Mike Brown part of Nuggets team that upset George Karl’s Sonics
The Lakers are moments away from extending their postseason run by at least a week or becoming the ninth team in NBA history to squander a 3-1 series deficit.
The latter result won’t necessarily put Lakers Coach Mike Brown on the hot seat. The Lakers’ front office released a statement clarifying as much despite comments from Magic Jonhson that Brown would lose his job should the Lakers lose Game 7 tonight to the Denver Nuggets. But a loss would bring something else full circle.
Nuggets Coach George Karl would exact revenge for something that Brown was a part of 18 years ago. The Lakers coach served as Denver’s video coordinator when the Nuggets overame a 2-0 deficit as an eighth-seeded team to beat Karl’s top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics. Moments after Denver center Dikembe Mutombo fell to the court in triumph, a certain 24-year-old video coordinator walked over to embrace him.
“If we can, though, let’s not show it,” Brown said, jokingly. “My flat top didn’t really look good. I don’t want that to be out if we can not show it.”
To Brown’s dismay, the video has also emerged on Youtube. His celebration is featured in a highlight compiliation around the 4:15 mark. That first-round matchup marked the first time Karl and Brown were linked in the NBA. But the current Lakers’ coach hardly wanted to take credit for eliminating Karl’s team.
“Selfishly, I’d like to think that my scouting report helped us win the series,” Brown said. “But I don’t think that’s the case. Mutombo had a lot to do with it. Robert Pack. LaPhonso Ellis. Our guys played well.”
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Mike Brown part of Nuggets team that upset George Karl’s Sonics
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