NBA Coach of the Year Award
Motta was hired as head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1968 after a six-year stint at Weber State. He replaced Johnny Kerr, who had led the team to two playoff appearances despite subpar records of 33-48 and 29-53, respectively. Motta coached the team for eight seasons, coaching 656 games. From 1970 to 1974 he led the Bulls to four consecutive 50 win seasons, winning the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 1971. However this did not translate to playoff success as the Bulls won just one playoff series (1974) in that span. However, they advanced to the Conference Finals in the 1974-75 season, beating the Kansas City Kings to play the Golden State Warriors, losing in 7 games. The team went an NBA-worst 24–58 in 1975–76. He was eventually replaced by Ed Badger on August 25, 1976.