Cavaliers' Atkinson named NBA Coach of the Year

NEW YORK, United States — Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was named as the NBA's Coach of the Year on Monday (Tuesday Manila time) after a dazzling first season in charge of the team.

The 57-year-old led Cleveland to top spot in the Eastern Conference, where they secured the No. 1 seeding with a 64-18 win-loss record.

Atkinson is the third Cleveland coach to be named coach of the year after Bill Fitch (1975-76) and Mike Brown (2008-09).

Under Atkinson, Cleveland became only the second team in NBA history to have three separate winning streaks of 12 or more games in a single season.

That record also included a 15-game win streak to start the season — tying the second-best start in NBA history.

Atkinson received 59 of a possible 100 first place votes in a media ballot to determine the award, pipping the Detroit Pistons' head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Houston's Ime Udoka.

Cleveland opened their playoff campaign with a clean sweep of Miami in the first round of the postseason.

However, the Cavaliers dropped the opening game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against Indiana on Sunday (Monday Manila time).