Avery Johnson

Avery Johnson
Avery Johnsonis an American basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team. Johnson spent 16 years in the National Basketball Association as a player, and subsequently served as the head coach of two NBA teams: the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. He led the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance and to three consecutive 50+ win seasons. During his playing days, Johnson was known as the "Little General" for his...
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth25 March 1969
CityNew Orleans, LA
They were playing loose and had nothing to lose.
I wasn't trying to rally the team by getting ejected. I think it was more just a difference of opinion. We were dealing with things the whole game, and we thought that we had a legitimate beef with the way they were playing Dirk. I guess we were wrong.
Dirk is playing tough. We had a stretch there where we kind of reverted back to our old selves and got jump-shot happy for six or seven possessions and I really got on them about that. But I will take this win any way we can get it.
Our team is not playing enough of a 48-minute game and that's the disappointing thing. We know it's tough to win road games. This was a hot team team we were playing, give them credit. But you can't play 18-20 minutes of a second half and expect to beat any NBA team.
He just still doesn't know all the ins and outs of the game. He started playing basketball so late in life that he's still catching up.
It's a big improvement from last year, ... He's really trying defensively. And the kid is healthy. Last year he was playing on one ankle.
I sure hope we're different. We seem to have been playing more physical basketball on the defensive end. Again, that was just one of those special games, the guy got on fire and obviously, since that's happened, we're not the team he's scored the most points against.
Ron has impacted them. He wants to show he's a dominant player on both ends of the floor. He's playing as good on that left block as I've seen him throughout his career.
It means a lot. Those are two guys who obviously can be starting. Damp's been a starter and Stack's been a starter, so hopefully, we can get those guys matched up on some of the other team's second-team players. We like to go to Damp, and we went to him tonight - and he delivered. He's been playing really hard.
It was a gutsy win for us tonight. That's a scrappy team over there. They've been playing some very good basketball and we don't take anything for granted. (Stackhouse) stepped up tonight and I thought Devin really came on and gave us a big lift in overtime.
Everybody is asking me if I'm going to play Elton Brand 48 minutes because we play (the Clippers) Tuesday. No, none of that. Just spread out the playing time.
They know I love to practice, and we don't really brag on how much we practice or how much we prepare like a lot of other situations. But they know I love to practice and I've been missing out on my good practices trying to just keep them fresh a little bit.
They scored, we didn't (down the stretch). They got stops, we didn't. That's what it boils down to.
It is a disappointing loss. When we come to the games we try and give ourselves a chance to win. I wasn't trying to rally the team by getting ejected; I think it was more a difference of opinion.