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
The more they can do this consistently, the better off we'll be.
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.
It's been a pretty fierce competition at center. If today was the first regular-season game, he would be my first center off the bench.
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 made some runs, but we weathered the storm.
They had a great start to the game. They came out and really tried to throw a knockout punch on us. Fortunately, we were able to withstand it, come back and get our defense set and play some pretty good defense against a high-scoring team in the second, third and fourth quarters.
They didn't hear much from me at halftime. No throwing chairs, VCRs or Gatorade bottles. I didn't get in anybody's face.
It's a game we've got to go to San Antonio and play. Then we have to come back and play another game (against Charlotte on Friday). I think the big swing games will be in April. I think there's too much of the season left to call this a swing game.
I told the guys if they have any guts, they'll pick Southern to get out of that region.
It's nothing about me. If we're fortunate enough to be a part of that situation, it just shows that the guys that play for the Mavericks won some games and we're in the heat of the race. It's no goal of ours. It's a nice honor if something like that were to happen.
For Josh, it'll be a test for him coming back for the first game, especially against a really good defensive team.
It's those guys reading each other, Damp getting in the right spot and our guards making passes and getting him the ball. Spacing is a key. You can't get anybody the ball if three people are standing next to him.
It's the way we play. More than assists, we want to make sure our players move. We're really a different team.
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.