Atkinson ready to 'celebrate these moments' after Cleveland secure no.1 seed

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was keen to celebrate after the team secured the top seed in the playoffs by beating the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.

The Cavs wrapped up first place in the East with a 135-113 win, meaning it is the fourth time in franchise history they they will go into the playoffs with the conference's best record.

The win took them to a 63-16 record with three regular-season games remaining. The last time they topped the East, meanwhile, was in 2016 when the Cavs won their first NBA title.

"Yeah, I mean I think you celebrate these moments. You know, we'll talk about going forward, what that looks like, but today, tonight we celebrate. I think the guys are super happy in that locker room," said Atkinson, as reported by ESPN.

Atkinson was new to the job at the start of the season after Cleveland fired J.B. Bickerstaff following a semi-final defeat to Boston Celtics in the 2024 playoffs.

But a fast start helped, with the Cavs becoming the fourth team in NBA history to win its first 15 games of the season.

"You know, we got out of the gate so quick," said Atkinson.

"We got ahead of it early. And then, we had some ups and downs this last month, but really proud of the guys, proud of the organisation. It's hard to win 63 games in this league. It's hard to be the first seed. We all know that. So great accomplishment, obviously. We are hungry for more."

Your Cleveland Cavaliers are the first seed in the Eastern Conference!Homecourt Advantage secured @Rocket | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/B8ukr923pz
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 9, 2025

Cleveland are unlikely to have their first playoff game until April 20 so, from now, Atkinson must strike a fine balance between keeping players fit and making sure they don't peak too early.

"I think there are various options on the table. It's going to be a collaborative thing and the players are part of it," he said. "What is their feel on rhythm? We can do intra-squad scrimmages to prepare. We can do a lot of things to get ready."

Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome suggested that he was not worried about any potential fitness or physical issues, citing the fact that most teams going into the playoffs will be experiencing an extended period of rest before the first round.

"You use that week to get your body right, get an extra lift, and get some good practices in that we haven't been able to have," he said. "Since the All-Star break you don't really have time to practice much," he said.