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Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was fined $50,000 for “aggressively stalking, berating and making inadvertent contact with a game official,” the NBA announced Saturday.
The league’s release said the incident occurred with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 126-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
Atkinson was assessed his second technical foul of the game when he stormed the field after a no-call against Sam Merrill to run at Collin Gillespie after he bumped into 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 blew.
Atkinson ripped the referees in a post-game press conference.
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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers during Game 2 of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on May 6, 2025. (David Richard-Imagn photos)
“We had a free throw after three quarters against a team that [is 26th in fouls],” Atkinson said. “And the other free throw we got was after a flop. I am not satisfied. I thought the game was getting out of hand, honestly. Parts of the game seemed like a circus, quite frankly. I don’t know if that’s what we want as a league.
“Certain characters in this league take liberties and we don’t stand up to them. And the game turns into reviews, challenges, go to the monitor for 20 minutes when we’re just trying to play basketball. I don’t think that’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 Photos)
The Cavaliers fell to 29-21, while the Phoenix improved to 30-19.
