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Brad Stevens receives no votes from peers for NBCA Coach of the Year

The Celtics' head coach has his team on the brink of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year.
Credit: Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 6: Coach Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics watches on during the game against the Chicago Bulls on April 6, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

BOSTON (Celtics Wire) — The National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) announced Dwane Casey as its Coach of the Year award winner today. The distinction is voted on by the recipients’ fellow coaches and is separate from the NBA’s Coach of the Year award, which is determined by media members.

Seven coaches aside from Casey received at least one vote: Brett Brown, Mike D’Antoni, Nate McMillan, Gregg Popovich, Doc Rivers, Quin Snyder and Terry Stotts.

Noticeably absent from that list, Boston Celtics’ head coach Brad Stevens, who has his team on the brink of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year, despite a number of injuries to key players including stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

The exact reasons behind Stevens’ snubbing are unclear, though many speculate that he simply hasn’t been in NBA circles quite long enough to “earn his due” among his peers.

The pool of candidates for the mantel of Coach of the Year mantel is as deep as it’s ever been. It’s not hard to make a fairly convincing case that everyone who received a vote in the NBCA balloting deserved it, but the fact that Stevens couldn’t garner a single nod is surprising, if not insulting.

Boston has drastically outperformed its post-injury expectations thanks in large part to his coaching and assuming the Celtics can knock of the Sixers in one of their next three games, Stevens will advance further in the Playoffs than any coach receiving a vote, other than Mike D’Antoni.

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