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It is the second such honor for Thibodeau, who
also was named the league's top coach during the 2010-11 season
with the Chicago Bulls. He is the first coach to win the award
in his first season with two separate franchises.
Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams received two more first-place
votes than Thibodeau (45-43) but lost 351-340 in total points.
The 11-point margin was the smallest to separate first and
second place since the points format started in 2002-03.
Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder wound up in third place with 161
points and 10 first-place votes.
The Philadelphia 76ers' Doc Rivers got two first-place votes and
took fourth place with 24 points. The Atlanta Hawks' Nate
McMillan (12 points), the Brooklyn Nets' Steve Nash (seven
points) and the Denver Nuggets' Michael Malone (five points)
also appeared on ballots.
Coaches earned five points for every first-place vote, three
points for every second-place vote and one point for every
third-place vote.
Thibodeau led the Knicks to a 41-31 record, which tied for the
fourth-best mark in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks reached
the postseason for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign but
were eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
The announcement made Thibodeau the third Knicks coach to win
the award. He joined Red Holzman (1969-70) and Pat Riley
(1992-93).
--Field Level Media
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