It's (Finally) Official: Cleveland Cavaliers Fire Coach Mike Brown

Late Sunday afternoon, ESPN's Ric Bucher reported via Twitter, "[The] Cavs have until midnight to fire Mike Brown or they owe him full $4.5 mil for next season. [They] haven't done so yet, according to a source." But a few hours later, and the news had changed, as Bucher broke the story that Brown has officially been fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Monday morning, the Cavaliers released a statement explaining their decision. Courtesy of SB Nation's Cavs blog, Fear the Sword: "Mike Brown is a class act. On behalf of the entire Cavaliers organization, there is only gratitude and appreciation for Mike's accomplishments over the past five years," stated Cavaliers Majority Owner Dan Gilbert. "I think it is clear that Mike Brown has been instrumental in contributing to the growth and progress we have experienced in recent years. We wish Mike and his family the best of luck in any future challenges that Mike chooses to accept going forward.

"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 added. "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."

Indeed, for all of Brown's failure in the playoffs, this is still a significant risk--that is, saying goodbye to a man that won 60 games in each of the past two seasons. Apparently, that wasn't enough to save him, even as Boston has proven against Orlando that their victory over the Cavaliers wasn't a fluke.

For more reaction and analysis, check out SB Nation's Cavaliers blog, Fear The Sword.