New Orleans Hornets' Byron Scott was named NBA coach of the year on Tuesday after guiding his team into the playoffs with a franchise-record 56 wins this season.

New Orleans Hornets head coach Byron Scott holds up the Coach of the Year Trophy before his team took the court against the Dallas Mavericks for Game 5 of their NBA playoff series in New Orleans, Louisiana April 29, 2008. [Agencies]

In his fourth season with the Hornets, Scott received 458 points, including 70 first-place votes, in balloting by sportswriters and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.

Boston Celtics' Doc Rivers was a distant second with 242 points, followed by Houston Rockets' Rick Adelman on 193.

"It is a tremendous honour to receive this prestigious award," Scott said on the Hornets Web site (www.nba.com/hornets).

"It has been a wonderful season for us coming back home to New Orleans and I am proud to be a part of this organisation and to be the head coach of such a tremendous group of young men who excel both on and off the court."

Scott joined the Hornets after 3-1/2 years as New Jersey head coach, compiling a 149-139 record in the Meadowlands and guiding the Nets to two consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals (2002 and 2003).

The Hornets are one win away from advancing to the second round of playoffs, leading their best-of-seven series with the Dallas Mavericks 3-1.

(Agencies via China Daily April 30, 2008)