Nets score huge ‘program’ win over Cavs
Atkinson cites team’s resilience against defending East champions
The biggest win of the Kenny Atkinson era began with a Wednesday morning film session in which the second-year Brooklyn Nets head coach lambasted his team for breaking down when it mattered most in Tuesday night’s loss in Orlando.
It ended with the Nets standing alone atop the Atlantic Division standings Wednesday night following a stunning 112-107 victory over LeBron James and the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in front of a sellout crowd of 17,732 at Downtown’s Barclays Center.
“I wasn’t the nicest person with them this morning,” admitted Atkinson, who watched his team squander a pair of double-digit advantages the previous night en route to a humbling 125-121 setback to the Magic.