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The regular season is nearing its end and the NBA Coach of the Year race is heating up. There are roughly 9-10 games left for each team and the pressure is mounting as they all look to improve their final standings ahead of the playoffs.
Not only did the Boston Celtics turn their season around, but they are also one of the strongest teams in the East. Consequently, coach Ime Udoka has entered the top five of this week's power rankings.
He enters at the expense of coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have lost 10 of their last 13 games and have slid from the top to the sixth seed in the East.
Coach Jason Kidd also deserves recognition for making this week's top five. He has coached Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to the fifth seed in the West, and their record is tied with the fourth-seeded Utah Jazz.
The Mavs have won 10 of their last 13 games and home-court advantage for the playoffs is within their grasp.
So without further ado, let's take a look at the top five of our NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings.
#5 Ime Udoka
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - N/A
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 3; Games lost - 0
Overall: Games played - 74; Games won - 46; Games lost - 28
Offensive Rating: 113.3 (9th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 106.5 (2nd of 30)
Average Points Scored: 110.4 (16th of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 103.8 (1st of 30).
The Boston Celtics have shocked the NBA community with their fantastic turnaround in the second half of the season. After starting the season 18-21, they went on to win 28 of their next 35 games. Many of those have come against the strongest teams in the league, including Golden State, Denver, Utah, Brooklyn and Memphis.
They are riding the second-longest current win streak in the NBA with five victories. The Celtics are now the league's best defensive team as well and coach Ime Udoka deserves plenty of credit for their turnaround in this campaign.
#4 JB Bickerstaff
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 3rd (↓1)
Last Week: Games played - 1; Games won - 0; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 73; Games won - 41; Games lost - 32
Offensive Rating: 111.4 (19th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 108.8 (6th of 30)
Average Points Scored: 107.4 (23rd of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 104.8 (3rd of 30).
The Cleveland Cavaliers have entered a terrible slump of late. They were 35-21 in mid-February, but lost 11 of their next 17 games. They have fallen to the sixth spot in the East.
However, coach JB Bickerstaff's case for NBA Coach of the Year remains strong as his team have still outperformed expectations. They weren't many fans' favorites to be among the playoff teams when the season began but are now the fourth-best defensive team in the league.
Evan Mobley is the frontrunner for the NBA Rookie of the Year award and Darius Garland recently earned his first All-Star selection.
#3 Erik Spoelstra
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 4th (↑1)
Last Week: Games played - 1; Games won - 0; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 73; Games won - 47; Games lost - 26
Offensive Rating: 113.0 (12th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 108.6 (5th of 30)
Average Points Scored: 109.4 (17th of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 105.1 (5th of 30).
The Miami Heat have not been performing at their best and the team knows it. They embarrassingly lost at home to the undermanned Golden State Warriors, who rested all their stars, earlier this week.
Coach Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler got into a loud altercation after the defeat against the Warriors that led to the coach throwing the clipboard at Butler. The Heat have lost four of their last seven games and the locker room seems frustrated with the situation.
Perhaps this altercation will set the team on the right path with nine regular-season games to go.
The Heat are still the first seed in the East and have the 10th-easiest schedule remaining in the league. If they manage to stabilize their game in the final stretch of the season and maintain the top seed, coach Spoelstra might be a finalist for the NBA Coach of the Year award.
#2 Taylor Jenkins
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 2nd (-)
Last Week: Games played - 2; Games won - 2; Games lost - 0
Overall: Games played - 74; Games won - 51; Games lost - 23
Offensive Rating: 114.5 (5th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 108.8 (7th of 30)
Average Points Scored: 115.1 (3rd of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 109.4 (13th of 30).
The Memphis Grizzlies have already reached 51 wins this season, making this the third-best campaign record in franchise history. The record is 56-26 set by the 2012-13 Grizzlies, and there are still eight games left in the 2021-22 regular season.
Coach Taylor Jenkins' side will have to win six of their next eight games to break the franchise record for wins in a season. Their talisman Ja Morant is currently out with an injury but the team are still dominating on both ends of the floor.
#1 Monty Williams
Previous week's NBA Coach of the Year Power Ranking - 1st (-)
Last Week: Games played - 6; Games won - 5; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 72; Games won - 58; Games lost - 14
Offensive Rating: 115.6 (2nd of 30)
Defensive Rating: 107.1 (3rd of 30)
Average Points Scored: 115.3 (2nd of 30)
Average Points Conceded: 106.9 (8th of 30).
The Phoenix Suns will be the only 60-win team of the season and coach Monty Williams deserves major praise for his team's brilliance this year. They have been undermanned and injured but have managed to keep winning consistently.
The Suns, who have a 60-14 record at the moment, have eight games left in the season. The franchise record for wins is 62, tied by the 1993 and 2005 Suns. As things stand, coach Williams is on course to comfortably break the record and probably win the NBA Coach of the Year award as well.
