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 , even 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."
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.