Cavaliers' mentor named year's best

CLEVELAND – Mike Brown was honored as the NBA’s coach of the year Monday after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to their greatest regular season.

He guided the club to a franchise-record 66 wins, a second Central Division title and the No. 1 overall seed in the postseason. Cleveland leads the Detroit Pistons 1-0 in the first round of the playoffs.

Preaching trust to his players since training camp, Brown has created a tightly knit team led by superstar LeBron James. The 38-year-old coach also has given more authority to his assistants, a sign of his maturity as a coach and confidence as a leader.  (AP)