Toronto Raptors: How Do Nick Nurse’s First Two Seasons Stack Up Against the All-Time Greats?

Five Current Greats

Doc Rivers, LA Clippers:  943-681 (.581) regular-season record (11th most wins all-time), 91-89 (.506) playoff record, 2008 NBA Champion (Boston), 2000 NBA Coach of the Year (Orlando), 2× NBA All-Star Game head coach (2008, 2011)

First Two Seasons (1999-2001): 84-80 (.512) regular-season record, 1-3 (.250) playoff record, 2000 NBA Coach of the Year

Rivers won the Coach of the Year in his rookie 1999-00 season after guiding a bad Orlando Magic team to a surprising 41-41 record. He would go on to win the title with a 2008 Boston Celtics team featuring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. Doc is currently second in regular-season wins among active coaches.

Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks: 794-659 (.546) regular-season record (16th all-time wins), 60-66 (.476) playoff record, 2011 NBA Champion (Dallas), 2002 NBA Coach of the Year (Detroit), 2004 NBA All-Star Game head coach

First Two Seasons (2001-2003): 100-64 (.610) regular-season record, 12-15 (.444) playoff record, 2002 Coach of the Year

Carlisle coached the Pistons to two 50 win seasons to open up his coaching career. The New Jersey Nets swept the Pistons out of the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals which resulted in the surprise firing of the 2002 Coach of the Year.

The Pistons went on to win the NBA Championship just a year later under the guidance of Carlisle’s replacement, Larry Brown. Carlisle continued to rack up wins with a notable four-year stint in Indiana and would eventually get his championship ring in Dallas after Dirk Nowitzki’s historic 2011 playoff run.

Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat: 567-392 (.591) regular-season record (27th all-time wins), 80-48 (.625) playoff record, 2× NBA champion (2012 & 2013 with Miami), 2013 NBA All-Star Game head coach

First Two Seasons (2008-2010): 90-74 (.549) regular season record, 4-8 (0.333) playoff record

The man that Pat Riley handpicked to replace him as head coach of the Miami Heat. Spoelstra didn’t get enough credit for Miami’s two championships with Lebron, Wade, and Bosh.

But he has since proven himself as one of the game’s elite and routinely gets the most out of whatever roster he is given. This year’s Miami team has been one of the surprises of the 2020 playoff bubble and is just a few wins away from potentially making the NBA Finals.

Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors: 337-138 (.709) regular-season record (55th most wins all-time), 77-28 (.733) playoff record, 3× NBA champion (2015, 2017, 2018 with Golden State), 2016 NBA Coach of the Year (Golden State), 2× NBA All-Star Game head coach (2015, 2017)

First Two Seasons (2014-2016): 140-24 (.854) regular-season record, 31-14 (.689) playoff record, 2015 NBA Champion, Lost in 2016 NBA Finals, 2016 NBA Coach of the Year, 2015 NBA All-Star Game head coach

After winning the championship as a rookie head coach in 2015 and breaking the NBA’s regular-season win record with 73 wins in 2016, nobody has had a more impressive start to their head coaching career than Steve Kerr.

Greg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs: 1277-614 (.675) regular-season record (third-most wins all-time), 170-114 (.599) playoff record, 5× NBA champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 with San Antonio), 3× NBA Coach of the Year (2003, 2012, 2014 with San Antonio), 4× NBA All-Star Game head coach (2005, 2011, 2013, 2016)

First Two Seasons (1996-98): 73-73 (.500) regular-season record, 4-5 playoff record (.444)

The 1996-97 San Antonio season saw injured Hall of Fame center David Robinson limited to just 6 games resulting in a listless 20-62 record. That season would profoundly change the Spurs franchise for the better.

Midway through the season, General Manager Gregg Popovich fired coach Bob Hill and stepped into the vacant position himself. At season’s end, the team would use the first overall pick of the 1997 NBA draft on Tim Duncan, cementing one of the most dynamic player-coach duos in sports history.