AUBURN HILLS, MICH. ? As much as he didn’t like it, Rick Carlisle couldn’t avoid being in the spotlight Tuesday, after deflecting credit and attention all season for turning around the Detroit Pistons.

Carlisle won the NBA Coach of the Year award after leading Detroit to the Central Division title in his first season as a head coach at any level.

“He’s actually embarrassed by all of this,” said his wife, Donna Carlisle.

The 42-year-old said he’s smart enough to know that he didn’t deserve accolades during the season, when he was once coach of the month, and that it wasn’t warranted Tuesday, despite receiving 73 votes of 126 votes.

“It really isn’t about me,” Carlisle insisted. “It’s about the great effort of my team and the great effort of my staff. This award is about our franchise having a successful season.

“I’m not going to get carried away about this. I know my level of importance around here and that’s not going to change.”

Carlisle, the sixth coach to win the award in his first season, was followed in the voting by Sacramento’s Rick Adelman and New Jersey’s Byron Scott. Ten coaches received at least one vote.

Carlisle led Detroit to 50 wins 18 more than last season and its first division title since 1990, the second year of the franchise’s consecutive NBA titles. The Pistons lead Boston 1-0 in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series.