Cavs' Mike Brown Named NBA Coach of the Year

After leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA and franchise best 66-16 record, coach Mike Brown was announced Monday as the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2008-2009 Season. Picking up the Red Auerbach Trophy, Brown received a total of 355 points, including 55 first place votes of a possible 122, from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters across the U.S. and Canada.

With their 66 victories, the Cavs became only the 12th team in NBA history to win 66 or more games in a season. They also had a 39-2 record at home, which tied for the second best home record in NBA league history. Their 27-14 record on the road also tied for the second best road record in the league for this season.

In addition to their phenomenal win-loss record this year, the Cavs also greatly improved over last year's record, improving its win total by 21 games from 2007-2008 (45-37). The team also had NBA bests in terms of improvements in field goal percentage (.439 to .468), three-point percentage (.358 to .393), and defensive field goal percentage (.455 to .431). The team also was able to increase their points per game average from 96.4 to 100.3, while at the same time lowering points allowed from 96.7 to 91.4.

The Cavs led the NBA in points per game differential (+8.9), and allowed the fewest points per game in the league (91.4). This year Cleveland also had the lowest opponent three-point percentage (.333), and second lowest opponent field goal percentage (.431). The team also held opponents under 100 points 63 times, and were 56-7 in those games.

Offensively, the Cavs three-point field goal percentage (.393) ranked second. Their overall field goal percentage of .468 ranked sixth in the league, and their 12.7 turnovers per game were the sixth fewest in the league and lowest franchise history. They won an NBA best 41 games by 10 or more points.

This kind of team performance alone warrants Brown's naming of Coach of the Year. Adding further to his case was the fact that he was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month on three separate occasions this season - December 2008, February 2009, and March 2009. At just 39 years old, he also became the fourth-youngest coach to lead a team to 60 wins in a season, and joins Bill Fitch (1975-76) as the only head coaches in Cavs history to receive the coach of the year award.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert said of Mike Brown:

“Mike Brown is one of these rare people that has nearly every tool in his tool box. He is smart, hard working, and selfless. He is curious and hungry to learn. He is philosophically driven and derives his decision making from his strong philosophy. Mike is a man of character and integrity. He is a natural leader and has a ‘magnetic charisma’ which automatically attracts people to him and his message. He has stuck to his ‘defense first’ strategy when it would have been much easier not to. As a human being, Mike treats everyone with respect no matter who they are or where they come from.”

“Mike Brown is a critical element as to why our franchise is growing into the kind of success we all envisioned and hoped to achieve. I believe I speak for the entire Cleveland Cavaliers organization from players, to Mike’s staff, to our front office, from the business side and the people that work the games themselves, in conveying how excited and thrilled we are for Mike Brown and his family that he has been awarded ‘Coach of the Year’. There is no man more deserving and it proves to the world that, yes, nice guys CAN indeed, finish first.”