The Orlando Magic are not focused on postseason rewards. The only one of those rewards the team cares about is the trip to the Playoffs that is seemingly on the horizon.
The team is sitting in fifth in the Eastern Conference with a chance to catch the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers for third and fourth.
There is a lot to prepare for in the final 10 games of the season. Everything right now is working toward preparing the Magic for the Playoffs. And there is understandably a lot of excitement about what will come.
This has been a season of celebration. And one that the Magic believe will set the table for years of competitive basketball to come.
It has certainly been a surprise, even if the team expected to ascend to postseason play this year after the way they finished last year. Still, nobody saw the team competing for homecourt advantage in the playoffs or being one of the most dominant defensive teams in the league.
Orlando has gone through its work quietly this season and away from the national spotlight. But if the Magic are going to win one of the postseason awards, the most likely seems to go to the man leading the charge.
Jamahl Mosley is rightfully among the favorites for the NBA's Coach of the Year Award.
Mosley is always one to deflect attention from himself. He gives credit to his assistant coaching staff and players far more than himself. But so much of the team's success is about the culture of selflessness Mosley has created.
Mosley is a big reason for the team's success.
"We went against the odds this year," Wendell Carter said after practice Tuesday. "We're proving a lot of doubters wrong. I give him a lot of credit to him. He's out here, coaches every game, every practice, every off day. He checks in on guys when guys may have a bad game. He's the best coach that I've had since I've been in the league. He is a lot of the reason for us being so successful this year."
Mosley took over the team at the start of its rebuild. They won just 22 games his first year and then jumped to 34. The Magic have 42 wins with 10 games to go and seem set for a second straight season with a 10-year improvement.
Yes, the Magic got Paolo Banchero and drafted Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner in the meantime. But with relatively few roster changes over the course of the three years, it is a testament to the culture and growth Mosley has fostered to get them to this point.
Mosley earned a fresh extension that will keep him in Orlando through the 2028 season. He still has to prove himself as a coach in the Playoffs too. But the rest of the league has noticed the Magic's growth, even if the national media has not seen much of the Magic this year.
Mosley rightfully is getting consideration for the Coach of the Year Award. According to betting odds from FanDuel, Mosley is the second favorite to win the award. It seems likely he will be named a finalist for the award when it gets announced after the season ends.
There is still work to do. Mosley's odds to win the Coach of the Year are good but he is not the favorite to win the award. The fact that the media is voting on the award brings back the specter of the lack of national attention on the Magic's season.
But the ultimate goal is to win games and perform in the Playoffs.
As the season winds down, Mosley still has a case to make for Coach of the Year, even if it does feel inevitable who will win it.
It is nice to think about what the award situation looks like. Mosley is deserving of consideration for the award in a crowded and strong coaching field.
Even if Mosley does not want the recognition for it.
Here are our Coach of the Year Power Rankings as we enter the final 10 games of the season.
NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings
Far Out of the Running
The Detroit Pistons' season has simply been a disaster. Injuries have played a role -- Cade Cunningham has been really good at 22.3 points and 7.5 assists per game in 60 games this season.
But Pistons fans have been restless about Monty Williams' coaching decisions and rotations. It is disappointing to say the least that the Pistons have not taken that step forward into the postseason picture.
Nobody expected the Portland Trail Blazers to be competitive this year. But the Blazers have often been a tough watch even if that was by design while Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons try to figure out life without Damian Lillard.
The Blazers have the fourth-worst net rating and the third-worst offensive rating. Things have not lined up for the Blazers. Their most important thing is Henderson's development and he has had a rough rookie year -- 13.2 points per game and a 42.8-percent effective field goal percentage. That is the biggest concern for Portland.
It is hard to judge the Toronto Raptors in Darko Rajakovic's rookie season. The team was clearly spinning its wheels after parting with Nick Nurse and then mid-season trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby seemed to seal the team's fate as a middling team.
