Phoenix, AZ- Earlier this week, head coach of the Phoenix Suns, Monty Williams, was named the Red Auerbach Coach of the Year for the 2021-2022 NBA season. Williams became the third coach in Suns history to win the award alongside Mike D’antoni (2004-2005) and Cotton Fitzsimmons (1988-1989).
Williams won in a dominant fashion having 64 more first-place votes than the runner-up Memphis Grizzlies’ Coach Taylor Jenkins.
A Culture Shift
The award has been a long time coming for Williams as he has had an extremely successful tenure in Phoenix. During his time in the NBA bubble, Williams coached the Suns to eight straight wins.
Since then, Phoenix has been one of the best teams in the NBA, winning 75% of their games since the bubble per frontofficesports.com. However, last season Williams was considered for the Coach of the Year award but did not win it.
Despite not winning the award, his previous season with Phoenix was a massive success as the Suns made their first finals appearance in 1993.
Best Team In The NBA
This season marked a change not only for the Suns but for Williams as well. Phoenix came away with the best record in the NBA, finishing 64-18 in the regular season. Their .078 win percentage tied the franchise record for the most successful regular season.
What made Phoenix unique is their consistency at home and on the road. The Suns finished with an identical record of 32-9 whether they were playing away or in Phoenix.
The Suns made history, winning a franchise-record 18 straight games from October 3rd to December 2nd.
This season, Williams and the Suns also posted league bests in multiple other categories.
So Stinkin Cool
Coach Williams found out he won the award in a unique way. After a practice veteran point guard Chris Paul stopped the practice and began giving a speech about Williams. In the middle of the speech, Williams’ son walked in holding the trophy for his father.
Williams seemed glad to have won the award stating,
“This is so stinkin cool”
 and Cotton Fitzsimmons (1988-1989).){kind=link}