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'Michael “Mike” Brown' (born March 5, 1970 in Columbus, Ohio) is an American basketball coach. He is the head coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers since June 2, 2005.^[1] After learning the game under Gregg Popovich, Brown is widely regarded as a defensive specialist. He turned the Cavaliers into one of the top defensive teams in the NBA and guided them into the 2007 NBA Finals.

Contents

Early years

NBA career

Head coaching record

Trivia

References

Early years

Brown was born in Columbus, Ohio, but spent parts of his childhood overseas. He graduated from Würzburg American High School in Würzburg, Germany in 1988, where he excelled in basketball, football, and baseball. After studying and playing basketball at Mesa Community College for two years, Brown went on to the University of San Diego, where he graduated in 1992 with a B.A. in business.

NBA career

In 1992 Brown began his NBA career as an assistant coach under Dan Issel for the Denver Nuggets, first as the team’s video coordinator and then as a scout. In 1997 he joined the Washington Wizards, spending the first two years as an assistant under Bernie Bickerstaff, and his final year as the team’s professional scout.
In 2000, Brown was hired by Gregg Popovich as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. While with the Spurs, Brown’s teams won at least 58 games each season. He also was the head coach for the Spurs’ summer league teams in Boston and Salt Lake City. After winning a championship with San Antonio in 2003, Brown was hired as associated head coach to Rick Carlisle with the Indiana Pacers. He helped lead Indiana to consecutive playoff appearances including a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2004.
In June 2005, Brown got his first head coaching stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, replacing Brendan Malone. He is currently the second youngest head coach in the NBA, only a few months older than Lawrence Frank of the New Jersey Nets.
On June 2, 2007 Brown's Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in the history of the franchise. There they lost in four games to the San Antonio Spurs.

Head coaching record

Seasons as Head Coach	Team	Games	Wins	Losses	Percentage	Postseason W	Postseason L
2005-06	Cleveland	82	50	32	.610	7	6
2006-07	Cleveland	82	50	32	.610	12	8
Total		164	100	64	.610	19	14

Trivia

★ At the time Brown attended Würzburg American High School in Germany, Shaquille O'Neal attended Fulda American High School about 60 miles away.

References

1. NBA.com: Cavaliers Name Mike Brown Head Coach