NEW ORLEANS — (AP) — Taking their cues from Jarrett Allen, the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated the first 9-0 start to a season in franchise history by pouring water bottles over coach Kenny Atkinson’s head in the locker room.
There will be much bigger games, with higher stakes, than the Cavs’ 131-122 victory in New Orleans on Wednesday night.
But Atkinson didn’t mind taking a moment to enjoy something no other Cavs team had done in the 55 years since Cleveland joined the NBA for the 1970-71 season.
“You have to,” said Atkinson, who also became the first NBA coach to win his first nine games with a new team. “This season’s so long. It’s so hard to win in this league. So, when you do have moments like this, you have to celebrate a little.”
After hitting 54.2% of their shots in the Big Easy — including 48.6% (17 of 35) from 3-point range — the Cavs are …