Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson on claiming East top seed: ‘Obviously, we are hungry for more’

The Cavaliers are finally getting a little national love. Actually, they’ve received at least a little more national love recently, especially after securing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

That earned them the second spot in the latest ESPN Power rankings.

“It was a banner year for the Cavs, securing the second-most wins in franchise history (and their first 60-win season that didn’t involve LeBron James) and clinching the No. 1 seed in the East,” wrote Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “Under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson — who’ll receive strong consideration for Coach of the Year — Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley each had All-Star seasons.

“Now they’ll need a deep postseason run — to the conference finals at least — to validate their success thus far.”

The Cavaliers (63-16) have three games left. They can tie the franchise record for victories if they win all of them. But as I wrote in the latest Dribbles, that’s not a priority. Keeping their key players healthy and mentally preparing for the playoffs are what matters.

As for winning the East’s top seed, Atkinson addressed the accomplishment with reporters on Tuesday.

“I think you celebrate these moments,” Atkinson said. “We’ll talk about going forward, what that looks like. But today, tonight, we celebrate, and I think the guys are super happy in that locker room. I think we got out of the gate so quick. We got ahead of it early and then we had some ups and downs the last month. But really proud of the guys, proud of the organization.

“It’s hard to win 63 games in this league. It’s hard to be the first seed. We all know that. So great accomplishment. Obviously, we are hungry for more.”

The Cavs play their next two on the road (Indiana, New York) before concluding the regular season at home Sunday afternoon vs. the Pacers. They will then get six or seven days off before Game 1 of the first round at Rocket Arena.