The team also retained Nick Nurse as head coach after he briefly accepted a coaching position at Iowa State. The Energy matched their previous season performance by recording 37 wins and clinched the first seed again. The Energy once again had the rights to choose their opponents in the first round of the playoffs. They chose seventh seed Utah Flash, who were defeated by the Energy in the first round of last year's playoffs. The Energy and the Flash each won one road game each before the Energy won the decisive Game 3 at home to advance to the semifinal. In the semifinals, the Energy faced the Tulsa 66ers who eliminated them in last year's playoffs. The Energy recorded two straight wins and won the series 2–0 to advance to the D-League Finals. The Energy faced the third seed Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who defeated the second seed Reno Bighorns in the semifinals. The Energy, led by Curtis Stinson's triple-double, won the first game 123–106 at Hidalgo. Stinson scored 29 points along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, while five other Energy players scored in double figures. The Vipers won the second game 141–122 despite Stinson's second straight triple-double. That second game at Wells Fargo Arena was attended by a new league-record attendance of 14,036 fans. In the decisive Game 3, Stinson suffered an injury that limited his playing time. The Energy trailed the Vipers by seven points after three quarters, but managed to outscore the Vipers 38–23 in the fourth quarter to clinch the D-League championship. Guard Stefhon Hannah led the Energy with 31 points, while five other Energy players scored in double figures. Stinson, who averaged 19.3 points, 9.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, was named as the D-League Most Valuable Player Award. Stinson and former Rookie of the Year Othyus Jeffers were named in the All-NBA D-League Team. Two Energy stars, Jeffers and former MVP Courtney Sims, both missed the Energy's playoff games. Jeffers received a call-up to the Washington Wizards and signed a contract for the remainder of the season, while Sims left the team to play in China. Before the 2011–12 season, the league announced that the Energy would be affiliated with three teams, the Bulls, the New Orleans Hornets and the Washington Wizards. The Energy ended their three years affiliation with the Suns as the Bakersfield Jam was announced to be the Suns' new affiliate. On July 15, 2011, head coach Nick Nurse left the Energy and was hired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to be their new head coach.