Kenny Atkinson’s team is sitting pretty at the top of the Eastern Conference, currently five games clear of reigning NBA champions the Boston Celtics. This will have led many Cleveland Cavaliers fans to dream of a first title since 2016 and only the franchise’s second ever, and a big reason for their excellent campaign to date is the form of youngster Evan Mobley.
The only time to date that the Cavs have won an NBA title came during LeBron James’s spell at what is now known as the Rocket Arena, and fans will be hoping that Atkinson can lead the team to another triumph. With this in mind, this best sports betting app info will help them to make the right call when it comes to finding the right provider to place their wager.
Experienced 57-year-old coach Atkinson was appointed at the Cavaliers in June, and he couldn’t have imagined that at this stage of the season, his team would be in such a strong position. They are currently 45-10, and a big reason for that is the form shown by 23-year-old Mobley.
Atkinson has moved to applaud his young star, stating, “I think his humility, the way he goes about his business, he works his [expletive] off quietly, he competes quietly, and people maybe they want more ‘woof’ in it. He goes about his business quietly with a humility” before adding: “But he’s also, you can see, he’s hungry,”
“He wants to get to that next level. Like, he wants to be one of the greats. And I don’t say that lightly; I don’t say that about everybody. And I know it might be not in the way everybody wants him to do it, but he’s his authentic self.”
Mobley was third overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, and in each of the last two seasons, he has helped Cleveland to the playoffs and looks set to do so again. His 18.5 point per game average in the current campaign represents a career high and it’s his steady progression that will have pleased Cavs fans overall.
In his latest performance, during a 110-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets, he scored 18 goals and contributed 13 rebounds, and on his team’s chances to go all the way, Mobley commented ”I think this year is definitely the year for us, and we all want to get to the championship.” He also added, “I feel like we all are on the same page with that and we all believe that we can win a chip this year, so that’s the plan.”
The team has the number-one ranked offense and is also well placed in eighth position when it comes to defense, and it’s that well-rounded level of display that has been at the forefront of what Atkinson has achieved thus far this season.
Though Atkinson is very experienced, this is only his second head coach role in the NBA, his previous stint in the hot seat coming during a four-year spell in charge of the Nets.
During that period, he failed to get Brooklyn to the postseason in his first two campaigns, and in his third, they lost in the first round of the playoffs in five games to the Philadelphia 76ers, and he resigned his post after 62 games of the following campaign before moving to the Los Angeles Clippers and then the Golden State Warriors, both roles being of the assistant variety.