The Indiana Pacers have a chance to reward their head coach, Nate McMillan, with a milestone with one more victory.
One is the magic number. One more Indiana Pacers win, and Nate McMillan will have 500 career wins as an NBA head coach.
Coach Nate has coached for three NBA teams: the Seattle SuperSonics, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Indiana Pacers.
Let’s take a look at how he got here.
Seattle SuperSonics
Nate McMillan once played for the Sonics. In fact, he spent his entire career with them, achieving plenty of individual success. As the coach in Seattle, McMillan tallied a record of 212-183. That’s good for a .537 winning percentage. He coached there for five years.In 2005, he led the Sonics to the second round
He had talent on the roster, with Ray Allen, Gary Payton, and Rashard Lewis being the most notable.
In 2005, he led the Sonics to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. They defeated the Sacramento Kings in five games in the first round. They had the amazing San Antonio Spurs waiting for them in the second round, though. The Sonics fought but ultimately lost the series in six games. The Spurs went on to win the NBA Championship. McMillan ended up leaving the Sonics after this run for a job that paid more in Portland.
Portland Trail Blazers
Nate McMillan had regular season success in Portland. He was never able to get his team deep into the Playoffs, but Portland was always a tough place to play under Nate. It didn’t hurt to have Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, either.
In fact, the Blazers lost in six games in the first round in every Playoff series they were in under Nate. When he first got the job in Portland, the team was going through a major rebuild. He went from a 21 win season at one point to a 54 win season in 2009. Through seven years in Portland, McMillan recorded a record of 266-269.
Indiana Pacers
Now, obviously, Nate McMillan is the Head Coach of the Indiana Pacers. It hasn’t been an easy road with the Pacers, but Nate has managed to lead the team to an above .500 record. 500 wins is a terrific accomplishment for any coach. Here’s to Nate getting plenty of more wins under his belt in the future.
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The Pacers take on the Kings tonight at 10:30 p.m.. If the Pacers win, they’ll not only celebrate a much-needed road win, but Coach Nate’s 500th victory.