Spoelstra, D'Antoni, Popovich named Coach of the Year finalists

The three finalists to win Coach of the Year for 2016-17 are Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat, Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets, and Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs.

After beginning the year with a 10-31 record, Spoelstra turned the Heat into one of the league's hottest second-half teams, going 31-10 over the final 41 games.

Despite losing Tim Duncan to retirement last summer, the Spurs didn't miss a beat in 2016-17, finishing with the NBA's second-best regular-season record under Popovich (61-21). Already a three-time winner, Popovich has made a strong case to take home the fourth Coach of the Year award of his career.

After barely scraping into the playoffs last season, D'Antoni turned the Rockets into one of the West's top teams during his first year in Houston, leading his troops to a 55-27 mark. D'Antoni's decision to move James Harden to point guard helped turn the Rockets into an offensive powerhouse, with Houston scoring 111.8 points per 100 possessions.

This year's winner will be announced on June 26.