Popovich, like Sloan, deserved Coach of the..

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Gregg Popovich won the Coach of the Year award for the third time in his career, the NBA announced today. Don Nelson and Pat Riley are the only other three-time winners.Popovich's Spurs had the league's best record 62-20. And he did while balancing an aging roster; no player averaged more than 30 minutes or 20 points a game this year.Here are the full results.

Coach, Team 1st 2nd 3rd PtsGregg Popovich, San Antonio 59 23 16 380Jeff Hornacek, Phoenix 37 44 22 339Tom Thibodeau, Chicago 12 22 33 159Steve Clifford, Charlotte 8 21 24 127Dwane Casey, Toronto 5 9 18 70Terry Stotts, Portland 2 3 6 25Doc Rivers, L.A. Clippers 1 2 2 13Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City 0 0 1 1Mark Jackson, Golden State 0 0 1 1 Jason Kidd, Brooklyn 0 0 1 1

The award seems to traditionally go to the coach who helped lead the biggest turnaround from one year to the next. And that's exactly what former Jazz assistant Jeff Hornacek and Steve Clifford did in Phoenix and Charlotte, respectively. That's why those two were my second- and third-place votes for the award.Horancek did indeed finish second in the voting with 339 points to Popovich's 380.The job Hornacek did in Phoenix this year was remarkable.And it cast a shadow over what was happening in Utah.But Popovich deserved the award. He was the best coach.But what Popovich has done in San Antonio this season (and obviously in the years prior) was also special. It seemed wrong to let voter fatigue get in the way of that. That's the kind of thinking that cost Jerry Sloan the hardware a time or tow.— Aaron Falk

Popovich, like Sloan, deserved Coach of the Year award