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Against the Brooklyn Nets, the Cleveland Cavaliers did what great teams are expected to do. Cleveland flipped a switch in the opening quarter on the road against Brooklyn, building a respectable 20-point lead heading into the second frame. Much of the sudden surge was sparked by the Cavs' bench, spearheaded by star sixth man Caris LeVert.
In the first quarter alone, LeVert had nine points on 3-4 shooting, leading the team in scoring to open the game. LeVert finished the game against the Nets, his former team, with 19 points on 6-10 shooting, one rebound, and four assists. The Cleveland swingman was one of seven players that scored double digits for the Cavs. However, in the eyes of Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson, LeVert's performance stood out the most.
“A big part of when I came in was to make another push, and he's been bought in,” Atkinson said of LeVert. “But even tonight, I felt like he passed up two or three, and his teammates are like, ‘Come on, Caris!' But it's the curse of a great ballhandler. He's got such great handles. His whole life, he's been catching it and putting it down. Darius [Garland] has some of it, too.
“For some reason, they don't want to take the easy three. They like to make it a little more difficult. But it's changing his value. His value to our team, his value for future contracts. You have to be efficient in sports. That's what teams are looking for. That's what we're looking for. And, man, he has turned a corner.”
Cavs sixth man Caris LeVert had added motivation against the Nets
After facing the Nets for the first time as a head coach, Atkinson admitted he was extra motivated to beat the team that fired him. From 2016 to midway into the 2019-2020 season, Atkinson was Brooklyn's head coach, going 118-190.
But now that he's with Cleveland, Atkinson has guided the Cavs to an NBA-best 23-4 record. So, for Levert, who played for the Nets under Atkinson, there was revenge on the sixth man's mind heading into the matchup.
“As a competitor, that’s something that’s always in the back of your head,” LeVert said. “Not just Kenny. But (assistant coach) Trevor (Hendry) was here as well. Jordan Ott. DeMarre (Carroll). Myself. J.A. [Jarrett Allen] Got a lot of guys who were here and did some special things. Definitely cool to come here and get a dub.”
It was a team effort for Cleveland to earn Kenny Atkinson a win against Brooklyn
Like Levert, Allen, who also played in Brooklyn under Atkinson, understood the meaning of this matchup. So, heading into tipoff at Barclays Center, Allen admitted that the Cavs players aimed to earn Atkinson a dominant win over the Brooklyn team that let him go.
“We respect Kenny. Kenny has our backs. He fights for us every single day on and off the court,” Allen said postgame. “I think we wanted to get this one for him.”
So, thanks to the efforts of Allen and LeVert, it was a triumphant homecoming for Atkinson. Although his first formal reunion with the Nets as head coach was brief, Atkinson and the Cavs got precisely what they had hoped for. They exacted vengeance, reminding Brooklyn what they're missing out on at head coach.
“I’m competitive,” Atkinson said before the game. “When you have setbacks, you remember things. Players do the same thing. If something happens or a team beats you or you get fired, you’re motivated. You’re motivated to prove people wrong. That’s kind of how I took it.”
