Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr, who led the Warriors to an NBA-best 16-2 record last month, has been named NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month for March, the NBA announced today. Kerr, who previously won Coach of the Month honors in January, becomes the first Warriors head coach to win Coach of the Month honors twice in the same season, joining Don Nelson (February 1989 & April 2007) as the only coaches to earn the accolade twice during their Warriors tenure (the NBA began giving out the award in 1982-83). Golden State set a new franchise record with 16 wins in a single month, topping the team’s previous high of 15 victories in January 1960.
In March, the Warriors established new franchise records for single-season wins (61) and single-season road wins (27) while clinching both the Pacific Division and the best record in the Western Conference for the first time since 1975-76. The Warriors led the NBA in assists (27.7) and three-point percentage (.419) while ranking third in scoring (108.4 points) and second in point differential (+12.1), boasting a perfect 10-0 mark at home during the month. Golden State finished the March slate with 10-straight wins to give the team multiple double-digit win streaks in the same season for the first time in franchise history (Golden State won a franchise-best 16-straight from Nov. 13 to Dec. 14).
At 61-13 (.824) this season, the NBA-leading Warriors rank first in the league in points per game (109.8), assists (27.4), field goal percentage (.478), three-point percentage (.397) and point differential (+10.8). Kerr (.824) holds the best winning percentage of any first-year head coach in league history—ahead of Red Auerbach’s debut campaign with the Washington Capitols in 1946-47 (.817)—and has joined Paul Westphal (1992-93 Phoenix Suns, 62) and Tom Thibodeau (2010-11 Chicago Bulls, 62) as the only coaches to reach the 60-win plateau in their first season.
Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach David Blatt earned Coach of the Month honors in the Eastern Conference.