The No. 4 New York Knicks and No. 2 Phoenix Suns found themselves in toss-up first-round playoff series as the postseason kicked off, going up against the No. 5 Atlanta Hawks and No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers, respectively. While the Hawks ultimately came out on top thanks to Trae Young's incredible performance, the Suns were able to stop LeBron James and Anthony Davis from an upset victory and will continue their pursuit of the title against the No. 3 Denver Nuggets.
None of this, however, has any bearing on regular season award races, including Coach of the Year, and it just so happens that the Knicks and Suns were the two representatives at the top of the race. Just like how their opening playoff series were toss-ups, the competition between Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams had arguments on both sides, and there was reason to believe either coach could come away with the award.
As it turned out, the votes reflected just how close it was.
It's the second time that Thibs has won the honor, the first also coming in a debut season when he was hired by the Chicago Bulls. The veteran coach joined "Inside the NBA" on TNT right after they announced the news.
Without making any major offseason changes, the 21-45 Knicks from 2019-20 turned into a defensive juggernaut, holding opponents to a league-best 104.7 points per game and boasting a 41-31 record. Thibodeau helped to completely change the culture, bringing out the best in key pieces like Derrick Rose, RJ Barrett and, most importantly, Julius Randle.
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Though the first-round upset was a disappointment, the fact that they were not only a .500 team but a legitimate playoff threat should mean a whole lot of excitement going forward.
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