May 21 (UPI) -- Mike Dunleavy, whom many felt was not a wise choice when the Portland Trailblazers were looking for a floor boss in the offseason two years ago, today (Friday) was named NBA Coach of the Year. Dunleavy, winning the award for the first time in eight years as a coach, easily outdistanced runnerup Larry Brown of Philadelphia, receiving 48 of a possible 118 votes to 23 for his 76ers counterpart. Utah's Jerry Sloan was third with 15 points while ten others received at one, led by Chuck Daly of Orlando with 13. During the regular season, Dunleavy took a team comprised of talented and athletic players, many of whom were alleged to be misfits and head cases, and molded a 35-15 record. That was a winning percentage of .700, nearly 14 points than the '98 campaign, and their record was third-best in the league. The Blazers also won the Pacific Division title for the first time since the 1991-92 season and were almost unbeatable at home, going 22-3 at the Rose Garden. Portland was such a balanced and unselfish team this season that nine different players led in at least one statistical category. An example of that balance was in scoring. Isiah Rider, who earned a reputation in past years as a disruptive force, malcontent and ball hog, bought into Dunleavy's share the glory strategy by sacrificing much of his offense and playing some defense. He led the team in scoring but his per game average was only 13.9, down from 19.7 last season. The Blazers were near the top of the NBA scoring ladder at 94.8 points per game, were third overall in rebounding, and ranked behind only San Antonio and Utah in average margin of victory. ``It's a little embarrassing to me because our team is a team and this is an individual award,'' Dunleavy said at a news conference in Portland. ``This is really not about me. I hope my players understand this is a team award and this is really about them.'' So far, the Blazers' regular season success has carried over into the postseason. They had been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs each of the last six years before sweeping Phoenix this season. They beat the Jazz in Salt Lake City Thursday night, 84-81, to even their Western Conference semifinal series at one game apiece. Brown led the 76ers to the playoffs for the first time in eight years with a 28-22 record. The Coach of the Year receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, named in honor of the legendary vice chairman of the Celtics, who guided Boston to nine championships between the 1956-57 and 1966-67 seasons. --=-=-- 