New York (AFP) – Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was named as the NBA’s Coach of the Year on Monday after a dazzling first season in charge of the team. The 57-year-old led Cleveland to top spot in the Eastern Conference, where they secured the No.1 seeding with a 64-18 win-loss record. Atkinson is the third Cleveland coach to be named coach of the year after Bill Fitch (1975-76) and Mike Brown (2008-09).
Under Atkinson, Cleveland became only the second team in NBA history to have three separate winning streaks of 12 or more games in a single season. That record also included a 15-game win streak to start the season — tying the second-best start in NBA history. Atkinson received 59 of a possible 100 first-place votes in a media ballot to determine the award, pipping the Detroit Pistons’ head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Houston’s Ime Udoka.
Cleveland opened their playoff campaign with a clean sweep of Miami in the first round of the postseason. However, the Cavaliers dropped the opening game of their Eastern Conference semi-final series against Indiana on Sunday.
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