Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla put together quite the résumé this season during his second year on the job.
Mazzulla guided the Celtics to a 64-18 regular-season record, by far the best mark in the NBA. The Celtics led the league with an 122.2 offensive rating and were second in the NBA in defensive rating. No other team came close to their 11.4 point differential, either, which was the fifth largest in league history.
So, how was Mazzulla rewarded for the dominant display his team put on? Well, it won't be by taking home NBA Coach of the Year honors.
The NBA announced the finalists for its end-of-season awards Sunday night and Mazzulla was inexplicably not among the remaining trio up for the accolade. Oklahoma City Thunder's Mark Daigneault, Minnesota Timberwolves' Chris Finch and Orlando Magic's Jamahl Mosley were named finalists.
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Perhaps Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens assembling a star-studded roster for Mazzulla to coach is hurting his case when it comes to being in the Coach of the Year conversation. But the way Mazzulla handled the roster and got Boston's stars to sacrifice for a team-first approach deserves recognition.
There were signals that Mazzulla wasn't going to be the Coach of the Year after the Coaches Association gave its award to Daigneault last week.
But it's head-scratching to think that Mazzulla will finish outside the top three this season after he took a third-place finish for his work last season.
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Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
