ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic had the best turnaround of the season, and coach Jamal Mosley can now take some credit for it.
Mosley finished second in NBA Coach of the Year voting with four first-place votes, 36 second-place votes and 30 third-place votes. The Magic's third-year coach finished the poll with 158 total points.
Oklahoma City Thunder manager Mark Daigneault won the award by a landslide, receiving 89 first-place votes and a total of 473 points. The Thunder went from 40 wins to 57 wins this season, the second-highest increase in wins since last season. Oklahoma City finished the year as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
Mosley helped Orlando coach's win total increase from 34 last season to 47, the second-highest total. That jump led to the Magic earning the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. He also contributed to the development of Magic. Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, and current Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero.
Suggs received votes for Most Improved Player, while Wagner and Banchero each made history in the Magic's victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Games 3 and 4 of their first-round matchup in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. left. Banchero and Wagner each had at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, making them two of the last three players to accomplish this feat in the past decade. With their performance at home, Orlando tied the series with the Cavs at 2-2.
If the Magic can continue to improve, they could win an award with Mosley in the driver's seat next season.
Orlando will face Cleveland in a crucial Game 5 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
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