Throwing a fit, barking up the referee’s face, more looks at the shot clock than almost anybody else on the basketball court, the men and women that suit up and occupy the benches on the sidelines of the game, are the ones who see it all.
The coaches in every NBA season manage to produce something wonderful, in terms of leadership and drive. This season has been no different and amongst the list of players on everyone’s lips, there are a few coaches who’ve shone quite brightly in what has been a regular season to remember.
Honourable Mentions
Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) – Many thought their season would collapse after Chris Bosh’s illness popped up, but the 2-time championship winning coach steered his team to third in the East – a remarkable showing! Justise Winslow has been a revelation and the signing of Joe Johnson has proven to be a masterstroke. Spoelstra has managed to keep the defense strong throughout the year to make the Heat a dangerous proposition in the East. Miami are fifth in opponent’s points per game (98.4).
Steve Clifford (Charlotte Hornets) – What a turnaround it’s been for the Hornets! Another team that has relied on its defensive work ethic to register a great campaign, the Hornets were one of four teams, along with the Heat, Boston and Atlanta to finish with identical records in the East, separated later only by the tie-breaker. Kemba Walker has been superb and Clifford has used Jeremy Lin (yes, remember him?) to great effect off the bench.
He also helped his team cope in the absence of Al Jefferson who missed time due to suspension. The Hornets’ shooting has been amongst the biggest improvement; they finished seventh in 3-point shooting percentage (36.2%).
Doc Rivers (Los Angeles Clippers) – Blake Griffin decided that injury alone wasn’t enough to keep him out and managed to get himself in quite the situation with an act of stupidity that threatened to affect his Clippers team greatly. Doc though managed to make the best use of available resources, along with the staggeringly good play of Chris Paul to not just keep the Clippers relevant, but ensure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
#5 - Terry Stotts (Portland Trail Blazers)
Their cornerstone and franchise player of nine years, LaMarcus Aldridge, left for San Antonio in the summer. It was the beginning of what turned out to be an exodus of their core with Robin Lopez (New York), Wesley Matthews (Dallas) and Nicolas Batum (Charlotte) all following Aldridge out the door. And yet, here are the Blazers, fifth in the tough Western Conference (not so this year), amongst the best shooting and rebounding teams in the league.
Damian Lillard was the only member from last year’s starting five that remained, but Stotts has built the team around him and shooting guard C.J. McCollum, as the backcourt duo have poured in the points, the Blazers sixth in points per game (105.1).
Stotts has stuck to his offensive roots and has found a productive big man trio in Myers Leonard, Mason Plumlee and Al-Farouq Aminu who’ve given this team solid rebounding and points to aid their explosive guard combo of Lillard and McCollum. Portland finished fifth in rebounds per game (45.5).
#4 - Dwane Casey (Toronto Raptors)
The Raptors finished the last two regular seasons with much delight, making the playoffs and improving each time, only for it to all end horribly both times as they could not get past even the first round. Paul Pierce seemingly made it his mission to throw a spanner in their works, two seasons ago with Brooklyn and last year with Washington.
Yet, the Raptors have taken the hits on the chin and under Casey have come back stronger to produce the best season in Raptors franchise history, along with a third successive divisional title and the number two seed in the East behind Cleveland.
Their post-season moves were smart, DeMarre Carroll was signed to boost their defense, but he ended up playing just 26 games due to injury, but Patrick Patterson stepped up. Bismack Biyombo, brought in from Charlotte, has been outstanding in the middle for them, and one of the stars of the season.
Cory Joseph was added to play backup point bringing with him a winning experience from San Antonio. Kyle Lowry came back for pre-season, ripped and in the best shape of his life, to lead his Raptors. He ended up having his career-best season in terms of points per game, 3-point percentage, rebounds and steals.
#3 - Brad Stevens (Boston Celtics)
Welcome to the Terror Dome! That’s what the TD Garden, home of the Boston Celtics, has transformed into. Teams are engulfed by the wave of defensive frenzy that the Celtics unleash upon them with the three-guard combo of Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas along with the numerous versatile bigs. The man at the helm of it all is the rather baby-faced Brad Stevens, the youngest head coach in the NBA.
