SAN ANTONIO VS. LOS ANGELES PHILADELPHIA VS. MILWAUKEE

Wednesday, May 30 Coach of year added to Sixers' haul Associated Press PHILADELPHIA -- Larry Brown answered a question, heard the crowd buzzing, turned around and got one of his biggest surprises this season. Larry Brown solved his differences with Allen Iverson, and both earned coveted awards. Dean Smith, Brown's mentor and former coach at North Carolina, stunned the Philadelphia 76ers coach by flying in from Jacksonville, Fla., to congratulate one of his top pupils for winning the NBA's Coach of the Year Award. "Oh my God," Brown said Wednesday when he noticed Smith walking up to the podium. Brown, speechless, hugged Smith and simply stepped aside. "What a great honor this is for Larry Brown. He's a born coach," said Smith, who tried to lure Brown back to North Carolina to fill its head coaching vacancy last summer. Brown, who once said coaching at North Carolina is his dream, is glad he stayed in Philadelphia. He has made it almost a clean sweep this postseason for the 76ers, the first team to get four awards in one season. Allen Iverson was selected as the most valuable player, Aaron McKie won the Sixth Man of the Year Award and Dikembe Mutombo was chosen the defensive player of the year. The only awards Philadelphia didn't get were rookie of the year (Orlando's Mike Miller) and most improved player (Orlando's Tracy McGrady). "I said this is a magical season," team president Pat Croce said. Brown, who led the Sixers to their best record in 16 years, won the award for the first time in his 18-year NBA coaching career. He received 85 votes from a 124-member media panel. Rick Adelman of the Sacramento Kings finished second with 11 votes and Don Nelson of the Dallas Mavericks was third with eight. No other coach received more than five votes. "It's been an amazing year for me," Brown said. "Any time you win an award like this, it's a reflection of what your team does." Iverson credited Brown for his own success. "He deserved it," Iverson said. "He's helped me so much on the court, but he's also helped me so much dealing with things off of it, being a professional." The Sixers opened the Eastern Conference finals with a 93-85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. Brown, in his fourth season in Philadelphia, has guided the Sixers to the playoffs three straight years after an eight-year absence. He was coach of the year three times in four seasons in the ABA. Brown led the Sixers to a franchise-best 10-0 start, a franchise-record 13 straight road victories and the top spot in the East. He recorded his 1,000th professional victory on Feb. 16, and coached the East to a victory in the All-Star game. "It was a no-brainer," Sixers guard Eric Snow said. "He's a teacher, he teaches fundamentals, he teaches teamwork." Before the season, Brown mended his contentious relationship with Iverson, who lived up to his promise of becoming a team player. Despite numerous injuries, Brown led the Sixers to a 56-26 record, matching his best winning percentage as a coach. "I've learned so much from being around him and to see his growth and development, it's a tremendous honor to coach him," Brown said of Iverson. Brown has posted winning records in 25 of his 29 seasons as a head coach on the professional and collegiate levels. He has finished first in his division six times and has been to the Eastern Conference finals three times. Last summer, Brown was an assistant coach on the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the Sydney Olympics. He is the only person to play and coach in the Olympics. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

ALSO SEE Iverson's late 3-pointer holds off Bucks in Game 1 Big Dog provides little bite in Bucks' opener AUDIO/VIDEO  Larry Brown views his Coach of the Year award as a reflection of his team. wav: 224 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6