At 90 years old, he is a treasure in the basketball world.
It sounds nonsensical and petulant, but it's actually a kind gift to everyone who follows the NBA.
As you might expect, nonagenarian Hubie Brown has cut his workload as an ABC/ESPN analyst to about 12 games this season. Fortunately for us, one of those games is Sunday's noon matchup between the Mavericks and Sixers at American Airlines Center.
When I spoke to Brown a few days ago to get his thoughts on Luka Doncic's tough season and the Mavericks' trade deadline restructuring, he watched the Dallas-Toronto game the night before, where Max Strus hit a 59-footer to get the win. Was.
“A loss like that would be the most painful of the season,” he said.
Seventy years after Brown played basketball and baseball at Niagra University, there's no reason to ask why he's still broadcasting games. It's been 49 years since he led the Kentucky Colonels to the ABA Championship. And at age 71, 20 years after winning his second NBA Coach of the Year award with Memphis.
Brown is a basketball enthusiast. His deep passion for the sport is evident in the tone of his voice and every syllable of his Jersey dialect.
When Brown always says, “Come on, come on,” during Sunday's television broadcasts, it's a signal to listen closely because he's about to give his honest opinion and point of view.
We asked Brown about Mavericks-related topics. Questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
question: What have you learned from watching the Mavericks since the trade for PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford?
brown: “Well, I think they needed help. I think the people who arrived showed they could contribute. But here we are in a very tough race for fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth place. doing [in the West]so every game is important.
“My favorite thing to do, when I'm coaching, especially with a young team, is to tell my team that January and February are the times when we have to break through minus .500. Good job at .500 because you can steal games in January and February. It doesn't matter what year it is, we're going to see some incredible upsets in January and February. An untalented, well-coached team can steal the game.
“But now, come March 1st, every day, all the newspapers and everything lists the rankings from 1st to 15th. Players are seeing where they are every day. So there's a lot of pressure right now. Because a plus-.500 team is fully aware of every game. And that's where the Mavericks are. They're in a plus-.500 situation. Every day is a big game. . There's no game that isn't a big game.”
question: Well, that certainly made Tuesday's loss even tougher for Dallas.
brown: “I was watching it. A loss like this would be the most painful of the season, because leading up to the shot, they hit five or six threes in a row. . So they came back. They didn't come back with two. They came back with three.
“But when you play Cleveland, you know going into the game that's the priority. The reason this group in Cleveland is so good is because they're shooting threes at a high rate. The lead-up on the final play, putting the ball in heads-up, and immediately taking the shot before the clock expired was nothing short of sensational for Cleveland.
“But when you control the third and fourth quarters and then lose the game, that's a tough thing to deal with.”
question: What do you think about Luka Doncic? His numbers show he is having his best season. What do you think of what you've seen of him on the court? Also, could he be a legitimate MVP candidate if the Mavs don't finish in the top five or so in the West?
brown: “As an outsider watching TV, you'd be impressed by the fact that he was the first to score. And he's third in assists. But what they don't talk about is that he's the first to score. He is 7th in stolen bases and currently 18th in rebounds.
“Think about it. He averages 8.8 rebounds. Now we have 10-13 players who average 10 rebounds every year. That's it. There are 30 teams with centers and power forwards. Rebounds. There are 60 people who get paid to do this. Why do we only have 10 or 13 people? [in double figures]?
“That's why when Westbrook was having triple-doubles, it was most noticeable. And averaging 10 rebounds as a 6-3 guard will never be appreciated. There wasn't.
That's why don't underestimate the fact that he's averaging 8.8 boards. When you think about it, it's monumental. But they have to move on. If he's going to be MVP, he can't stay where they are. No one knows what will happen. But he has to get noticed for what he does. Monster status.
question: Doncic's play has often been compared to LeBron James in that he can score in a variety of ways, and I wondered if I could think of a better player I've seen over the years.
brown: “No, I think he has a unique style because of his size and weight and can be on the perimeter for 90% of his games. But he has a unique ability to understand defensive and offensive board play. He has natural ability, and that's backed up by his 8.8 rebounds.
“So he has a very high intellectual basketball IQ. In hindsight, before I start making comparisons, I always think, 'Oh, this guy is better than Michael Jordan.' I think. And I always go: Can you check Michael Jordan's attendance? His attendance numbers are 81, 82, 82, 81. [games per year].
“So I say, 'Attendance is number one. Let's put it together. Then tell me how many times he was named to the All-Defensive Team. And that's where you part ways with Michael Jordan. So Kobe Bryant separates. They separate from all the people who try to make comparisons, because from now on they're going to the All-Defensive team.
“I don't care if they're first, second or third-team. They're on the All-Defensive team and still carry you on the other side of the floor because they play both ends.”
question: A video was recently published on X. He was shown coaching in the 1976 Five Star Swamp. You were throwing behind-the-back passes, telling your players, “Don't say it's a show off.'' It was phenomenal to see.
brown: “Well, I appreciate that. You know, that camp produced so many All-Americans in college. It's kind of funny. Coaches, when we first started, we only had five. And that was just players from New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Jersey, and Philadelphia.
Then over the years, it went all the way to Canada, then all the way down the Southeast, and into the Midwest. So all the coaches at the high school level wanted to work at that camp. Because there's always been a college coach who buys the service, and you end up with over 200 different colleges who would have bought Howie Garfinkel's player ratings, so unless you buy that service, he's not going to be in camp. I couldn't.
And the rule was “no talking”. If you are caught talking to a great player, you will be kicked out of camp and your services to the school will be suspended. That happened to one of the top coaches in the country who was trying to pull a great, great player out of a 6-6 jersey. he got caught. We're talking about one of the top guys in this country at the time. They were expelled from school.
It was an incredible camp. And what's interesting is how many high school students go on to the college level as assistants and then become college head coaches. And many of them made it to the NBA. And it all started at that camp. ”
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