The NBA on Tuesday officially named Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for February, marking the third time in his career that he has won the award and the first time he has earned the honor this season. Atkinson is only the third coach in Cavs franchise history to accomplish the feat, joining Mike Brown and the late, great Lenny Wilkens.
Cleveland went 8-3 last month with a league-leading scoring average of 120.9 points per game and the top field-goal percentage (49.8%). He also averaged the third-most assists per contest (28.9).
This coincided with the incredible dominance of Jarrett Allen and the trade deadline acquisitions of James Harden, Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder.
"Bringing in James has given us new confidence, if that means anything," Atkinson said. "We understand we're a better team and that feeling, that confidence, for some strange reason forces you to play more and compete harder and compete harder defensively, and I felt like we were losing that edge, that confidence. So I think we're getting that back."
Three of the team's four lowest opponent-scoring totals were recorded in February against the New York Knicks (94) and Los Angeles Clippers (91), and the Wine and Gold held the Brooklyn Nets to a season-low 84 points at Rocket Arena.
Offensively, Cleveland scored at least 130 points three times last month, which tied for second in the East. Its average margin of victory was 10.9 points, which ranked third in the conference. Additionally, from February 1–20, the Cavs remained undefeated and had five consecutive road wins, despite the interruption of the All-Star break.
Atkinson won the NBA Coach of the Month award twice last year, with recognition for October/November 2024 and December 2024. To catch Brown's leading total of five with the Cavs, he will have to win it twice more.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson won the award for representing the Western Conference.
The Cavs have already had a solid start to March despite nagging injuries throughout the campaign. They have earned the next four days off before welcoming the Boston Celtics to town on Sunday afternoon.
