The Atlanta Hawks enjoyed their best year in franchise history this season, and now their head coach also has been rewarded for the season. Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer has been named the NBA’s coach of the year for the 2014-2015 season, edging out Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd for the award, the NBA announced earlier today.

NBA’s statement on the award:

The Atlanta Hawks’ Mike Budenholzer, who guided the team to the best regular season in franchise history, is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2014-15 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA announced today.

Budenholzer received 67 first-place votes and 513 total points from a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr, who led the Pacific Division champions to a franchise-record and NBA-high 67 victories in his first season as an NBA coach, finished second with 56 first-place votes and 471 total points. Jason Kidd of the Milwaukee Bucks was third with one first-place vote and 57 total points.

The Hawks finished with a record of 60-22, the best in the franchise’s history. The 60 wins was also seven more wins then any other team in the Eastern Conference. Budenholzer had been a assistant head coach all the way from 1996 to 2013 under the Spurs’ Greg Popovich before becoming coach of the Hawks. A lot of fans say the Hawks are the ‘Spurs of the East’ meaning Budenholzer has built the hawks under the style of team ball just like Greg Popovich did with the Spurs.

With that being the case, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Budenholzer win many more awards, as it’s been proven he’s among the best in the NBA at what he does.

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