Indiana Pacers battle for title
The 2025 NBA playoffs have been ones to remember with shock results, historical big comebacks and the traditional heavyweights struggling. And at the end of a thrilling postseason, it is two teams with vastly different stories in the Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will face off in the best-of-seven series for the Larry O'Brien Trophy and the chance to lift aloft a championship banner in their home arena. Both have had grueling journeys to reach this spot, so here's everything you need to know. The NBA Finals begin with Game 1 on Thursday in Oklahoma City with the Thunder having home-court advantage because of their better regular season record. All games will be broadcast on ABC. Here's the full NBA Finals schedule: · Game 1: Pacers @ Thunder, Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET · Game 2: Pacers @ Thunder, Sunday at 8 p.m. ET · Game 3: Thunder @ Pacers, June 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET · Game 4: Thunder @ Pacers, June 13 at 8:30 p.m. ET · Game 5 (if needed): Pacers @ Thunder, June 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET · Game 6 (if needed): Thunder @ Pacers, June 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET · Game 7 (if needed): Pacers @ Thunder, June 22 at 8 p.m. ET The Thunder's and Pacers' route to the NBA Finals couldn't have been more different. The Thunder spent the majority of the regular season atop the Western Conference standings and were many peoples' picks for the title. They are led by this season's MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and have a deep rotation filled with productive role players who have stepped up in the biggest moments. On the other hand, the Pacers had a good but not great regular season, not challenging for the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference and even having a sub-.500 record in January. Yes, they have two elite players in Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, but causing a stir in the latter stages of the NBA postseason was on nobody's playoffs predictions. But here we are. Both teams had to endure their ups and downs throughout the playoffs. The Thunder went to a Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets in the semifinals and experienced a 42-point blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals before their star-power shone through. The Pacers, meanwhile, have made big comebacks a part of their DNA, shocking the Eastern Conference No. 1 seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the second round in five games before coming through a thrilling Eastern Conference Finals with the New York Knicks which became an all-time classic, such was the level of drama in most games. While the Thunder are many people's favorites to earn their first NBA ring since moving from Seattle, in particular with home-court advantage – they had a league-best 43-7 home record this season – Indiana has made the impossible possible throughout the postseason. And led by head coach Rick Carlisle – who coached the Dallas Mavericks to a shock NBA title victory over the heavily-favored Miami Heat in 2011 – nothing is off the cards. Throughout the postseason, the two Finals contenders have homed in on what makes them successful. For the Thunder, it is their elite defense while for the Pacers, it is their explosive offense. OKC's deep rotation is full of capable defensive players, highlighted by their two All-NBA Defensive team stars – Lu Dort on the first team and Jalen Williams on the second. But even outside of those, they have contributors who have had big moments this playoffs. Chet Holmgren has provided key blocks at certain points and Alex Caruso turned into a key defender of three-time MVP Nikola Jokić in the Nuggets series. On the other side, Indiana has made a high-scoring offense a key part of its game. Most of it revolves around Haliburton, with his pin-point passing able to set up his teammates in good spots while Siakam provides a physical presence inside. Haliburton is averaging 18.8 points, 9.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game this postseason as Indiana has outgunned many of its opponents; in the 2025 postseason so far, the Pacers are 12-0 when they score 114 or more points but 0-4 when they don't hit the mark. 'When you get to this point of the season, it's two teams and it's one goal and so it becomes an all-or-nothing thing,' Carlisle said. 'And we understand the magnitude of the opponent. Oklahoma City has been dominant all year long – with capital letters in the word 'dominant.' 'Defensively, they're historically great and they got all kinds of guys that can score. It's two teams that have similar structures, slightly different styles.' The fate of this year's NBA title might revolve around one end of the court and whether Indiana can break down a stout OKC. The NBA Finals could be defined by the two star guards on display – Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder and Haliburton for the Pacers. Both were traded away from their first teams – Gilgeous-Alexander was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers and Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings – but have blossomed with their new teams. Gilgeous-Alexander is the league's MVP this season, beating out Jokić for his first award, after leading the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game. The 26-year-old is arguably one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in the NBA at the moment, but it has been a long road to get to this point. 'It's been a roller coaster,' Gilgeous-Alexander said earlier this week. 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That doesn't mean he's universally loved around the league though, with The Athletic conducting an anonymous survey of NBA players who voted Haliburton as the league's most overrated player. Though his play and game-winners this postseason have surely changed some of those opinions. For the Thunder or Pacers to have any chance of winning this year's Larry O'Brien Trophy, it will likely rest on their star guards' shoulders to get them to the finish line.
