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The NBA announced Tuesday that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has won the 2014 Red Auerbach NBA Coach of the Year award. Popovich joins Don Nelson and Pat Riley as the only three-time winners of the award. The Spurs finished with a franchise-best 62 wins at 62-20, and won at least 50 games for the 15th consecutive season, which, let's be honest, is just insane.
Here are the final vote totals:
Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs: 380
Jeff Hornacek, Phoenix Suns: 339
Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls: 159
Steve Clifford, Charlotte Bobcats: 127
Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors: 70
Terry Stotts, Portland Trail Blazers: 25
Doc Rivers, Los Angeles Clippers: 13
Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City Thunder: 1
Mark Jackson, Golden State Warriors: 1
Jason Kidd, Brooklyn Nets: 1
Sources close to the situation told CBSSports.com that Popovich intends to use the award to prop up a wobbly leg on a table. (That's not actually true.)
Popovich has essentially become the Michael Jordan of Coach of the Year, a worthy winner every season.
Hornacek was a deserving No. 2 vote-getter, guiding the Suns from an expected lottery team to being one game short of a playoff berth. Thibodeau overcame the loss of Derrick Rose and Luol Deng to guide the Bulls to the fourth seed while posting the second-best defense in the league behind Indiana and the worst effective field goal shooting mark of any team in the league. Steve Clifford made the Bobcats over .500, a playoff team, and most importantly, respectable. Dwane Casey pushed a ragtag Raptors team to the third seed.
Everyone loves Doc Rivers, the Thunder were the No. 2 seed, Mark Jackson has devoted followers in Golden State, and Jason Kidd didn't get fired. That's your field.
Via Project Spurs, here's a look at Pop's usual reaction to winning this award:
