When he was introduced last June as coach of the Sacramento Kings, Mike Brown didnβt make any grand proclamations or wild predictions.
He talked about work. He talked about culture. He talked about winning.
βOne of the main reasons I was brought here,β Brown said that day, βwas to bring some leadership.β
Ask around, and no coach did a better job leading this season than Brown. He was announced Wednesday as the unanimous winner of the NBAβs Coach of the Year award, an easy call after his first season in Sacramento saw the Kings make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. All 100 voters from a panel of reporters and broadcasters had Brown atop their ballot.
βThese honors donβt come around often so youβre very appreciative of them,β Brown said on the TNT broadcast of the announcement. βIβm really appreciative of being in Sacramento. The fans, the city has been fantastic.β
Brown won the award for the second time, adding this trophy to the one he got after he and LeBron James led Cleveland to a 66-16 record in the 2008-09 season. The other finalists this season were Oklahoma Cityβs Mark Daigneault and Bostonβs Joe Mazzulla.
Daigneault was second, Mazzulla third, and 14 coaches got at least one vote on the ballots where the selection panel was asked to pick their first-, second- and third-place choices.
The Kings were 48-34, the seventh-best record in the league and the first time they were a top-seven team since 2003-04. They led the league in points per game, had the best road record in the Western Conference, snapped a run of 16 consecutive losing seasons and won a division title for the first time since 2003.
βAccountability has been big since Day 1,β Kings guard DeβAaron Fox said. βWhen he was hired, I told him thatβs the most important thing, I felt like, to me was just being able to hold everybody accountable. β¦ Thatβs definitely the biggest thing.β
Brownβs victory was the third major event for the Kings in three days. On Monday, they beat Golden State for a 2-0 series lead in their Western Conference first-round matchup. On Tuesday, Fox was announced as the inaugural winner of the NBAβs clutch player of the year award. Wednesday brought the coaching award β and Thursday will see Sacramento trying to take a 3-0 lead over the defending champion Warriors.
Brown was there last year with Golden State as an assistant coach, winning his fourth NBA title, all as an assistant β the first under Gregg Popovich in…
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