After shedding their fifth consecutive recreation in unbelievable style on Thursday evening, the Sacramento Kings reportedly made the choice to fireside head coach Mike Brown on Friday, ending a two-and-a-half-year run with the group.
Together with the five-game shedding streak, the Kings have additionally misplaced 12 of their final 17 video games and discover themselves in twelfth place within the Western Convention on the skin of the playoff image.
The most important subject this season for the Kings, amongst many, has been closing out video games, having misplaced 5 video games after coming into the fourth quarter with the lead. That’s the second-most video games within the NBA this season, trailing solely the Toronto Raptors. If that they had merely held on to even two or three of these video games, they’d not less than be in a play-in place in the meanwhile as an alternative of on the skin wanting in.
In Brown’s first yr because the Kings’ head coach, he led the group to a 48-34 report and the franchise’s first playoff berth in 16 years, snapping what was the longest playoff drought in NBA historical past. That season resulted in him profitable the league’s Coach of the 12 months Award for the second time.
The Kings took a small step backward in 2023-24, profitable two fewer video games and narrowly lacking out on a playoff spot by shedding a play-in recreation to the New Orleans Pelicans.
They’ve taken a good larger step again this season, ensuing within the change.
It’s a harsh reminder of how rapidly issues can change for coaches in skilled sports activities. Not even two years in the past, Brown helped rejuvenate a dormant, irrelevant franchise. This previous June, he was given a brand new contract extension. Now, not even midway by means of the season, he’s out of a job.
