Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni has been named the Coach of the Year for the 2016-17 season, edging out candidates Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs.

D’Antoni was the genius behind the making of James Harden, the “points guard” at the beginning of the season — experiment that ended up in him having a career-year scoring and assisting, boasting a near-triple-double line that has him as a sure-fire candidate in the Most Valuable Player conversation.

The 66-year-old coach and his offensive philosophy was the propelling force behind an 11-win improvement from the prior season, setting the Rockets for third place in the Western Conference behind the Spurs and the Golden State Warriors.

This is his second Coach of the Year award after getting his first at the helm of the Phoenix Suns in 2005.

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D'Antoni thanked his players, coaching staff, and the front office for collaborating in changing the culture of the team and going through with his brand of offense, one that saw him as a top-three offense in the NBA this season.