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
half
What they have done the first half of the year, I wouldn't have disagreed with five.
beat expect game half hot minutes nba playing road second team tough win
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.
halftime seemed talk team
We had a little talk with the team at halftime and they seemed to respond.
coming half watch
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.
basketball defense good half locker lull lying offensive rest room team third tone
We thought we got our defense under us in the first half and kind of set the tone for the rest of the game. We had a little lull defensively in the third quarter, but they're a very good offensive basketball team and they weren't going to come out of the locker room lying down.
tough
We're making progress, but it was just a tough loss.
coaching forward game great looking plays sticks terrific turn
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.
achievement conference few great means teams western wins
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.
adding best chance giving team win
We feel adding Doug Christie to our team is giving us the best chance to win a championship.
guys main playing start
We want our main guys to start playing now. You'll see some different looks.
fortunate guard hold physical second struggled
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.
consistency continues forward guy jason josh looking michael move plays terry win
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.
mom growing-up dad
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.
commitment past years
In 1989 at Greater Saint Steven Full Gospel Church, I gave my life to Christ. That's pretty much where it all started for me. I was 23 years old at the time, right after my first year in the NBA. The pastor preached a message about being fully committed. That pretty much was me. I wasn't fully committed. I was kind of in and out all of the time. So I just wanted to make a commitment.