Kenny Atkinson Admits He's Surprised Cavaliers' Season is Going This Well

Cleveland is an astonishing 35-6 at the halfway point.

Kenny Atkinson during the Cavaliers' 132–126 win over the Raptors on Jan. 9, 2025. | David Richard-Imagn Images

When the Cleveland Cavaliers hired coach Kenny Atkinson away from the Golden State Warriors on June 28, Cavaliers fans expected a modest upgrade from former coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

What has transpired since has exceeded even the most optimistic observers' expectations. At 35-6, Cleveland currently carries the best record in the NBA at the season's halfway point.

As Atkinson said Monday via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, even he couldn't have predicted the Cavaliers would come together so completely.

"I know we had a good training camp, but there was no confidence that this thing was gonna go this way," Atkinson said. "Ultimate surprise, really."

"There were no signs."

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson on whether he thought before the season Cleveland would have the NBA's best record at the midway point of the season. #Cavs #Suns pic.twitter.com/4AbQ1ZlVv8

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 20, 2025

Cleveland "only" needs to go 31-10 in the season's second half to match its franchise record for wins—set in 2009, when forward LeBron James led the Cavaliers to a 66-16 mark.

On Monday afternoon, Cleveland will open the second half of its season against the Phoenix Suns in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee.

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