Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has been named the NBA Coach of the Year 2015, the league officially announced on Tuesday.
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Budenholzer led the Hawks to a 60-22 record over the regular season which secured the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and it was certainly a year to remember for the franchise as several records tumbled.
Not only has the Hawks coach received praise for the results, but it is also the manner in which he has obtained them with his ‘San Antonio Spurs-esque’ style of play ensuring that Atlanta were labeled the ‘Spurs of the East’.
With no real superstar on their roster, Atlanta have instead opted to play team basketball with various players enjoying a stellar campaign in the system. Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Al Horford and Paul Millsap were all named All-Stars back in February, and it was testament to the work done by Budenholzer.
The Hawks’ focus will now switch to the playoffs and extending their good form into the post-season, as they started well with a win in Game 1 of their opening round series against the Brooklyn Nets.
Meanwhile, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr came in second place despite leading his team to the best record in the league at 67-15 in his rookie year as a head coach, while Milwaukee Bucks’ Jason Kidd was third after transforming the team in less than a year.
The Bucks finished with the worst record in the league last year, but they successfully made the playoffs this time round after finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Nevertheless, it was Budenholzer who was named the winner as he received 67 first-place votes for a total of 513 points, with Kerr finishing with 471 while Kidd had 57 points.
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