Hawks' Budenholzer named Coach of the Year
Mike Budenholzer has been named the NBA’s Coach of the Year after guiding the Atlanta Hawks to the league’s second-best record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Budenholzer received 67 out of a possible 130 first-place votes and 513 overall points, finishing just ahead of Warriors coach Steve Kerr (471 points).
The Hawks went 60-22 this season in their second season under Budenholzer, finishing with their best regular-season record in franchise history.
A longtime assistant in San Antonio who started as a video coordinator under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, Budenholzer has installed a motion offense in Atlanta that has the Hawks ranked second in assist rate.
Overall, the Hawks ranked sixth in offensive efficiency and seventh in defensive efficiency this season.
Budenholzer has also served as the Hawks’ senior executive in basketball operations since September, when general manager Danny Ferry took a leave of absence.
Kerr, who coached the Warriors to a league-best 67-15 record, received 56 first-place votes.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd was a distant third with one first-place vote and 57 overall points. Celtics coach Brad Stevens and Popovich finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
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