Kenny Atkinson spent four years in Brooklyn, Jordi Fernandez spent seven in Cleveland. Long times. So it seemed at least on paper that both were coming home even if the game was in Cleveland.
But Atkinson’s tenure in his native New York was filled with moments both high and low that defined a franchise. He was there when the Mikhail Prokhorov decided to blow things up in 2016, hiring him and Sean Marks; was there when the 2018-19 team surprised everyone and got sixth seed in the playoffs; then was there when that next summer for the Clean Sweep, the signings of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, including KD’s comments saying the head coach was a big part of his decision.