Official: Nick Nurse named the 2019-20 NBA Coach of the Year
The Toronto Raptors had another terrific regular season in the NBA as they finished second in the eastern conference. The defending champions showed great grit throughout the year against the stronger teams despite losing Kawhi Leonard to the LA Clippers and Danny Green to the LA Lakers in the last NBA offseason.
Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse awarded the 'NBA Coach of the Year' trophy
Head coach Nick Nurse has done a terrific job with the Toronto Raptors. After leading the team to their first NBA championship, Nick Nurse guided them to a strong finish in the regular season. The Raptors finished with a 53-19 record.
In a programme which aired on television network TNT, Nick Nurse was awarded the NBA Coach of the Year award. Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer and OKC Thunder coach Billy Donovan were also in contention but Nick Nurse pipped them to win the NBA Coach of the Year trophy. Mike Budenholzer was last year's winner of the NBA Coach of the Year award.
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Nick Nurse was awarded the NBA Coach of the Year trophy by Toronto Raptors guards Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry. Nick Nurse was emotional after receiving the NBA Coach of the Year award from his players. He was quoted saying
"I could not have done it without these guys, that's for sure. It was quite amazing to be able to lift that Larry O'Brien trophy with these guys. That one certainly means the most to all of us. And this is cool, and to have those two guys( Lowry and VanVleet), they are as tough and smart and competitive as it comes. You don't do this without that amazing staff and organization".
Nick Nurse also played a key role in the development of young players like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. Pascal Siakam won the NBA Most Improved Player award in 2019 and OG Anunoby is one of the best defensive players in the NBA. This is Nick Nurse's first NBA Coach of the Year trophy and now he will be looking to clinch another NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors.
The Toronto Raptors are engaged in a first-round playoffs series against the Brooklyn Nets. The Brooklyn Nets are handicapped as they are missing key stars like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving due to injury. The Raptors have a 3-0 advantage over the Nets and are expected to win the fourth game and complete a sweep over their eastern conference rivals.
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