Cavaliers Head Coach Succeeding At Level Not Seen In 140 Years

Cleveland's Kenny Atkinson has won each of his first 15 games at the helm of the Cavaliers.

Nov 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

When the Cleveland Cavaliers earned a 128-114 victory over the Charlotte Hornets this past Sunday, the Wine and Gold earned their 15th straight win to start the 2024-25 season.

And, Cleveland's head coach put himself into some very exclusive company in sports history.

According to OptaSTATS on X, Cavaliers Head Coach Kenny Atkinson is the second head coach or manager in the four major professional sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL) to win each of their first 15 games with a team. He joins Ted Sullivan of the 1884 St. Louis Maroons (baseball), who won each of his first 20 games as their manager.

Kenny Atkinson of the @cavs is the second head coach/manager in MLB/NBA/NFL/NHL history to win his first 15 games in charge of a team.

The other was Ted Sullivan, who won his first 20 games as manager of the St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association (MLB) in 1884. pic.twitter.com/eOLQ0WH5Vi

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) November 18, 2024

Atkinson's latest feat comes one game after he became the first coach in NBA history to win each of his first 14 contests with a team.

Nov 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

His Cavaliers squad has gotten off to a remarkable start this season. Through 15 games, the team leads the NBA in: points per game (123.7), field goal percentage (52.4%), three-point percentage (41.9%), and plus/minus per game (12.3), while ranking tied for sixth in assists per game (28.4) and eighth in fewest turnovers per game (13.4).

The Wine and Gold also rank top-10 in the NBA in: fewest opponent rebounds per game (41.3, second), most opponent turnovers per game (16.1, seventh), and lowest opponent field goal percentage (45.9%, 10th).

On Tuesday night, Cleveland will look to continue their historic winning streak in arguably its toughest test of the season so far. The Cavaliers will play their second NBA Cup Group Play game on the road against the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics, who defeated them in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season.