Kenny Atkinson has one simple message for his Cleveland Cavaliers going into their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Indiana Pacers.

Put your track shoes on.

The top-seeded Cavaliers had the NBA’s top offense in the regular season, averaging 121.9 points. The fourth-seeded Pacers averaged 117.4 points (seventh-best), but have one of the quickest teams in the league, and like to go full throttle.

“We have the athleticism and speed, it’s just the initial shock of them doing it so consistently,” Atkinson said. “I give (coach) Rick Carlisle and their group so much credit because it plays into their personnel. The message to our guys is how resilient we can be with our running. We do it three times, they’re going to do it four. Can we do it for longer?”

The matchup everyone will be watching when the series starts Sunday night at Rocket Arena will be between Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell.

Haliburton — who averaged 17.6 points against Milwaukee — is averaging a playoff-best 11.6 assists per game running the Pacers’ five out offense. He also was the first Indiana player in 11 years to begin a playoff series with four straight double-doubles.

“He’s a talented player. Since the All-Star break, he’s been averaging like 20 points and 11 assists,” Mitchell said. “I have a lot of respect for him and what he brings over there. We understand how important he is to that group. He’s a threat and we got to make sure we try to find ways to neutralize one of the biggest threats on their team.”

Mitchell averaged 23.8 points against the Miami Heat in the opening round. If the All-Star guard puts up 30 points on Sunday, it will be his eighth straight game with at least 30 points in a series opener, which would surpass Michael Jordan.

“They’re the best team in the East for a reason,” Haliburton said. “They’ve got a lot of depth. They shoot the ball well, defend at a high level, they got rim protection, they’ve got everything.”

WARRIORS’ GREEN PRAISES POPOVICH

It was Dec. 4, 2021. The game was over. San Antonio knocked off Golden State 112-107. And when the final buzzer sounded, Draymond Green didn’t seem bothered whatsoever by the loss.

He just wanted to talk to Pop.

Friday’s announcement by the San Antonio Spurs that Gregg Popovich — the NBA’s all-time wins leader — is stepping down as coach after 29 seasons deeply resonated throughout the league. And it clearly hit Green hard, the longtime Golden State forward saying he can’t fathom what it’ll be like to not see Popovich on the sideline anymore.

“Coach Pop is incredible,” Green said Friday night after Golden State lost a playoff game to Houston, forcing a Game 7 of their first-round series today in Houston. “And none of us knew when that day would come that he’d hang them up. But it sucks to see him go. You know, you love running down the court, seeing him on the sideline. I had the ultimate honor of playing for him and winning a gold medal.”

Green is one of eight players who went against a Popovich-coached team more than 50 times in an NBA game. But it’s the time he spent playing for Popovich — in USA Basketball’s run to an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021 — that stands out to Green.

It wasn’t uncommon for Popovich to chat with or embrace opposing players before, during or after games during his career. Those who played for him on that Olympic team, without fail, always found the time to engage with their coach in Tokyo.