New Jersey?s Lawrence Frank and Dallas? Avery Johnson today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month for games played in April.

Frank led the Nets to an 8-2 record this month, finishing the season with four essential wins over Toronto, Philadelphia, Washington and Boston to secure a playoff berth.   The Nets held opponents to 91.5 points per game on 43.3% shooting and held the second highest point differential at 10.2 points per game.  The Nets dished out 24.5 assists per game, while holding opponents to only 20.2 per game.

Johnson led the Mavericks to a 10-1 month, closing out the regular season with nine straight victories, five against playoff-bound teams.  The Mavericks held their opposition to 91.1 points per game on 42.8% shooting and only 18.2 assists per game (2nd in the league), while having an NBA-best 10.4 point differential for the month.  Dallas is 25-6 in games in which Avery Johnson has served as head coach, 16-2 since he officially took over for Don Nelson.

Other nominees for the Coach of the Month award were Denver?s George Karl, Detroit?s Larry Brown and Philadelphia?s Jim O?Brien.