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Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was fined $50,000 for “aggressively pursuing, berating and inadvertently making contact with a game official,” the NBA announced Saturday.
The league’s announcement said the incident occurred with 10:59 remaining in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 126-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
Atkinson picked up his second technical foul of the game when he stormed the court after a non-call on Sam Merrill for driving into Collin Gillespie after hitting an official before being escorted and ejected from the game.
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second half of Game 4 of a first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat on April 28, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rhona Wise)
Atkinson whipped his arm at the nearby referee before the whistle was blown.
Atkinson tore into officials during a postgame press conference.
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on May 6, 2025. (David Richard-Imagn Images)
“We had a free throw after three quarters against a team that [is 26th in fouls]”, Atkinson said. “And the second free throw we got was after a flop. I’m not happy. Honestly, I thought the game had gotten out of hand. Honestly, some parts of the game felt like a circus. I don’t know if that’s what we want as a league.
“There are some characters in this league who take liberties and we don’t stand up to them. And the game turns into critiques, challenges, spending 20 minutes in front of the monitor when we’re just trying to play basketball. I don’t think it’s good for the league, and I know it wasn’t good for us tonight. I thought they let the game get out of hand.”
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the first half against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on May 4, 2025. (Ken Blaze-Imagn Images)
The Cavaliers fell to 29-21, while Phoenix improved to 30-19.
