https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/05/09/sports/nba-dwane-casey-raptors-coach-of-the-year.html

By Marc Stein

May 9, 2018
Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors has been selected as the National Basketball Coaches Association’s coach of the year for the 2017-18 season, according to two people with knowledge of the voting.

Casey will be formally announced as the winner of the N.B.C.A. trophy — which is named in honor of the association’s longtime executive director, Michael H. Goldberg — later Wednesday, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the results.

The N.B.C.A. introduced its own Coach of the Year Award last season, based on a vote of the league’s 30 head coaches. The award is separate from the N.B.A.’s Coach of the Year Award, which is voted on by members of the news media.

The Raptors were eliminated from the N.B.A. playoffs on Monday, when the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a humbling 4-0 sweep in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but only after Casey led Toronto to a franchise-record 59 wins and the best record in the Eastern Conference. Casey won plaudits throughout the season for overseeing a dramatic change in the Raptors’ playing style, which emphasized a faster pace, more passing and a greater reliance on 3-point shooting.

Casey is also regarded as a top contender for the N.B.A.’s Coach of the Year Award and, according to the people with knowledge of the voting for the N.B.C.A. award, was one of just eight coaches to receive votes in the balloting. The other seven coaches to receive votes from their peers were Philadelphia’s Brett Brown, Houston’s Mike D’Antoni, Indiana’s Nate McMillan, San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Utah’s Quin Snyder, Portland’s Terry Stotts and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Doc Rivers.

Casey will receive N.B.C.A.’s award in September at its annual meeting of head coaches. The co-recipients of the inaugural award last season were D’Antoni and Miami’s Erik Spoelstra.

The N.B.A. will announce the winner of its Red Auerbach Trophy for Coach of the Year Award as part of its second annual live N.B.A. awards show on June 25 in Los Angeles.

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