Donovan Mitchell hails funny Kenny Atkinson moment vs Heat: “Coach of the Year”

Donovan Mitchell hails funny Kenny Atkinson moment vs Heat

Donovan Mitchell hails funny Kenny Atkinson moment vs Heat: “Coach of the Year”

Donovan Mitchell

The Cleveland Cavaliers won their second straight home game against the Miami Heat, sealing a 2-0 series lead last night. Donovan Mitchell and Tyler Herro went at it head-to-head, dropping 30+ points each. Head coach Kenny Atkinson was completely nonplussed by a refereeing decision late in the 4th quarter.

Atkinson, who was positioned right next to the referee while discussing calls preceding it, was irate when a foul was called against Cleveland with 39.4 seconds left on the game clock. Staring straight into Pat Fraher’s eyes, Atkinson gestured for a coaching challenge. His decision was vindicated when the referees’ panel reviewed the call and overturned it.

The decision proved to be crucial as the Cavs stayed two possessions ahead of Miami by avoiding a pair of free throws. Cleveland finished the game with a 121-112 win. Their margin of victory was inflated by intentional fouling at the end. Donovan Mitchell was completely bowled over by Atkinson’s presence of mind. The 29-year-old tweeted his appreciation for his decision, campaigning for him to win Coach of the Year honors.

Atkinson’s reaction inspired quite a few memes on social media.

Tyler Herro and Mitchell went back and forth in one of the most entertaining playoff duels in this year’s playoffs. Herro dropped an impressive haul of 33 points, leading the Heat back into touching distance late. However, Mitchell made a few clutch buckets of his own to help Cleveland keep Miami at arm’s length. Most importantly, ‘Spida’ made seven of his 10 3-pointers, helping his team win the 3-pointer battle.

Evan Mobley and Darius Garland both played the supporting roles to perfection, netting 20 and 21 points, respectively. The Cavaliers shot 47.6% from the field as a team and 48.9% on 45 3-pointers. They were able to win at the margins, causing 13 turnovers in comparison to eight of their own.

The Cavs’ Achilles heel was their inability to contain Haywood Highsmith, who made six of his seven shots. Highsmith had five made 3-pointers on his six attempts from downtown, helping Miami bridge the gap with their bench unit.

Both Kenny Atkinson and Donovan Mitchell are up for year-end NBA honors

The Cleveland Cavaliers had the second-best regular season campaign in franchise history this season. They snagged the top seed with a 64-18 record, earning three All-Star selections, including debutant Mobley. They went on extended winning streaks of over 15 games twice this season and were on track to surpass the franchise record of 66 wins till late in the season.

Donovan Mitchell should undoubtedly be in contention for All-NBA First Team honors. He will be contested by LeBron James (who’s put together a vintage year at age 40) and Cade Cunningham among others. Mitchell would have been a shoo-in under positional All-NBA selection rules, but should still stand a strong chance of making the First Team based on the positionless ruleset.

Kenny Atkinson, who was previously the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, has staked his claim for Coach of the Year honors. He has been able to inspire improvements from MIP contender Ty Jerome and Mobley. His offensive strategies have helped transform Cleveland into a juggernaut offense, which was arguably underutilized during their JB Bickerstaff era.

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