The Raptors deserve some credit for still being a team that runs on the break and has an identity. Scottie Barnes before his injury was having a legitimate All-Star season (19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game). But he struggled with the extra attention after the trades.
The Raptors have to consider how to reset next.
The Charlotte Hornets have had a really bad season. And with new ownership and management coming in, it seems like Steve Clifford will be mutually parting ways with another franchise. Charlotte has not been able to take on the defensive identity Clifford prefers.
The injury to LaMelo Ball -- he was officially ruled out for the season -- has hurt. The Hornets have the worst net rating in the league.
But since the All-Star Break, the Hornets have shown some life -- they are 5-13 and are 19th in defensive rating. The trades did seem to inject some life into them. And Brandon Miller has looked a whole lot more active as the season concludes.
NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings
Interims Doing Their Best
For the two interim coaches in the league, they have taken over some bad situations. And we really cannot blame them for a lot of the issues they face.
Brian Keefe has half of the Washington Wizards' wins this season and is 7-23. That includes a 16-game losing streak. The bad part for the Wizards is that they have been healthy for most of this season. This is what their year looks like at full strength.
Kevin Ollie took over for Jacque Vaughn in a disappointing Brooklyn Nets season. He has gone 7-12 since taking over for Vaughn. It has been a difficult road for Brooklyn nonetheless.
They have quality players like Mikal Bridges. But the pieces have not come together in any way that resembles a postseason team at the moment.
NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings
Disappointed, but Not Upset
Steve Kerr told the media in Orlando before Wednesday's game against the Orlando Magic that this Golden State Warriors team has been among the most fun he has coached in his career. He backtracked and said that he just enjoys coaching, so that is not to rank them ahead of any of their title teams. But it still took the media aback.
This was before Draymond Green got himself kicked out of the game 3.5 minutes into the contest. And there have been notable spats with Jonathan Kuminga, frustrations integrating Chris Paul into the lineup and Klay Thompson's contract future hovering overhead.
This is, to say the least, not the kind of season the Warriors typically have. And they are in danger of even missing the Play-In with Kerr's coaching coming under question with all the pieces not aligned for his success.
The Memphis Grizzlies got dealt a bad hand from the start of the season. Ja Morant was suspended for the first 25 games. Steven Adams suffered a season-ending injury. And then an injury to Desmond Bane further put them behind the 8-ball.
The Grizzlies have done about as well as they can when facing these injuries. They have found some gems and played a scrappy style of basketball that will translate well when Morant returns next year. Jenkins has done well to hold the team together.
In the end, the Atlanta Hawks have had the same kind of season they always have. They are a middling team that has struggled to find its identity but is still dangerous in any one game because of the gravity of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
Quin Snyder has not proven to give the Hawks the offensive or defensive spark they needed to compete more seriously in the middle of the Eastern Conference. They remain a dangerous Play-In team.
Whoever is the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers is always going to have a lot of focus on them. With LeBron James in the twilight of his career, everyone wants to know why the Los Angeles Lakers are not competing for a championship.
Darvin Ham has faced plenty of criticism as he has had to handle the Lakers' roster. But the Lakers are in the Play-In chase and have already shown under Ham that they can compete and win from that low seed.
The Phoenix Suns acquired Bradley Beal this offseason and thought they had the makings of an offensive superteam with three shooters in Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Frank Vogel has had a really tough job bringing everyone in that group together.
The Suns have dealt with injuries but still rank ninth in offensive rating. And they are still a dangerous team. They just are not piling up the wins with how they had to piece their roster together to put them in a position to compete for a title.
Billy Donovan may not be long for the Chicago Bulls, even though he is going to finish out this season. The Chicago Bulls are a disappointment again with Zach LaVine dealing with injuries, Nikola Vucevic starting to show his age and Lonzo Ball missing another full season. Donovan continues to do a good job holding this thing together to keep them competitive.
The Bulls will get a home postseason game in the Play-In Tournament. The Bulls may have lost some of their defensive identity (they are 19th in defensive rating). But Chicago still proves to be a tough team to play against. Donovan deserves some credit.
NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings
These Guys are Fine
Losing your best player is never easy. Losing an All-NBA-level player early in the season is also not easy. And the Philadelphia 76ers have had to ride these waves and stay in the Playoff picture through it all.
The news that Joel Embiid is returning to practice soon is good news for the Sixers, even if they still need to navigate the Play-In Tournament to get to the Playoffs. Philadelphia has had to handle these injuries and adjusting on the fly. Nick Nurse will have to prove himself again when the season resumes.
It is the Miami Heat. Is anybody going to be surprised if they win the Play-In Tournament and advance to the second round? Is anybody surprised by what the Heat do in any season?
Miami may be leaning on the Heat Culture (TM) to get the team through this season. And Erik Spoelstra continues to do what he always does. The Heat find players to fill in and still play a hard-nosed style.
Things just are not coming together quite the same way. Their playoff prospects are not nearly as strong.
Even after the trade to acquire James Harden, it feels like this has been an oddly quiet year for the LA Clippers. And that is probably a good thing.
Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Paul George have all played in at least 65 games. So they are all playing. And the Clippers have just ben smoothly winning games at a healthy pace to establish their place in the Western Conference.
The Clippers though have just been treading water for much of the last month.
The Sacramento Kings will probably look at their record and standing and be disappointed. They were the 3-seed in last year's Playoffs. It has been a disappointing season on that front.
But the Kings had to expect some regression to the mean, especially as they tried to tweak their defense. They gave up too much offense to try to do that. But Sacramento is learning how hard it is to replicate their success as part of their journey.
NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings
Doing As Expected
The San Antonio Spurs do not have the record that would suggest they have much to celebrate or think about with their coach. But the whole purpose of this Spurs season is to develop Victor Wembanyama.
On that front, even if he was slow to find the right way to use him, this season has been a success for the Spurs. Wembanyama is averaging 20.7 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game and a league-best 3.5 blocks per game. Since the All-Star Break, he is averaging 21.3 points per game, 11.3 rebounds per game and 4.4 blocks per game.
Popovich has always been good at one thing -- keeping the big picture in mind.
There has been a lot of hand-wringing and frustration with Jason Kidd and some of the rotation decisions he has made. But the results right now should speak to what he has done right.
The Dallas Mavericks have won five straight and nine of their last 10. They have climbed to sixth in the West and are in the fight for homecourt advantage. For as much early blame as Kidd might have gotten, he has found the formula for the moment.
The Utah Jazz fell short of the postseason last year after a surprising start to the season. The Jazz's season has gone much the same way this year. But in some ways, it feels like Will Hardy has gotten the most out of his team.
The Jazz have some work to do to add talent to the roster. And that is going to be on Danny Ainge, who has kept the Jazz in suspended animation.
The Milwaukee Bucks have sat in second for most of the season. But things were off and not clicking under coach Adrian Griffin. Doc Rivers has tried to reform the defense and things seem to be starting to shake out.
The Bucks are 14-12 since Rivers took over, entering Thursday's games. They are 14th in defensive rating at 115.1 points allowed per 100 possessions this season. They are 12th at 112.2 since the All-Star Break. That might be enough with the offensive weapons they have.
They just need to be healthy.
NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings
See Where the Standings Shake Out
No one seems to be talking about the New Orleans Pelicans as a threat in the Western Conference. They have found their groove with Zion Williamson especially finding some health and rhythm. It might be easy to forget because of how badly they got beat, but they reached the Western Conference Finals of the In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas.
The Pelicans have been solid and consistent throughout the season. And health has played a role. But so how Willie Green and his even demeanor.
The Indiana Pacers in a lot of ways have taken the step forward everyone expected of them. They missed the Play-In Tournament last year because of an extended injury to Tyrese Haliburton. He has been relatively healthy this year and has helped define the Pacers' fast-breaking style.
