It’s Anybody’s Guess for the NBA Coach of the Year Odds
Well NBA fans, we’ve come to the end of another week, which means it’s time to discuss the head coaches in the running for the Coach of the Year award. Before we get to the topic of our top three coaches, I deem it appropriate to give a little shout out to another coach – Frank Vogel. Although many questioned this hiring, myself included, he has helped guide the Los Angeles Lakers to the top spot in the Western Conference. That being said, Kudos to coach Vogel.
Now, let’s turn our attention to the guys that have dominated this conversation during the first half of the season – Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics, Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and Nick Nurse from the Toronto Raptors. Here is a look at the updated odds for each coach based upon how their teams performed over the past week (Jan. 10 through Jan. 16).
Coach of the Year 2020 Odds
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The Third-Best NBA Coach of the Year Odds: Brad Stevens (+500—No Change From Last Week)
The Celtics played in four games over the past week. They kicked off their slate of games by thumping the New Orleans Pelicans to the tune of 140-105. A few nights later, Boston defeated the Chicago Bulls by a 113-101 margin. The rest of the week was nothing to write home about though, as the Celtics fell to the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks to finish their week at 2-2.
Although the Celtics had an up-and-down week, and have split their last 10 games overall, they are still a respectable 27-13. Even more important, they currently have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Second-Best NBA Coach of the Year Odds: Erik Spoelstra (+500—Last Week’s Odds: +450)
The Miami Heat have been playing well for most of the season. But things didn’t go too well over the past week. They started off their slate with a 117-113 loss at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are a decent team so there’s no shame in that. However, the nearly unthinkable happened in a road game against the New York Knicks. Miami led by 10 points going into the final frame but allowed its opponent to score a whopping 40 points in the final 12 minutes.
The result was an unexpected 124-121 loss against a Knicks squad that isn’t very good this year. Thankfully, the Heat got back on track with a 106-100 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, to post their lone win during the three-game stretch. Yes, the Heat did hit a tough patch over the recent week, but they still own the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Furthermore, with upcoming games against the Spurs, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards, Miami should get back on track during the upcoming week.
The Best NBA Coach of the Year Odds: Nick Nurse (+500—Last Week’s Odds: +450)
The Toronto Raptors had an easy week, as they played just two games. Unfortunately, one of the games is one they would like to forget. In a home contest against the Spurs on Dec. 12, the Raptors led by as many as 18 points, and they had a 13-point advantage going into the fourth quarter. The Spurs refused to go away quietly, outscoring the home team by a 36-22 margin en route to a somewhat stunning 105-104 victory.
Toronto got back into the win column in their next game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In that contest, the Raptors shot an efficient 61.2 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from beyond the arc. When it was all said and done, they produced a 130-121 win. The Raptors are in good shape for a few reasons. First, they are one of the best defensive teams in the league, holding opponents to 42.6 percent shooting.
Secondly, they are still in the hunt for one of the top four playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. On top of that, Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell and Marc Gasol have returned to the rotation. In other words, look for this team to make some noise for the duration of the season, which may cement Nick Nurse’s case to be named the league’s top coach.
