Steve Kerr helped steer the Golden State Warriors to the greatest regular season in NBA history, and for his troubles, he’s been named the 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year.
Congratulations to @SteveKerr on being named the 2015-16 @NBA Coach of the Year! #DubNation pic.twitter.com/7sLzpZLEzK
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) April 26, 2016
NBA coach of the year results, top five:
Steve Kerr, 381 points
Terry Stotts, 335
Gregg Popovich, 166
Steve Clifford, 98
Dwane Casey, 83— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) April 26, 2016
Kerr missed the first 43 games after undergoing a pair of back operations, but under the Dubs never missed a beat under assistant coach Luke Walton
The last Warriors coach to win this award is Don Nelson (1992).
Per ESPN:
Complications from two offseason back surgeries forced Kerr to miss the first 43 games of Golden State’s title defense — with interim coach Luke Walton posting a record of 39-4 in Kerr’s absence — but he ultimately won the balloting in a very deep field not only for his coaching but his role in building the culture that put the Warriors on a path for a record-setting 73 wins.
Fueled by a 24-0 start, which bettered the previous league record for an unbeaten launch to an NBA season by nine games, Golden State went 73-9 in the regular season to trump the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the best single-season mark in league history.
Kerr finished second in Coach of the Year balloting behind Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer last season, which was Kerr’s first season as a head coach. That team went 67-15 en route to winning the Warriors’ first championship in 40 years.
