NBA: Brown to coach East for All-Stars

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown will guide the Eastern Conference in next month's All-Star Game, the league announced Friday.

Brown will join Phil Jackson of the Los Angeles Lakers, who will coach the Western Conference in the midseason showcase.

The coaches of the teams with the best records in each conference earn a spot on the bench for the All-Star Game. However, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers and Byron Scott of the New Orleans Hornets are not eligible this season because they guided last year's clubs.

The Celtics (39-9) are 1 1/2 games better than the Cavaliers (36-9) in the East after Friday's play. Cleveland have clinched at least a tie with Orlando among eligible teams through the cut-off date of February 1.

However, Brown gets the nod over the Magic's Stan Van Gundy, who has coached in the game most recently (2005).

Brown is in his fourth season in Cleveland, who made the Finals two years ago but have had their best regular-season success this campaign.

The Cavaliers, who have won all 21 of their home games, are led by superstar LeBron James, the league's reigning scoring champion and leading MVP candidate. Thanks to Brown, Cleveland has parlayed James' heroics with a staunch defensive mentality en route to a league-best point differential (10.2).

Brown will become the second coach in franchise history to guide an All-Star team, joining Lenny Wilkens, who did so in 1989.

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