Chron: Van Gundy is taking AJ to school

Van Gundy is taking AJ to school
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
RESOURCES



Shawn Bradley comes to town with the imprint of Tracy McGrady's No. 1 on the back of his head, the victim of the most heinous dunk you'll ever see.


Dirk Nowitzki comes to town wondering if the next thing he'll have to hand over to Ryan Bowen is the set of keys to his favorite car, considering Bowen and friends already have taken everything else — Nowitzki's game, his confidence, his aura of being unstoppable.

Mavericks big men Erick Dampier, Keith Van Horn and Bradley arrive with two fouls apiece. OK, not officially. But the way Yao Ming is working the paint and working them over, it won't take long.

Down 2-0 in their opening-round playoff series with the Rockets, the Mavericks have issues, to say the least. They can't stop McGrady, can't ignite Nowitzki and can't match up with Yao.

But here's their biggest problem. The one looking most sickly and unsure as the Mavs come to town is the one who is supposed to make it all better.


Postseason is different
Mavs coach Avery Johnson, a former Rockets guard and Houston resident, is a beloved fellow. He played with a lot of heart, made a lot of friends, learned the coaching ropes from some of the greats and is hard not to like.

But that doesn't mean we should ignore the fact the biggest matchup problem the Mavericks face is on the bench, not the court.

Johnson is getting outcoached by Jeff Van Gundy. Badly.

Johnson did a fine job for the Mavericks in the regular season, taking over for Don Nelson and making all the right moves as Dallas sprinted to the playoffs with a 17-2 burst (including Nelson's last game) to end the year.

But these are the playoffs.

This is where Van Gundy's experience, his knack for meticulous preparation and, most importantly, the trust he has earned from his team have been huge factors.

Johnson is not a bad coach. In fact, he probably will be a very good one.

But when it comes to winning in the playoffs and building that indefinable bond the Rockets seem to have, X's and O's are only a small part of the equation.


Players have to believe
The secret to great coaching is not coming up with something brilliant to tell your guys. The secret is your guys' believing that it's brilliant.

Van Gundy could well be shoveling a bunch of slop in timeout huddles and at practice. But at this point, the mix is so right, the belief in him so strong that it tastes like victory.

McGrady has acknowledged that never has he had the faith in a coach that he has in Van Gundy. Jon Barry, a 13-year veteran, states flat-out that Van Gundy is the best coach he's ever had. Yao's improvement and confidence is obvious.

And speaking of turning slop into savory delights, could the decision before Game 1 to start Bowen against Nowitzki have worked anywhere else? Could it have worked had these Rockets not had that confidence in one another and in what some call "The JVG Experience?"

Imagine what would have happened back in the Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Mo Taylor and Jim Jackson days. Imagine if Van Gundy told that group exactly how the Rockets could beat the Mavs.

"Ryan, you've got Dirk."

After enjoying a hearty laugh and picking themselves up off the floor, most of the Rockets would have ignored their coach.

But from the opening moments Saturday, there was a sense among these Rockets that, yeah, this is going to work. It did.

That same confidence was clear in the looks on the Rockets' faces as Van Gundy spoke during the final timeout of Monday night's 113-111 win in Game 2. Yes. This is going to work.

The Mavericks, on the other hand, have more questions than answers. They have yet to figure out how to solve Bowen's defense and all the help he is getting whenever Nowitzki makes a move.

Coming into the series, Van Gundy recognized that if there is a weakness in Nowitzki's game, it is his passing. The Rockets challenged Nowitzki to kick the ball to the open man or find the open shooter. He has failed. So, too, have his teammates.

The Mavs also have failed to keep Yao off the low block, which certainly is getting much more difficult than it once was, considering his increased confidence and strength down low.

Dallas also hasn't exploited a weakness in Yao's game by bringing him out of the lane to defend the pick-and-roll. Why? Who knows?

Perhaps Johnson has swallowed his whistle. That's what he accused official Joey Crawford of doing during Game 1, but officiating has had nothing to do with either Mavs defeat.

Two moments Monday night showed just how much the Mavericks and their coach have struggled.

When the Rockets were charging hard late in the fourth quarter, relying heavily on the hot-shooting Barry and Bob Sura, for some inexplicable reason Johnson directed his team to fall into a zone.

It only made getting a wide-open look easier for Sura. Bang. He nailed the first of a pair of crucial 3-pointers.

Then, on the game-winning possession, Van Gundy and McGrady took advantage of the smaller Mavs lineup. In the previous timeout, Van Gundy told his star not to call a timeout if the Mavericks tied the game. Just take the ball off a Yao screen and go to work. The Mavs were caught in disarray.

Johnson had talked about trapping the Rockets' screen-and-roll. He talked about not allowing McGrady to take the potential winning shot. But there was confusion all around on the play. Josh Howard got caught up in the screen. Van Horn was slow to jump out and trap McGrady or even offer a serious challenge on his shot. Ballgame.

Later, Johnson said the Mavericks "forgot" to trap the play.

Forgot? In the playoffs?
AJ's future might be bright, but right now he's getting JVG'd.


http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3155766