ORLANDO, Fla. — The Magic's Jamahl Mosley was among three coaches named as finalists for NBA Coach of the Year on Sunday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Mark Daigneault and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Chris Finch were the other two announced as top vote-getters in balloting by a panel of reporters and broadcasters who cover the NBA. The awards are based on regular-season games only. 

In Mosley's three seasons with the Magic, the team's record has improved each season. He replaced Steve Clifford following the 2020-21 season after Clifford and the Magic mutually decided to part ways, at least partially because Clifford did not want to be part of the rebuild that President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman began at the 2021 NBA trade deadline. 

In Mosley's first season, the team's record improved by one win to 22-60 as he and his staff worked with a team of mostly new, young players acquired through the draft and the trades of All-Star Nikola Vucevic and forwards Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon.

In his second season, Orlando's record improved by 12 victories to 34-48 and just missed making the postseason play-in tournament. The Magic won 14 more games this regular season to finish 47-35 in the regular season and advance to the playoffs with the No. 5 seeding in the Eastern Conference. It marks the Magic's first playoff appearance since the 2019-20 season.

The Thunder's Daigneault, whose Oklahoma City team finished tied with the best record in the Western Conference at 57-25 after getting knocked out in the play-in tournament last season following a 40-42 record, already won the coach of the year award presented by the National Basketball Coaches Association. That is not the official NBA award, but one that is selected by coaches and, since it was introduced in 2017, often mirrors the eventual results of league voting. Finch's Timberwolves climbed from the No. 8 seeded Western Conference team in last season's playoffs with 42 wins to No. 3 this year with a 56-26 record.

The "Inside the NBA" crew announced the finalists for all the league's postseason awards Sunday on the pregame show for that night's playoff games on TNT. The league is expected to begin announcing winners periodically over the coming days.

The other awards finalists are:

NBA MVP

• Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
• Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Rookie of the Year

• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
• Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder (drafted No. 2 in 2022 but did not play last season because he needed surgery)
• Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets

Defensive Player of the Year

• Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
• Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Most Improved Player

• Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
• Coby White, Chicago Bulls
• Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets

Sixth Man of the Year

• Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks
• Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings
• Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves

Clutch Player of the Year

• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

The Associated Press contributed to this report.