Cavaliers: Kenny Atkinson fourth in franchise history to coach All-Star Game

It was a foregone conclusion, but the NBA announced Friday that Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson and his coaching staff will represent the Eastern Conference during the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16 at Chase Center in San Francisco. With the Boston Celtics' 117-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, the Cavs clinched the best record in the East through games played Feb. 2. As a result, Atkinson has earned a spot as a head coach in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time. In addition, an assistant coach from Atkinson's staff (likely either Johnnie Bryant or Jordan Ott) will serve as a head coach for one of the other four teams. The other two head coaching spots will be filled by Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and an assistant coach from his staff. Oklahoma City previously clinched the best record in the West. The All-Star Game features a new mini-tournament with four teams and three games. Three teams will be made up of NBA All-Star selections and the fourth team will be the champion of the Rising Stars competition Friday, Feb. 14. Atkinson joins Tyronn Lue (2016), Mike Brown (2009) and Lenny Wilkins (1989) as Cavs All-Star Games coaches. In his first season with the Cavs, Atkinson has led them to an NBA-best 36-7 record heading into Friday's game in Philadelphia. Cleveland is off to its best start in franchise history and is tied for the 13th-best start to a season in NBA history. Atkinson, 57, won Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors in November and December and also led Cleveland to a 15-0 start, marking the Cavs' longest winning streak in franchise history. Cleveland also had a 12-game winning streak from Dec. 13 to Jan. 9 and is the only team in the NBA this season to have two winning streaks of 10 or more games. Atkinson's 15-0 mark was the best start to a tenure with a team for any coach in NBA history. Cleveland entered Friday's game leading the league in offensive rating (120.9), 3-point percentage (.394), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.23) while leading the East in field-goal percentage (.496), points per game (121.7) and points per game differential (10.1). They also rank in the top 10 in the NBA in defensive rating (ninth, 111.1) and 3-pointers made per game (second, 16.1). Cleveland's offense has scored 130 or more points 10 times, already doubling the franchise record in that department. Jersey sales Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, who was voted a starter on the EastERN All-Star team Thursday, is ranked 15th in the NBA's top-selling jerseys. Golden State guard Stephen Curry is first. Also, the Cavs are ranked sixth in top-selling team merchandise. The defending champion Boston Celtics are first. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.