Cleveland Cavaliers fire Coach Mike Brown

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He posted a 314-177 record and made the playoffs every season, including one trip to the NBA finals, but Mike Brown was fired as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ head coach Monday after five seasons of trying -- and failing -- to win a championship with superstar LeBron James.

The Cavaliers had the best record in the NBA for the second season in a row but were eliminated from the postseason earlier, again for the second season in a row, this time by the Boston Celtics in the second round.

Brown was the league’s coach of the year in 2009 and had one year remaining on his contract. But with James eligible for free agency and expected to listen to offers from other teams, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert made the move, perhaps to show James that the team is serious about making whatever changes are necessary to bring a championship to Cleveland.

‘After a long and deep analysis of all of the factors that led to the disappointing early ends to our playoff runs over the past two seasons, we concluded that it was time for the Cavaliers to move in a different direction,’ Gilbert said in a statement. ‘The expectations of this organization are very high and, although change always carries an element of risk, there are times when that risk must be taken in an attempt to break through to new, higher levels of accomplishment.

‘This is one of those times.’

-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.