Kenny Atkinson is four wins from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time as a head coach.
The man standing in his way has already been there with him.
It was only four years ago that Atkinson and current Knicks head coach Mike Brown — who square off Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Madison Square Garden — were both assistants on Steve Kerr’s staff, winning a ring together during the Golden State Warriors’ most recent championship run.
“We know each other well from our time in Golden State together,” Brown said after Monday’s practice. “He’s a great person and obviously a really good coach.”
Though both coaches spent multiple years at Golden State, the title run was their only season working together, providing only a modicum of insight into each other’s game plans.
“We probably gained more knowledge of how we’re coaching our teams based on the times we played against each other this year more than in the past,” said Brown, who also spent six years as the head coach of the Cavaliers.
May 2022 playoff game. NBAE via Getty Images
Before the 2022-23 season, Brown left Golden State for Sacramento, where he was named the NBA Coach of the Year after leading the Kings to their first playoff appearance in 18 years.
Atkinson — a Long Island native who spent four years as an assistant with the Knicks — remained at Golden State until last season, when he took over in Cleveland and was named the NBA Coach of the Year after leading the team to 64 wins.
Then, those top-seeded Cavs were upset by the Pacers in the second round, preventing them from getting revenge against the Knicks from their 2023 playoff encounter.
This season, Cleveland often looked like it was still suffering from the hangover of that stunning exit — opening 17-16, before finishing fourth in the conference — but has ultimately demonstrated far more resolve by reaching the conference finals for the first time in eight years.
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“Kenny’s done a phenomenal job,” Brown said. “He’s got those guys playing at a high level. To sit back and watch those guys take both their series to seven games and find the resiliency to win just shows how experienced that team is when it comes to the playoffs. There’s no panic in them, starting with Kenny on down.”
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