After playing against the Nets for the first time as head coach, Kenny Atkinson admitted he was even more motivated to beat the team that fired him.
Now that he's back at Barclays Center for the first time as a head coach, the players are hoping to get one win for their coach.
Atkinson, who joined Brooklyn in 2020, has led Cleveland to the best start in the entire NBA with a 22-4 record heading into Monday's 7:30 p.m. game at Barclays Center.
It will be a triumphant return not just for Atkinson, but for many Cavaliers as well.
Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen were drafted out of Brooklyn and were first developed in the NBA under Atkinson. Current Cavs assistant coaches Jordan Ott, Trevor Hendry and DeMarre Carroll are also former Nets.
And on and off the record, they know how excited Atkinson is to return Monday.
“It's been fun so far, and I know he'll be happy (with the win),” one Cavalier told the Post.
“Yeah, I think as a competitor you always think about those things,” LeVert told the Post about Atkinson's win. “As you know, I, J.A. [Allen,] Kenny, DeMarre — DeMarre wasn't traded away, but there were a lot of players here, including Trevor Hendry, JO, and Jordan Ott, who were also on the staff. So I think it's natural for a competitor to think that way. So for sure. absolutely. “
Atkinson coached the Nets from 2016 to 2020, ranking third in franchise history in games coached and fourth in wins.
But when superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (the latter actually spent 2019-20 rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon) wanted him out, he left.
After spending time as an assistant under Ty Lue of the Clippers and Steve Kerr of Golden State, Atkinson turned down the Charlotte Hornets job to wait for the right opportunity.
That happened this summer in Cleveland, where he led the team to an 11-0 win against the Nets on Nov. 9.
“Yeah. I mean, it's always…unique,” Atkinson said after the first win against the Nets. “You're a competitor, right? And (again against the Warriors) I was like, 'Man, I wanted that game.' Because you've had great experiences with the teams you've been with, but at the same time you want to beat them. And it's the same with the Nets.
“I had a great experience, but there's always something, a little bit special, when you've been on a team before. I want a little more awareness, a little more nerve, a little more…a little more.”
Allen said he understands and the Cavs players will be looking to get another win Monday against a Brooklyn team that let Atkinson go.
“Probably. I know we respect Kenny. Kenny has our back. He fights for us every day on and off the court,” Allen told the Post. told. “We would like to give this to him.”
