Spoelstra, D'Antoni share NBCA Coach of the Year award

Spoelstra and D'Antoni were announced Sunday as co-recipients of the inaugural Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award.

Spoelstra, who helped the Heat rebound from 11-30 at midseason to a 41-41 finish, received votes from nine National Basketball Association head coaches, as did D'Antoni, whose team is in the second round of the National Basketball Association playoffs.

The NBCA credited Spoelstra with the Heat's second-half turnaround, in which they went 30-11 in the final 41 games, including a 13-game win streak.

"Somewhere up above our good friend Michael Goldberg is very proud", said Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, president of the coaches' association. He's somehow revolutionized the old system he used in the Phoenix Suns, making James Harden one of the league's top assist men while the rest of the team shoots lights our from 3-point range.

Spoelstra, D'Antoni share NBCA Coach of the Year award

D'Antoni guided the Rockets to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and third-best record in the National Basketball Association at 55-27, and his team broke the league's regular-season record with 1,181 3-pointers.

Spoelstra's Heat finished this season with 41 wins and a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs on a tie-breaker with the Chicago Bulls. The award is named for the longtime executive director of the coaches association who died earlier this year.

Spoelstra, 46, guided the Heat to the biggest turnaround in league history, going from 11-30 in the first half of the season to 30-11. Nine of the league's 30 coaches received votes, including Scott Brooks, Dave Fizdale, Steve Kerr, Jason Kidd, Gregg Popovich, Doc Rivers and Quin Snyder in addition to Spoelstra and D'Antoni. The victor of the media voting will be announced June 26.

Spoelstra and D'Antoni will receive their award at the NBCA annual meeting in September. Before joining the Rockets this season, D'Antoni last coached the Los Angeles Lakers two seasons before being fired. Balloting for the NBA's Coach of the Year award was completed before the start of the playoffs.