So, it has come down to this.
Two weeks ago, it seemed like the Toronto Raptors would skate to the first Eastern conference top seeding and a franchise best 60 wins. Now they’ll have to win out to get to 60 wins, the top seed, and the all-important avoidance of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers until the Eastern conference finals.
But as the Boston Celtics come to town, first place in the East isn’t the only prize up for grabs. This game seems like a referendum on the NBA’s Coach of the Year award. Along with Boston head coach Brad Stevens, Dwane Casey was considered a top candidate for the award as his team surprised onlookers on both sides of the border. But now as the Raptors stagger to the finish line all bets are off in a year with an unprecedented amount of worthy candidates.
Here’s a look at the Coach of the Year competition as the season enters the final stretch:
Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors
Change was inevitable after yet another disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many assumed that change would be Dwane Casey. But instead of changing his coach Masai Ujiri simply asked his coach to change. Ujiri gave Casey the chance to adapt, as he had earned the right, and the much talked about “culture reset” was born.
More ball movement, more man movement, more three-point shots. That was the mandate.
Casey had been a highly successful coach in the league and not only put his ego to the side, he got multiple-time All-Stars in DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry to buy into a new style that would take the ball out of their hands and minutes away from them. The changes on offense are tangible as Toronto is shooting almost 10 more 3-pointers and making nearly 30 more passes per game compared to last season. That has manifested in offensive efficiency as the Raptors are third in assist to turnover ratio (1.83), sixth in assist ratio (18) and fifth in three pointers made (911).
Although the offensive switch has received headlines they’ve been more improved on defense, too. Casey’s Raptors are the only team in the top six in offensive and defensive efficiency, something only historically great teams like the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs have been able to do over the last few years.
He’s done it all and won big while also developing a bench for the future. His new rotation now rests Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan together for long stretches, trusting “the bench mob” to play through their mistakes. That trust and development has been rewarded as the Raptors have the fourth-highest scoring bench in the league despite losing trusted bench pieces PJ Tucker and Patrick Patterson in free agency and trading Cory Joseph.
Casey has done the most with the least amount of expectations. If he can hold on to the top spot in the East and hold off Brad Stevens, the award should finally be his after years of being overlooked.
Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics had their season derailed in game one when Gordon Hayward suffered a catastrophic season ending injury six minutes into the year. Boston lost that game but then reeled off 16 straight wins. Players seem to get better when they play for Stevens and get worse when they leave him.
On this roster he has four first or second-year players in the fold and yet they still don’t make mistakes and beat themselves. That’s good coaching. With all the new parts — there are 11 new players from last year’s roster — the Celtics have the league’s No. 1 defense and its fourth best record.
Right now, Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart are out for at least the rest of the regular season and Shane Larkin will not make the trip to Toronto because of the flu. Despite all of that Boston is having a better season than last year when they won 53 games.
Mike D’Antoni, Houston Rockets
D’Antoni is the mastermind behind the best team in the league. He was the Coach of the Year last season and the Houston Rockets have been better on offense and defense this year.
Houston leads the league in offensive rating and point differential and their defense has improved from 18th last season to eighth. No coach has ever won the award in consecutive years and with so many strong candidates I don’t think D’Antoni will this year.
Nate McMillan, Indiana Pacers
The majority of NBA writers predicted the Indiana Pacers would be a lottery team after the organization traded away all-star Paul George. Nate McMillan had other plans and turned the player he received in the deal, Victor Oladipo, into the top candidate for Kia Most Improved Player award.
The Pacers have a better record than George’s Oklahoma City Thunder team that boasts three high priced stars. McMillan’s name hasn’t come up much in the coach of the year debate but it should.
Brett Brown, Philadelphia 76ers
Brown deserves credit just for making it through the tanking era of the Sixers. The work he put in through the lean years is finally paying off. Philly has the fourth-ranked defense in the league despite the youth on their roster. Even if you thought this was the year “the Process” would equal playoffs, nobody thought they’d challenge for a top four seed.
Terry Stotts, Portland Trailblazers
Nobody had the Portland Trail Blazers as a potential No. 3 seed. Even more unlikely is Stotts turning Portland into a top-10 defense (currently ninth) after being in the bottom-10 for the past two years.
Doc Rivers, Los Angeles Clippers
If Doc Rivers ends up being a Hall-of-Fame coach this season might be the best example of his coaching ability, even more so than his championship year with the Boston Celtics.
The Los Angeles Clippers lost Chris Paul to Houston and then traded Blake Griffin, plus dealt with injuries all season. They’ve had to start G League players for long stretches of the season and yet despite it all are still in postseason contention in the uber-competitive Western Conference.
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