Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been named the NBA Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.
The announcement was made Tuesday on NBC's pregame show before Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.
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Mazzulla guided the Celtics to a 56-26 regular-season record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
He overcame significant roster changes and a season-ending Achilles injury to star player Jayson Tatum.
The coach received 62 of 100 first-place votes, according to Yahoo Sports. Detroit Pistons coach J.
B.
Bickerstaff finished second with 29 first-place votes after leading his team to the top seed in the East.
San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson placed third with nine first-place votes after the Spurs secured the second-best record in the NBA and the No. 2 seed in the West.
During a post-announcement interview on NBC, Mazzulla redirected praise toward his players and staff. "There's so much that goes into winning one game," he said.
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He emphasized the collective effort behind the team's success. "It starts with the players, but it goes to our staff.
I feel bad that they're not here, but forever indebted to the guys that we have that give up their time with their families to give us a chance to win every day," Mazzulla said.
"I truly want to thank my staff. I love those guys."
