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2017 NBA Awards show: Mike D’Antoni wins NBA Coach of the Year

By Dennis Clausen

HOUSTON, TX - MAY 07: Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets looks against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Three of the NBA Western Conference Semi-Finals at Toyota Center on May 7, 2017 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - MAY 07: Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets looks against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Three of the NBA Western Conference Semi-Finals at Toyota Center on May 7, 2017 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni took home top coach honors at the NBA Awards Show that aired Monday night on TNT.

Mike D’Antoni took home the 2017 NBA Coach of the Year Award on Monday night at the first ever NBA Awards Show. This is D’Antoni’s second time winning the award, winning his first in 2005 as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns.

In his first season as Rockets head coach, D’Antoni led Houston to a 55-27 record, good enough for third in the Western Conference behind only Golden State and San Antonio. The Rockets, who barely squeaked into the playoffs in the season prior to D’Antoni’s hiring with a 41-41 record, led the league in shots from behind the arch and were second in points per game to only the Warriors. He is also only the eighth coach since the award’s inception back in 1963 to win the award multiple times.

The high octane coach beat out San Antonio legend Greg Popovich, who led the Spurs to a Western Conference Finals birth and was looking to become the first coach in league history to win the award for the fourth time.

He also beat out Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, another finalist for the award. Spoelstra and the Heat narrowly missed the playoffs this past season despite the team being plagued with injuries and the loss of key figures such as Dwyane Wade and Joe Johnson.

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D’Antoni was also named the inaugural Michael H. Goldberg Coach of the Year, an award handed out by the NBA coaches association. He shared that honor with Spoelstra.

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