Spurs' Popovich named NBA's coach of the year
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}San Antonio's Gregg Popovich was named the National Basketball Association's (NBA) coach of the year after guiding an aging Spurs team to the best record in a tough Western Conference, the league said on Tuesday.
Popovich, who also won the award in 2003, led the Spurs to a 50-16 record en route to a 15th consecutive postseason berth, which is the longest active streak in the NBA.
Despite a compressed 66-game regular season schedule due to a delayed start because of the lockout, Popovich was able to get the most out of roster that includes veterans Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Popovich, the longest tenured coach with the same team in all four major professional sports leagues in North America, earned 77 first-place votes from a panel of 119 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Steve Keating)