It’s still New York or nowhere for Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson.
He may be a temporary enemy of the Empire State during the Eastern Conference finals, but Madison Square Garden will always be a special place to the native of Northport, Long Island.
“I’m a New Yorker,” Atkinson said after the Cavaliers trounced the Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 to win the second-round series.
“Going back to the Garden, worked for the Knicks — know everybody there. My whole family’s there basically. That’s special.”
After all, the 2025 Coach of the Year’s local roots and great relationship with former Knicks assistant coach Phil Weber gave Atkinson an unforgettable spot in team lore more than a decade ago.
“Phil Weber actually lived literally around the corner from us,” Michael Atkinson, Kenny’s oldest of seven highly athletic brothers, told The Post.
“Phil knew Kenny. Phil’s a super personable guy.”
Atkinson played for more than a decade overseas as a point guard — he first dropped jaws at St. Anthony’s High School and later with the 1988 Richmond Spiders, who reached the Sweet 16 — and broke into the NBA as Rockets director of player development in 2007.
Kenny Atkinson addresses reporters during a May 17 press conference. NBAE via Getty Images
Michael said his brother’s work in the Lone Star State quickly impressed Weber, who knew it was time to get Atkinson back home.
“He ended up recommending Kenny to Mike D’Antoni, and Mike D’Antoni hired Kenny with the Knicks,” said Michael, a former Sachem hoops coach who Rick Pitino pulled to Kentucky.
Atkinson spent four years at MSG, from 2008 to 2012, where “he had the guys towards the end of the roster” to look after, his big bro said.
“One of those guys happened to be Jeremy Lin, and so Kenny worked with Jeremy Lin on a daily basis,” Michael added.
“Jeremy Lin even gives Kenny a lot of credit for being ready when his number was called.”
The Atkinson clan was bleeding blue and orange long before Linsanity — or the Knicks’ 1973 title, for that matter.
“We were Knicks fans forever,” Michael said.
The brothers were also just as intense with one another as Walt Frazier’s group was with the rest of the association.
Kenny Atkinson coaches during an October 2016 preseason game for the Nets. NBAE via Getty Images
“Everybody was competitive, everybody had their own level of confidence,” said Michael, the eldest at 71.
There was something about Kenny, the second youngest who is now 58, that stood out well before he became the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2016 to 2020 and won an NBA Championship with the Warriors as an assistant in 2022.
Mainly, it was discipline and work ethic passed down by their Marine officer father Neil,