Warriors' Kerr chosen coach of the year

Golden State Warriors' coach Steve Kerr was voted the 2015-16 Coach of the Year

Kerr instructs his team against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the 76ers 117-105. [Reuters]
TRT World and Agencies

Kerr instructs his team against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the 76ers 117-105. [Reuters]

Steve Kerr joined the Warriors' record run on a full-time basis in January, and after Golden State set the NBA single-season record with 73 wins, he was voted the 2015-16 Coach of the Year.

Kerr is expected to be given the award Wednesday before Game 5 of the first-round playoff series with the Houston Rockets.

Terry Stotts of the Portland Trail Blazers finished second. Portland has four new starters but is back in the playoffs. Stotts finished second with 37 first-place votes and 335 total points. Three-time winner Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs was third with 10 first-place votes and 166 total points.

Under Kerr and assistant coach Luke Walton, who served as interim head coach until Kerr returned from back-surgery complications in January, the Warriors (73-9) posted the best regular-season record in league history, eclipsing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72-10).

The defending NBA champions opened the season 24-0, the best start in league history, which pushed their overall regular-season winning streak to 28 games, the second longest of all time.

The Warriors set NBA records for single-season road victories (34) and consecutive home regular-season wins (54, including 18 victories to finish last season), and went 39-2 at Oracle Arena for the second season in a row. Golden State also became the first team to go through a season without losing two games in a row or losing to the same team twice.

TRT World and Agencies

Apr 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr react after a Warriors basket against the Houston Rockets in the first quarter in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena.[Reuters]

The Warriors excelled at both ends of the court.

They established an NBA record with 1,077 three-pointers, part of a high-powered offence that posted the league's highest scoring average (114.9 ppg) since the 1991-92 season and led the NBA in offensive rating (112.5 points per 100 possessions), field goal percentage (48.7), three-point field goal percentage (41.6, second highest in NBA history) and assists (28.9 apg).

On defence, the Warriors tied for fourth in defensive rating, allowing 100.9 points per 100 possessions.

Kerr was often with the team but not on the bench while recovering from complications that arose following multiple back surgeries. Kerr had pain in his back, neck and most debilitating, constant headaches.

He missed the first 43 games and assistant coach Luke Walton helped guide the Warriors to a 24-0 start and 39-4 record before Kerr came back to the bench.

In his first year with the Warriors, Kerr won the NBA title in 2015 with Steph Curry taking MVP honours. Kerr was second last year in NBA coach of the year voting to Atlanta's Mike Budenholzer.

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