[NewMexiMav]

Now, DMoore piles on with more questioning of Avery

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Does Dallas Mavericks coach still have the moves?

02:45 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 22, 2008

By David Moore

NEW ORLEANS – Byron Scott tossed and turned.

The New Orleans coach longed to find an edge or uncover some wrinkle that would blindside the Mavericks to open the series. He awoke at 5 a.m. with an idea.

"I was really, really thinking about making some changes as far as we were concerned defensively, but once I finally got up, I told myself we're going to do what we do," Scott said. "We've been doing it all season long.

"We're one of the top five teams in the league on the defensive end, so why change? It's just a matter of us doing it better and doing it harder. I don't scrap everything we've done all season long and try to come up with new gimmicks to beat certain teams."

There will be more restless nights for Scott and every other coach in these playoffs.
Why bring up this story now?

Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson (receiving clipboard) huddles with his team during Game 1 in New Orleans.

Well, because it's time for Avery Johnson to adjust. The Mavericks coach must determine how to defend Hornets point guard Chris Paul and what to do about an offense that bogged down in the second half of the team's Game 1 loss.

The temptation for tonight's game is the same Scott faced before the series began. Does Johnson tweak a few things or does he go for shock and awe? Does he shift strategic gears or make a lineup change the way he did to open the Golden State series last season?

Remind me, how did that work?

OK, no more cheap shots. But it must be brought up to provide some context for the decisions Johnson will make in this series and the next – if there is a next.

Johnson had the magic touch after taking over for Don Nelson. He brought the Mavericks back from an 0-2 deficit to beat Houston in his first postseason series as a head coach. He inserted Devin Harris into the starting lineup against San Antonio the next season, a move that tilted that series in favor of the Mavericks and helped propel the team into the Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Now, he's a coach with a 2-9 record in his last 11 playoff games. He's respected but is saddled with the public perception that Pat Riley and Nelson schooled him.

You think this doesn't get under Johnson's competitive skin? He was asked before Game 1 about Scott's knowledge of Jason Kidd. Would it allow him to handle Kidd the way Nelson's knowledge of Dirk Nowitzki gave the Warriors an upper-hand last season?

Johnson responded by asking if Nelson put on a uniform to stop Nowitzki. He asked why that was continually brought up. He asked what Riley did to stop Nowitzki, then cited the average number of free throws Dwyane Wade attempted in the Finals and Baron Davis' jumpers from midcourt.

A tremendous amount of scrutiny accompanies any coach's decisions in the playoffs. But Johnson, hailed by all for his discipline, preparation and motivational ability, must show he can adjust. He must provide an Xs and Os response that has been questioned in his last two playoff series.

Does he trap Paul more or put Josh Howard on him for extended stretches? Does he mix in zone defense, something the Warriors were surprised Johnson didn't do more of in the first round last year?

"I know Coach Johnson probably wants to take the ball out of CP's hands and go trap and do things like that, but it still puts him at a disadvantage," New Orleans swingman Bonzi Wells said. "I mean, whatever he does, I know Coach Scott is going to have a counter for us.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the chess match."

So are Mavericks fans frustrated by the results of the last two playoff series.

God, will Avery ever admit a mistake? He's running out of players to throw under the bus! By my count, only Stack and George are left.