If Avery Johnson were still coaching, the Mavs wouldn't be down 3-1 against Spurs

It'd be the same IMO... the Spurs are playing their best basketball of the season right now...

 

I actually think Avery was an excellent coach although I think Carlisle is a very good coach as well, the problem was/is the players. They have no attitude, no toughness, no drive. Most of their guys over the years have been soft, finesse players (Dirk, Terry, Howard, Harris, etc.). I have no clue how Erik Dampier has been their starting center for so long, he is a chump, I can't understand why Haywood is not the starter right now. I thought Butler and Haywood would bring that element to the team, but they have not.

 

Really?

 

So so true

 

Kidd is well past his prime. He did finally learn how to shoot the 3 this year, but he's not nearly the player he used to be, especially on defense.

Marion is washed up.

Dirk is no better than he was three or four years ago. Same with Terry and Dampier.

Butler and Haywood haven't been fully integrated into the team yet.

And benching Butler in the 4th quarter was about as un-Van Gundy like as could be. Van Gundy would always stick with his veteran players at key points in the game, even if they were playing like garbage.

 

Rick Carlisle is the black JVG.

 

Avery Johnson is awful.

You all should have realized this when he got totally outcoached by Nelly

 

Yeah, they would be better with the coach whose team blew the Finals (up 2-0 and blew Game 3 in the 4th) and lost to a #8 seed the next year, where he was clearly outcoached.

 

The reason they are down 3-1 right now is because Dirk cannot play against an aggressive defense. Every year they have been bounced is because he cannot perform when the defense toughens up on him. I thought Caron Butler would be their answer, but he appears to be following Dirk's lead so far and settling for jumpers. 'That' is why he was sat down in game 3. Dallas has to be in attack mode against SA and score a lot of points to win games. They are allowing SA to dictate the pace of the games.

 

It depends on what Dirk we will get, Dirk the shooter or Dirk the flopper.

Shooters are limited in playoffs.
Floppers are rewarded in playoffs.

 

He worked under Riley prior to the Finals, when they and one of the great choke jobs? And if you are going against a coach who knows your entire playbook...then how about you actually coach and adjust?

 

Not to pile on Avery but he was truly an overrated coach.

He took over probably the most talented team in the NBA and had nothing but choke jobs to show for it.


He was thoroughly out coached by JVG in the Mavs/Rockets series and only won because of the superior depth and talent of the Mavs. In terms of straight coaching JVG outworked him.

The following season when they made it to the Finals he just made stupid play after stupid play like calling that timeout between free throws instead of after the made FTs. Then trying to say he was just letting Howard know to call it after the FT, well if you were frantically trying to yell at Howard he probably would have realized that. Then acting all indignant about it afterwards was just the icing on the cake.

The following season the choke job against Golden State. I dont care if it was against Nelson, Avery wanted that matchup he rested his guys during the regular season against the wrong teams and basically chose to face the Warriors instead of the Clippers in the first round. Then on top of that Avery despite his superior talent and ability to beat the Warriors decides to adjust his starting lineup (that won him 67 games) to better match up with the warriors...what sort of idiotic coach doesnt force the other team to match up to them??


Its a shame any real coach that can make adjustments would have probably taken the Mavs to a ring by now.


If Avery was coaching this Mavs team with even less talent (yes they have less talent now, but still talented) they would still be down 3-1 if not already out of the playoffs.