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
It's been great. I've been able to smile. But in the back of my mind, I know I've got to watch some film on the Clippers because we play them coming out of the All-Star break. And I know I've got to watch some film on the first half of the season. But I've been able to smile.
We knew it was going to be a dogfight coming in here, playing against a well-coached team. That's the sign of a good team. ... We were kind of on our heels, but we kept battling. It was a gutsy performance by our team.
For Josh, it'll be a test for him coming back for the first game, especially against a really good defensive team.
Teams are coming in here dropping 30-some points on us in the first quarter. We've been digging ourselves in a hole, so I'll continue to work on finding the right formula to help get us off to better starts. Maybe I won't call timeouts as quick as I used to. We'll have to do something.
I love coming back here with all the great memories I have here and great friends. And everywhere you go, there's always somebody that talks about some of the teams I played on. And because of the hurricane, I got a lot of family that lives here.
We're making progress, but it was just a tough loss.
What they have done the first half of the year, I wouldn't have disagreed with five.
What a great young player. You turn over No. 6, and there's Tony's No. 9. But he's better, he's quicker, and just a terrific player. He and Timmy (Duncan) just make a great one-two punch. He plays the game the right way. He sticks to what he does very well, and I'm looking forward to coaching him on All-Star weekend.
Very few teams go there. I think that's a great accomplishment. In our league, and in the Western Conference particularly, 50 wins means a lot.
We feel adding Doug Christie to our team is giving us the best chance to win a championship.
We want our main guys to start playing now. You'll see some different looks.
We struggled to guard Yao in the first half, but we made some adjustments and were much more physical in the second half. We were fortunate enough to hold him down then.
We're not going to win a championship because some guy comes in and plays like Michael Jordan, ... We're going to win as a team. We're going to win when Dirk Nowitzki continues to move forward and Josh Howard and Erick Dampier and Jason Terry give the consistency I'm looking for.
Growing up in New Orleans, my mom and dad were churchgoers. I would go to church with them. Also, I was going to a Catholic school so I had a fascination with the Catholic Church mainly because, in my mind, (their services) didn't take as long. I was bouncing in between my mom's Baptist church, which was called Second Zion Baptist, and going to a Catholic Church.