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an hour ago
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The storylines to watch for in Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals battle
The Knicks got as close to reaching the NBA Finals as they have in a quarter century, but the league title once again will be decided without them. While the Knicks sort out their coaching situation with the firing of Tom Thibodeau following their Eastern Conference finals loss to Indiana, the Pacers will square off with the rolling Thunder with both teams looking to be crowned as the champions for the first time in their respective cities. (Note: The Thunder franchise did win it at all as the Seattle Supersonics in 1979, but this would mark their first title since relocating to Oklahoma City in 2008). Here are 10 storylines to follow beginning with Game 1 on Thursday night in OKC: First things first The Pacers joined the NBA in the 1976 merger with the ABA, and this only marks their second trip to the NBA Finals — and first since Reggie Miller & Co. lost in 2000 to the Lakers of Kobe, Shaq and Phil Jackson. Indiana previously won three ABA titles in the 1970s. 7 The Pacers will need Tyrese Haliburton to have a big NBA Finals against the favored Thunder. NBAE via Getty Images The Thunder reached the championship round in 2012 led by young stars Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden before losing in five games to the Heat. One of these cities is going to get a victory celebration for the first time. That's the point All eyes will be on the scintillating matchup between two All-Star point guards, Knicks killer Tyrese Haliburton and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA will look to become the first regular-season MVP to cop an NBA title in the same season since Stephen Curry pulled off the feat with the Warriors in 2015. He is averaging 29.6 points per game during the Thunder's 12-4 march through the Western Conference. 7 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be expected to have a strong NBA Finals for the Thunder. NBAE via Getty Images It's much harder for anyone to chant 'overrated' anymore at Haliburton after he has fronted his team to five playoff round victories in the past two years. He leads the NBA in postseason assists (9.8), including 15 with no turnovers in his Game 4 triple-double against the Knicks. Once a Knick … A final four that also featured Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo with the Timberwolves has resulted in each finalist boasting a former Knick in a rotational role. Former lottery pick Obi Toppin put up 18 points with three blocked shots to help extinguish the Knicks in Game 6. 7 Former Knick Obi Toppin has been a key contributor for the Pacers throughout the playoffs. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Isaiah Hartenstein posted career-highs in points and rebounds in the first season after leaving the Knicks for a three-year, $87 million deal in free agency. The age-old question Whichever teams grabs the title will boast the youngest average age of any champion since the Lakers in 1980 (25.7). The Thunder's average age is 24.7 years, and the Pacers are not far behind at 26.2 The 1977 Trail Blazers hold the record since the NBA/ABA merger with an average age of 24.5 years. 7 Former Knicks Isaiah Hartenstein has had a big year for the Thunder. NBAE via Getty Images The 1A stars Pascal Siakam, and not Haliburton, was named MVP of the Eastern Conference finals with 24.8 points per game against the Knicks. The three-time All-Star forward also owns a championship ring from the 2019 Raptors. Third-year wing Jalen Williams — not to be confused with lesser-used teammate Jaylin Williams — provides OKC with viable No. 2 scoring option to Gilgeous-Alexander with 20.4 points per game in the playoffs, including 34 with six made 3-pointers in Game 4 against Minnesota. 7 Jalen Williams, talking with the media on June 4, 2025, is the second scoring option for the Thunder. AP Heady company Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who won a championship with the Mavericks in 2011, could become only the fourth head coach in NBA history to win at least one ring with multiple franchises. The 65-year-old Carlisle would join Alex Hannum (Hawks, 76ers), Pat Riley (Lakers, Heat) and Phil Jackson (Bulls, Lakers). Only four teams in NBA history won more regular-season games than the 68 posted by Mark Daigneault's Thunder this season. 7 Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle celebrates after the Pacers' Eastern Conference-clinching Game 6 win over the Knicks. NBAE via Getty Images Oh, Canada While the Edmonton Oilers are trying to become the first Canadian-based NHL team to win a Stanley Cup since the Canadiens in 1993, the Great White North will be well-represented in the NBA Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander became the seventh consecutive MVP winner born outside the United States. Lockdown OKC defender Lu Dort also hails from Canada, as do Pacers teammates Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. Either way, this will be the fourth straight year at least one Canadian will be part of the title-winning squad. Turner overdrive 7 Myles Turner looks on during Pacers practice on June 4 2025 in preparation for the NBA Finals which begins on Thursday. NBAE via Getty Images The most prominent pending unrestricted free agent on either side is longtime Indy big man Myles Turner, who is registering a league-best 2.3 blocked shots per game in the postseason among players with at least five appearances. The 6-foot-11 Turner didn't post any 20-point games against the Knicks after doing so four times in 10 games in the first two rounds against Milwaukee and Cleveland, but he's shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range. OKC big man Chet Holmgren is right behind Turner with 2.0 blocks per game in the playoffs. Home sweet home Road teams have won plenty of games in this postseason, but OKC has won eight of nine at Paycom Center, with an average margin of victory of 24.6 points, including a 51-point blowout of Memphis in the first round. The Pacers took the first two games at Madison Square Garden, after winning three times in Cleveland the previous round. The real pacemakers If Knicks fans thought Indy played at a frenetic race-track pace, the Thunder actually led the NBA in that advanced metric during the regular season with 100.9 possessions per 48 minutes of play, and they have been slightly better than the Pacers in that category in the playoffs, as well. These two teams also lead the NBA in points off turnovers per game in the postseason, with the Thunder again holding the edge. Get ready for Showtime in both directions.