Indiana made an all-in move with Pascal Siakam (whom the Pacers expect to re-sign this summer) and that has not quite worked out. But the Pacers still should feel good about their climb up the standings and what they can continue to build.
Ultimately, J.B. Bickerstaff and the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to get judged on how they do in the Playoffs. They are hungry for it after they fell short in their series with the New York Knicks last year. The Cavaliers hoped that year would galvanize the team.
It largely has. Cleveland has been one of the best defenses all season. And they have enough offense and shooting to be really dangerous.
Injuries remain a huge issue though. They survived playing without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley early in the season. They are struggling now with Donovan Mitchell out -- going 6-9 since Mitchell started going in and out of the lineup. They need that piece for the Playoffs.
When you are the coach of the defending champions, there is only one award that matters and one trophy that matters. It is hard to be Coach of the Year when you just won a title because there is only one way to improve.
To be sure, the Denver Nuggets remain the favorites to win the Western Conference and nobody should sleep on them to repeat as champions. Mike Malone has managed this season well. But there is still work to do.
NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings
The Heavy Hitters
If there is any proof that you should wait for the whole picture with a coach and that playing your best later in the season is most important, Ime Udoka with the Houston Rockets is it.
The Rockets seemed destined to be spending their summer figuring out whether they were on the right track and a player like Jalen Green no longer really seemed like a fit.
Now they have won 10 straight and Green looks like a star. Everything has clicked for them of late. And Houston is flirting with the Play-In now.
The Boston Celtics have dominated the entire season. They are first and have already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They are closing in on clinching homecourt advantage for the entire playoffs. It is inevitable at this point.
It is hard to ignore a team that is this dominant for Coach of the Year. Even though the Celtics are building off last year's top-seed showing. The Celtics though are focused on the Playoffs first and foremost.
The New York Knicks are an established playoff team now. Jalen Brunson is a true All-NBA player and scorer. And they have playoff experience and winning experience.
But what has been impressive about the Knicks' rise to third in the Eastern Conference is how they have managed injuries to get there. Julius Randle has been out since late January. OG Anunoby has been in and out of the lineup after his elbow surgery. Mitchell Robinson is returning to the lineup now after being out since early in the season.
Through it all, the Knicks have remained a tough defensive team and players have stepped in and filled the team out. That is a credit to Thibodeau and his work as a coach. The Knicks are real players in the Eastern Conference now.
NBA Coach of the Year Power Rankings
The Finalists
Jamahl Mosley is second in the betting odds for Coach of the Year and he has been on the periphery for the award throughout the entire season. Everyone is noticing the job Mosley has done simply by looking at the standings.
That is often how coaches get the Coach of the Year Award. They propel a team up the standings in a way nobody expects. The Magic are the surprise team in the league -- blowing past their over/under win total of 36.5 fairly quickly.
Mosley deserves a lot of praise for this work. He has helped build a defensive identity that this young team has embraced. The Magic have probably outperformed expectations more than any other team. And that is why Mosley is a clear finalist for the Coach of the Year Award.
At the end of the day, this league is about winning. And while the Denver Nuggets have finally ascended to the top of the Western Conference table, the two coaches who have put their teams at the top of the standings deserve all the flowers they can get.
You start with the Minnesota Timberwolves and coach Chris Finch. After two straight showings in the Play-In Tournament, the Timberwolves had their breakthrough. They figured out how to play Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns together and Anthony Edwards emerged as a true star.
Like with the Magic, this is something that has been years in the making. This season is the culmination of years of work and development. And Minnesota has its fifth 50-win season in franchise history. That is something worth lauding.
Mark Daigneault is the runaway favorite to win the Coach of the Year Award. He has taken one of the youngest teams in the league and turned them into a juggernaut in the league. The Thunder have been one of the best teams all year on both offense and defense, playing well above their experience level.
A lot of that credit goes to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the MVP-level season he is having. A lot of it goes to their coach for keeping them on task and using players the right way. It has been a stunning season for him and the Thunder all year.