HubieBrownBuysOffMe
06-20-2005, 12:53 PM
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http://www.sportingnews.com/experts/stan-mcneal/20050614.html (http://www.sportingnews.com/experts/stan-mcneal/20050614.html)
Q&A with Hubie Brown
June 14, 2005
Stan McNeal
Sporting News
Hall of Fame coach Hubie Brown, who is analyzing the NBA Finals for ABC, offers his take on the league and the Spurs-Pistons matchup:
TSN: You signed a four-year deal with ABC shortly after stepping down as the Grizzlies coach last November. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being no way, what are the chances you'll return to coaching?
Brown: I'll be 72 in September, and I'm not exactly sure people are looking for Hubie Brown to come out for another sunset or to come out of the sun or whatever. So let's just say less than 1.
TSN: We're hearing a lot about how boring The Finals are. Why do so many people have a difficult time believing an 80-78 game can be as entertaining as 110-108?
Brown: People continue to harp about that. I don't get it and never have. It's the same reaction we get when two great teams are in the World Series and everything is based on pitching and low batting averages, and the same thing in the NFL when two teams in the Super Bowl don't put up 30 to 40 points on a Sunday. If you are really a fan of the sport, where is the appreciation for the excellence of the total team game? These are not just specialty-type clubs. They are well-balanced, well-coached, well-organized.
TSN: Do you think we'll see more teams playing like the Suns because of the success they had this season?
Brown: Go back to the year before; they played exactly the same way and won 29 games. Now you put a true star with incredible court vision -- Steve Nash -- into an offense, and he not only makes four guys better, but at any time within this offense, he can take over the game and still get you 20 to 30 and shoot over 50 percent. How many of those guys do we have?
Also, when you teach this style, you learn that when you miss the big guys when they're running or can't get them the ball in a good position to finish, they will stop running. That sounds so simple, but it is why playing that style is so difficult.
TSN: If you could change one thing about the NBA, what would it be?
Brown: Definitely the sound of music for two hours before the game. That's the first thing. Second thing, all of the explosions on the court before the game begins. We end up with a fog for 6 to 7 minutes. That's not good for anybody. I'm not about any major rules changes, but if they move the arc (under the basket) farther from the basket, I'm for it. I would like them to do anything they can to protect the high-rise athlete. Here's how I feel: The NBA is not being played at rim level. The NBA is played at the top of the box, one foot above the rim. These incredible athletes are so high off the ground on every possession, especially in transition, where injuries happen. We have to do everything in our power to protect them.
http://www.sportingnews.com/experts/stan-mcneal/20050614.html (http://www.sportingnews.com/experts/stan-mcneal/20050614.html)
Q&A with Hubie Brown
June 14, 2005
Stan McNeal
Sporting News
Hall of Fame coach Hubie Brown, who is analyzing the NBA Finals for ABC, offers his take on the league and the Spurs-Pistons matchup:
TSN: You signed a four-year deal with ABC shortly after stepping down as the Grizzlies coach last November. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being no way, what are the chances you'll return to coaching?
Brown: I'll be 72 in September, and I'm not exactly sure people are looking for Hubie Brown to come out for another sunset or to come out of the sun or whatever. So let's just say less than 1.
TSN: We're hearing a lot about how boring The Finals are. Why do so many people have a difficult time believing an 80-78 game can be as entertaining as 110-108?
Brown: People continue to harp about that. I don't get it and never have. It's the same reaction we get when two great teams are in the World Series and everything is based on pitching and low batting averages, and the same thing in the NFL when two teams in the Super Bowl don't put up 30 to 40 points on a Sunday. If you are really a fan of the sport, where is the appreciation for the excellence of the total team game? These are not just specialty-type clubs. They are well-balanced, well-coached, well-organized.
TSN: Do you think we'll see more teams playing like the Suns because of the success they had this season?
Brown: Go back to the year before; they played exactly the same way and won 29 games. Now you put a true star with incredible court vision -- Steve Nash -- into an offense, and he not only makes four guys better, but at any time within this offense, he can take over the game and still get you 20 to 30 and shoot over 50 percent. How many of those guys do we have?
Also, when you teach this style, you learn that when you miss the big guys when they're running or can't get them the ball in a good position to finish, they will stop running. That sounds so simple, but it is why playing that style is so difficult.
TSN: If you could change one thing about the NBA, what would it be?
Brown: Definitely the sound of music for two hours before the game. That's the first thing. Second thing, all of the explosions on the court before the game begins. We end up with a fog for 6 to 7 minutes. That's not good for anybody. I'm not about any major rules changes, but if they move the arc (under the basket) farther from the basket, I'm for it. I would like them to do anything they can to protect the high-rise athlete. Here's how I feel: The NBA is not being played at rim level. The NBA is played at the top of the box, one foot above the rim. These incredible athletes are so high off the ground on every possession, especially in transition, where injuries happen. We have to do everything in our power to protect them.