Nets coach Kenny Atkinson has been named as one of five finalists for the Rudy Tomjanovich award as NBA coach of the year. The announcement was made Thursday afternoon by the Professional Basketball Writers Association.
Joining Atkinson on the list of finalists for the coaching award are Mike D’Antoni of the Rockets; Mike Malone of the Nuggets, Nate McMillan of the Pacers and Doc Rivers of the Clippers.
As Greg Logan notes, one surprising omission was Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who has his team in the Eastern Conference finals.