The NBA today unveiled the candidate and final ranking of Coach of the Year, and Monty Williams, who led the Phoenix Suns to 64 wins in the regular season, was successfully elected coach of the year award, making up for the regret after accidentally missing the award last season.
While the Suns' Western Conference semifinal rival Dallas Mavericks' head coach Jason Kidd did not win the Coach of the Year award, he also gained the respect of the electorate and eventually tied for sixth with Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyrone Lue with one second-place vote and six third-place votes.
That move was met with a lot of skepticism last summer when the Lone Rangers hired Kidd to replace longtime head coach Rick Carlisle, and while Kidd has had a good record as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers over the past two years, many have been grappling with his failed experience as head coach for the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. While the doubts are justified, Kidd's performance this season is worthy of recognition, leading the Lone Rangers to their best season since winning the title in 2011 and finishing fourth in the West with a record of 52 wins and 30 losses.
The Lone Rangers overcame injury problems in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, beating The Utah Jazz to reach the Western Conference semifinals with number one star Luka Doncic sidelined for the first three games. And now they are facing a 0-2 disadvantage in the second round, winning two consecutive games at home and tenaciously pulling the total score to a 2-2 draw.
Winning the Best Coach Award is a huge accolade, but it also comes with a lot of extra pressure, which is why Kidd publicly stated earlier this season that he would rather not win. Kidd said in an interview: "This award is dangerous because winning this award will result in my dismissal the following year and I wouldn't want to get this award. ”
After two consecutive games against the Suns, it will be interesting to see Kidd's next performance, because his team currently has all the initiative, Kidd may not be seen as the best head coach in the league, but he has a good chance of beating the guy who has just been selected as the best coach.
Here's a list of the best coaches of the year:
1 Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns) – 458 points
2 Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies) – 270 points
3 Eric Spoolstra (Miami Heat) – 72 points
4 Amy Yuduca (Boston Celtic) – 46 points
5 J.B Bixtaugh (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 28 points
6 Tyrone Lou (Los Angeles Clippers) – 9 points
6 Jason Kidd (Dallas Maverick) – 9 points
8 Nick Nas (Toronto Raptors) – 4 points
8 Chris Finch (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 4 points