Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bill Fitch dies at 89

Across Fitch's 25-year coaching career between 1970 and 1998, he posted a 944-1,106 record in 2,050 regular-season NBA games, plus a 55-54 mark in 99 postseason contests. Fitch began his journey with the Cleveland Cavaliers, manning the squad for nine seasons from the 1970-1971 campaign through the 1978-1979 season.

During this time, he also served as an executive with the franchise from 1973 to 1979. After failing to make the playoffs in each of the first five years in Cleveland, Fitch helped the Cavs reach the postseason in three straight years from 1976 to 1978.

Fitch's most accomplished years in the league came during his four-season run with the Boston Celtics from 1979 to 1983, a period in which he posted a 242-86 regular-season record and 26-19 mark in the playoffs. Fitch then joined the Houston Rockets for the next five seasons -- making the playoffs four times -- before taking over the then-New Jersey Nets for three campaigns starting with the 1989-1990 season.

After a two-year break from coaching, Fitch wrapped up with four seasons at the helm of the Los Angeles Clippers from 1994 to 1998.

The Davenport, Iowa, native coached the Celtics to an NBA title during the 1980-1981 season, and later brought the Rockets a Western Conference crown in the 1985-1986 campaign. Fitch was named the NBA's Coach of the Year twice -- following the 1975-1976 and 1979-1980 seasons, while also being named one of the top-10 head coaches in league history for the NBA's 50th anniversary celebration in 1996.