Isaac
Years ago
Popovich named NBA Coach of the Year
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was named NBA Coach of the Year on Tuesday, making him the third coach in league history to win the Red Auerbach Trophy three times.
Popovich has received the league's top coaching honor in two of the past three seasons and joins Don Nelson and Pat Riley as a three-time winner.
"This award with Coach Auerbach here belongs to a lot of people," Popovich said. "I'm honored and very thankful.
"When you win an award, it gets down to the players. Players do the work, and players do the winning. They've been unbelievable for me, allowed me to coach them for a long time, and without their play, their diligence and their professionalism, I know this wouldn't happen."
Popovich garnered 59 first-place votes and 380 points in voting conducted by a panel of media members. Phoenix's Jeff Hornacek (37 first-place votes) finished second and Chicago's Tom Thibodeau (12) finished third in the voting, with Charlotte's Steve Clifford and Toronto's Dwane Casey rounding out the top five in a season so strong that Miami's Erik Spoelstra did not make the top 10.Full article is worth a read to hear a few of his comments. Article at ESPN
He was asked how he planned to display his new trophy.
"They're on hood of my car. One, two, three right on the car," Popovich joked. "I've got three of those right on the hood."
