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CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert felt he made a big mistake when he fired Mike Brown as his coach in 2010. That didnt stop him from doing it again. Browns second shot with the Cavs ended Monday after one just one season as Gilbert dismissed the only Cleveland coach who has ever made it to the NBA finals. Brown had been re-hired last April by Gilbert, who regretted dismissing him four years earlier. While the Cavs record improved and they made strides defensively under Brown this season, the club missed the playoffs again and Gilbert decided it was time to make another change. "This is a very tough business," Gilbert said in a statement. "It pains all of us here that we needed to make the difficult decision of releasing Mike Brown. Mike worked hard over this last season to move our team in the right direction. Although, there was some progress from our finish over the few prior seasons, we believe we need to head in a different direction. We wish Mike and his family nothing but the best." In addition to firing Brown, Gilbert announced hes retaining David Griffin as the clubs full-time general manager. Griffin had been the interim GM since Feb. 6, when Gilbert fired Chris Grant one day after the Cavs lost to a Los Angeles Lakers team which finished the game with just five eligible players. Gilbert said Griffin would lead the search for Browns successor. Its not known what input Griffin had in Browns firing. Griffin has ties to former Phoenix executive Steve Kerr, who is one of New York president Phil Jacksons top choices to take over the Knicks. Griffin also has worked with Mike DAntoni and Alvin Gentry. Other coaches who could get consideration for the Cavs opening include Mark Jackson and George Karl. Brown had four years remaining on his $20 million contract. Brown, who was fired last year by the Lakers five games into his second season, could not be reached for comment. Brown went 272-138 in his first stint with Cleveland. Led by superstar LeBron James, the Cavs made the finals for the first time in 2007 and were title contenders throughout Browns tenure. However, they didnt advance past the Eastern Conference semifinals four years ago and Brown was let go. At the time, it appeared Gilbert was making the move -- and hiring Byron Scott as coach -- to appease James and hopefully keep him in Cleveland. James, though, decided to leave as a free agent for Miami, where he is chasing his straight third NBA title with the Heat. "Its just a tough business. I mean, thats all it is. Its a tough business and, you know, Mike Brown got the short end of a tough business," James said. Gilbert brought back Brown to fix Clevelands defence, and the Cavs improved, moving from last in the league in field-goal percentage to 12th. But the offence never flowed like it should and the Cavs didnt make a late playoff push despite a favourable schedule down the stretch. Clevelands players didnt care for Browns defence-first philosophy and there seemed to be a disconnect between the Cavs and the coaching staff. Brown seemed resigned to his fate following the season finale, when he said he would support whatever decision Gilbert made. "Its his team," Brown said. Cleveland went 17-16 under Griffin, who worked as Grants assistant before being promoted. Gilbert said he interviewed several other candidates before deciding to remove the "interim" from Griffins title. "We chose David as our GM because we believe he is the best person to lead our franchise at this critical time and into the future," Gilbert said. "David brings over two decades of experience. He knows the ins and outs of this league as well as anyone and is also an outstanding talent evaluator." The Cavaliers will hold a news conference on Tuesday at the teams facility in Independence. Gilbert had high praise for Griffin, who previously worked in Phoenixs front office before coming to Cleveland. "He is a general manager who is aligned with our culture and philosophy which is the foundation of how we do business," Gilbert said. "David is not only passionate about his own job but also cares deeply about the success of everyone around him. His presence alone creates an infectious positive environment with players, coaches, front office people and even our fan base. We already saw some progress in the short time David led our basketball side in the latter part of this past season. Clearly, we have substantial work ahead of us and I am confident that Griff will play an essential part of the growth and success of our organization." While the Cavs showed signs of progress with Brown, he was unable to get one of the leagues youngest teams to play consistently. His replacement will have a similar challenge, assuming Griffin doesnt do a complete overhaul to Clevelands roster. The Cavs are entering a critical summer. Theyll once again be in the draft lottery and the club is expected to be active in free agency. The team must also decide whether to offer Irving a maximum contract extension in July. Wil Trapp USA Jersey . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Antonee Robinson Jersey . Chris Heisey followed with a two-run triple and Billy Hamilton added an RBI double, all but sealing Cincinnatis fourth straight victory and seventh in eight games. Brandon Phillips, celebrating his 33rd birthday, hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth for the Reds before pinch-hitter Buster Posey tied it with an RBI double off hard-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman in the bottom half. http://www.soccerusateamonline.com/Christian-Pulisic-Copa-America-Jersey/ . -- Washington Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo is going to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Clint Dempsey Jersey . The cause of his death is as of yet undetermined, but police said foul play is not suspected. Erik Palmer-Brown USA Jersey . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night.One of the best things about the playoffs is the opportunity to have a fresh start for a new season, and a chance to become a difference maker each night. After the fourth line took the headlines following the Canadiens victory in Game 1, it would be the third line, along with goaltending, that would help propel the Habs in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead with the series heading to Montreal. After a sub-par regular season, which saw a trip to the press box as a healthy scratch, Rene Bourque elevated his game on Friday night with a two-goal contest, including a highlight reel goal which turned out to be the game winner. He led all Montreal players with four shots on goal. Meeting with the media on Saturday, Bourque admitted that the playoffs are providing a fresh start as he wants to atone for the regular season, and now is the best time to make an impact. Coach Michel Therrien also conceded that since his late-March trip to the press box, Bourque has played more physical and shown the kind of game they expect from the forward. The power play also managed its first goal of the year against the Lightning in Game 2, and ended a scoreless run of 227 consecutive attempts without a goal.dddddddddddd. The Canadiens also showed some of the best puck movement with the man advantage that they have in quite some time. The team has put a lot of focus on the special teams over the last week in practice. The power play goal scored by David Desharnais was his first career playoff goal. Max Pacioretty earned his first power play point with an assist on the play. The line of Thomas Vanek, Desharnais and Pacioretty has combined for two goals, five points and 22 shots over the first two games of the series. Meanwhile, the Bourque, Lars Eller and Brian Gionta trio have put up four goals, seven points and 16 shots. While the Bell Centre will be rocking on Sunday night, the Habs refuse to look too far ahead, knowing all too well that a 2-0 series lead built on the road in 2011 still ended in a Game 7 overtime loss to the Bruins. Montreal had an off-ice workout on Saturday, with no line-up changes expected for Game 3. You can listen to Sundays game live at 7pm et/4pm pt on TSN 690 Montreal, TSN 1050 Toronto, TSN 1200 Ottawa, TSN 1290 Winnipeg and TEAM 1040 Vancouver. ' ' '