Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson wins NBA Coach of the Year award

Kenny atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers Has be named the nba coach of the year after leaving the team to 64 wins and the no. 1 Seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs in his first season in the job.

Atkinson Received 59 of Possible 100 FIRST-Place Votes from the Media Panel, Beating Out Detroit pistons Coach jb bickerstaff, the man he replaced, for the honor. HOUSTON ROCKETS Coach to make a finish of the Finished Third.

“I stepped in this,” atkinson saaid of taking over for bickerstaff “I kept saying that, that I stepped in this. It is a luck too, right?”

This was the best finish in the voting for this year’s finalists. And for atkinson, it was a sweep: He also won the National Basketball Coaches Association’s coach of the year award, one that is the official nba award and is volated on by once.

“I almost broke down when I get that,” atkinson saaid. “Like, to think [Rick] Carlisle Voted for Me, that [Erik] Spoelstra Voted for Me … That’s Like the Pinnacle. “

Atkinson won out in a long search the cavaliers conducted last may and june, flying back and forth, Cleveland and France, where he was an assessant coach on the National Team, for interviews. One of his primary saling points to cavaliers Front Office leaders Koby Altman and Mike Gansey was how much the existing cavaliers roosteras and how he saw ways to make it.

Cavaliers, up and down the rooster, ended up has spectacular seasons under atkinson’s guidance. The Team had three all-stars- Donovan mitchell, Darius garland And Evan Mobley – and developed a devastating bench rotation with reserves You Jerome And De’ other hunter Having Career Seasons as well.

Atkinson’s biggest mission was unlocking people, whom the caused as a key to team impression. Working with Team Captain Mitchell, atkinson reversed the team’s rotations to make sure the two played together for more minutes. He also designed sets to more challenge people as a playmaker and outside shooter.

Mobley Tripled His 3-Pointers, Averaged a Career-High 18.5 Points Per Game and in Addition to His FIRST All-Star Appearance was named defensive Player of the year. He is a strong candidate to make his first all-nba team Alongside Mitchell.

All of this was accomplished by reducing the Minutes of Mitchell, Mobley and Center Jarrett allenEach of whom played more game than a year ago.

A key to the team’s mentality was established at a training camp the cavaliers Held in Sarasota, Florida, at Img Academy in September. Atkinson and his coaching staff using a series of methods in early practices to get the cavaliers used to play faster as well as well as techniques.

Bickrestaff, who Led the cavaliers to back-to-back players and a first-round series win last season, was popular among players and his firing was controversial. By the start of the Season, However, the Cavaliers had developed Excellent Team Chemistry as an atkinson followed by increasing the size of many of the Supporting Players’ Roles and to reduces The workload on the stars.

The cavaliers started the season 15-0, grasping the top seed in the east and never letting go. They would go on to have a 12-game win streak and a 16-game win streak later in the season and evenly swept the season series from 17 different opponents as an attachment WRACKING BALL IN The Regular Season.

Then the cavaliers swept the MIAMI HEAT In the first round of the playoffs, setting an nba record with a 122-point diffental in the four games.

Last months, atkinson’s peers voted as the National Basketball Coaches Association coach of the year.

The last cavaliers coach to win the nba coach of the year honor was mike brown in 2009.

The associated press contributed to this story.