The New York Knicks winning the NBA Final was a huge moment for the sport as a whole, but what gets lost in the discussion is how elite Mike Brown has been his whole coaching career. Josh Hart gave Brown his flowers after the Game 5 victory: “Man, Mike was invaluable to this run. He understands what it is to be a champion. He understands how to build a team, how to build habits that will put you in this position.” The two-time hasn’t got a fair shake at every stop at his career, but his defenses have been at or near the top of the NBA for the last two decades.
Defense Made The Knicks’ Mike Brown An Elite NBA Coach
In a league with many offense-oriented head coaches, Brown stands out as one of the top defensive minds in the game, and that was evident at his first coaching stop. The Cavaliers had a number of roster deficiencies in the late 2000s, with a young LeBron James having to play all five positions on a regular basis. The future superstar blossomed into one of the NBA’s top defenders under the coach, culminating in a Eastern Conference championship with one of the worst rosters ever to make the Finals. Cleveland fired him in May 2010 in a bid to keep LeBron, but James joined Miami in July, effectively ending competitive basketball in the city until the superstar’s return in 2014.
After the Cavaliers, Brown led a veteran-laden Lakers team to the Western Conference semifinals in 2012, but was fired after five games the following season after a 1-4 start. The firing had less to do with the coach, and more to do with Los Angeles being a poorly run organization. LA’s dependence on over-the-hill veterans to keep the squad competitive was a detriment to the franchise then as it is now.
Following his dismissal, he returned to a Cleveland team that was building around Kyrie Irving, and the Cavs fired Brown after one season for missing the playoffs. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s plain to see Irving is a better Robin than he is a Batman (the Celtics found that out the hard way), and the coach paid the price for ownership’s mistake. After getting fired in back-to-back seasons, the former NBA Coach of the Year had to do some soul-searching.
Brown became assistant coach for the Warriors in 2016, where he would add three championships to his credentials, his fourth as an assistant (he was on the Spurs’ staff in 2003). Steve Kerr is obviously the key to Golden State’s transformation into a dynasty, but the team’s stinginess on defense was crucial in those title runs. Five-time All-Defense First Teamer Draymond Green is proof of that, but Klay Thompson also earned the honor in 2019, and Steph Curry became less of a liability defensively under Brown.
After a successful run with the Warriors, Brown returned to the head coaching ranks with the Kings in 2022. He led Sacramento to back-to-back seasons with winning records, a rarity for the franchise. During the 2024-25 campaign, the former NBA Coach of the Year was fired after 31 games after practice while the coach was on the way to the airport, a move that was baffling to many around the league. Brown then took over a Knicks squad with championship aspirations, and the rest is history.
What Makes Mike Brown Elite?
Brown’s preparation and attention to detail have made his defenses some of the best in the NBA. As a defensive coach, he holds his players to a high standard of accountability, which can be a difficult transition for younger players. His in-depth, color-coded practice plans are notorious in coaching circles, and has improved with collaborating with players later in his career. The ability for his defenses to pressure ball handlers, limit fast break points, and having flexible adjustments for key players make things very difficult offensively. The Spurs found this out during the compelling NBA Finals, and the two-time Coach of the Year may have finally found his permanent professional home.
