Syracuse Connection to NBA Finals

The Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets are set to square off for the NBA Championship.

Mike McAllister | May 30, 2023

Syracuse Connection to NBA Finals /

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With the Miami Heat's game seven win over the Boston Celtics Monday night, the NBA Finals are set. The Heat will square off with the Denver Nuggets, with the winner hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy as NBA Champions. What does this have to do with Syracuse? There actually is a connection to the Orange.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone's father is Brendan Malone. Brendan Malone was an assistant coach at Syracuse, under Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim, from 1978-84. It is the longest stretch in one spot during his nearly 50 year coaching career.

Brendan Malone started coaching in 1967 as an assistant with Power Memorial Academy. He was an assistant in college through his stint with the Orange before becoming head coach of Rhode Island from 1984-86. Malone would spend the rest of his career in the NBA as an assistant and head coach.

Malone was an assistant with the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic. He was a head coach of the Toronto Raptors (their first head coach) and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brendan's son, Michael, has been a coach for 30 years in college and pro. He was an assistant with Friends School of Baltimore, Oakland, Providence and Manhattan. In the NBA, he was an assistant with the Knicks, Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets and Golden State Warriors. In 2013, Malone was named head coach of the Sacramento Kings before becoming the Nuggets head coach in 2015.

The NBA Finals tips off on Thursday, June 1st and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Published May 30, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.