Knicks' Thibodeau edges Suns' Williams for Coach of the Year
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has won the 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year award, the league announced.
Thibodeau received 351 points, 11 more than Phoenix Suns bench boss Monty Williams. Thibodeau received two fewer first-place votes than Williams (43 to 45) but edged the Suns coach with 42 second-place votes compared to just 32 for Williams.
Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz finished third.
Thibodeau managed the Knicks to a 41-31 record in his first year with the franchise, a 20-win improvement from their 2019-20 campaign. That finish was good enough for fourth in the Eastern Conference, sending New York to the postseason for the first time since 2013.
The Knicks eventually fell in five games to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. Voting for end-of-season awards concludes before the playoffs begin.
While accepting his award Monday, Thibodeau specifically thanked forward Julius Randle for leading the Knicks on the court. Randle was named the Most Improved Player of the 2020-21 season in late May.
"I have to mention our team. All the players that we had ... it started with Julius. He just set a great example for the team," Thibodeau said on NBA on TNT. "We had the right veterans. We had good young guys. And as we all saw, we've also got an incredible fan base that gives us great support."
It's the second Coach of the Year honor for Thibodeau. The 63-year-old first won the award in 2011 following a 62-20 season with the Chicago Bulls.