Three years since coming into the league as a head coach with no previous NBA experience, he has shaped the Celtics into playoff contenders from what was a team going through a turnover after the Pierce-Garnett-Allen era. The first two years, he spent in finding the right pieces to make this team complete and this year, the results have been phenomenal.
He’s made an All-Star out of Thomas, found and developed a great two-way player in Jae Crowder, whose defense is amongst the best and made great use of the talents of big men Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger and Amir Johnson. Johnson is a traditional big, predominantly playing around the basket, but Sullinger and Olynyk can shoot from distance and space the floor.
He’s got Evan Turner playing in the sixth man role, possibly a contender for Sixth Man of the Year honours. Incredibly, the Cs are top 5 in points per game (105.7 – 5th) and sixth in rebounds and assists. Stevens believes in being unoriginal as he absorbs and adopts plays and tactics from his peers around the league.
Stevens could potentially be the next great coach in this league.
#2 - Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors)
Before anybody is aghast at how Kerr isn’t first, this is about the Coach Of The Year, and NOT Team Of The Year.
We are not going to talk about the record-breaking 73 wins they’ve achieved this season. It’s about something that happened earlier in the season. Steve Kerr wasn’t on the bench for 43 games. It was Luke Walton who coached the champs as Kerr was forced into an indefinite absence with back issues.
Yet, the Warriors were focused and ready from the start despite their head coach not being there. And that early season rush is what ultimately helped them set this record-setting pace. You could argue for Kerr not being there, but we have seen teams wobble even when their head coaches have been away for even just a couple of games.
Golden State though performed as if they hadn’t missed a beat and it speaks highly of a coach’s mettle and influence when the team performs in his/her absence. Yes, Walton was on the bench the first 43 games, but the ethos and values present in this team were those of Kerr’s, the ones that he had successfully inbred throughout the whole of last season.
The minute improvements from last season’s already high bar is what has helped this team break even higher. Things such as Mo Speights knocking down threes, Festus Ezeli being more dominant in the paint, Harrison Barnes playing with more confidence, Klay Thompson’s improved play off the dribble and Steph Curry’s polishing off his game. These are things built up over the off-season and in pre-season. Kerr had done his bit even before the season began.
#1 - Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)
The 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs will go down in history no matter what. They achieved their best season in franchise history, finishing 67-15, yet second overall and in the West to the relentless Golden State Warriors and overshadowed by Stephen Curry and his defending champions. But you know what? Gregg Popovich probably couldn’t care less. And in that brusque, inimitable way, he has gone about building this new latest chapter in the storied fable of this franchise.
He took the keys to the team and handed them over to the quiet Kawhi Leonard, who’s had a breakout season offensively. LaMarcus Aldridge’s early days in Texas were nothing to rave about, but since the All-Star weekend, he has found his groove and the one-two punch of Leonard and Aldridge has powered the Spurs through.
The Spurs bench, always one of their greatest assets, continues to be just that. Manu Ginobili is still around and Patty Mills and Kyle Anderson offer great ball movement and shooting. Jonathan Simmons has been an Energizer battery coming off the bench.
While the league is moving towards playing faster and with smaller line-ups, Pop has looked the other way, adding size in the form of Aldridge and David West and playing at an almost sloth-like pace in comparison to the others. While others have added youth, he has taken on vets on the bench in the form of Andre Miller and Kevin Martin. Yet none of these moves have been a misstep and the Spurs have continued to chug along and be outgunned only by the sheer brilliance of the Warriors.
And yes, the Spurs did finish first in a few categories over the Warriors. First in opponent’s points per game, a miserly 92.9. They also finished first in defensive rating (96.6) and Net Rating (11.8).
Even if they don’t win the title, this ranks right up there in terms of the best teams that Pop’s ever created.
Guess the Lakers players!
