Little General won't let his guard down now

[kriD]

Little General won't let his guard down now

[By Kevin Sherrington / The Dallas Morning News]

Imagine you're Avery Johnson. C'mon, really get into it. Clench and unclench your jaw. Jump up an octave.

Better make it two.

You've just finished your first full season as head coach of the Mavs, a performance that should earn you coach of the year honors.

Confession: Despite Don Nelson's personal recommendations, I just couldn't buy you as a head coach. Nothing personal. Maybe it was the fact that you'd never really coached. Maybe it's your relentless nature, sometimes irksome to "sensitive" pro athletes.

Maybe it's because Nellie once vouched for Sidney Moncrief, too.

Anyway, I was wrong. You really are the Little General. You didn't get the nickname by accident. You won't be more relaxed going into the playoffs this time around. You don't become one of only two sub-6-footers to play a thousand NBA games because you're laid-back. "Intense" doesn't begin to describe it. You couldn't unwind if you were on a spool.

But you have to feel good about your chances this season, don't you?

Your best player is a serious MVP candidate for the first time. No one could have made much of a case for Dirk Nowitzki before.

Why now? Maybe it's a natural course of events. Maybe it's because you've been on him all season.

Not exactly nagging. No public diatribes. Only constant conversation.

Leadership is a tough thing to coach. Most athletes simply have it or they don't. Leading is not in Nowitzki's nature. Even now he insists he's not doing anything unusual.

But he's different, all right, and you can bet it has something to do with the steady drumbeat of your coaching.

Prediction: Nowitzki won't be calling out any teammates in the playoffs this time around. Not on TV, anyway.

You've learned, as any successful coach does, to put your players in a position to succeed. You've given them roles. You've made Erick Dampier understand, just as Jerry Stackhouse does, what a player can mean to a team coming off the bench.

Of course, selflessness is a lot easier to preach on a winning team. Lose, and players aren't as agreeable. The 76ers consider themselves fortunate when players show up on time.

You're lucky to have the players here. No prima donnas. Some might say this is also a problem. This group's more deferential than a lobby full of bellmen. Though it makes for good morale in the huddle, it sometimes lends to a lack of accountability.

But you've been working on leadership all along. You also made your team understand that 60 wins may be a nice round number, but it doesn't mean much now.

You know how much harder it is to win the next 16. You know how hard it is to win just one, which is what you were telling the media Friday.

Out-of-context scouting report on Memphis: Did you know Christian Laettner and his Duke teammate, Brian Davis, have poked around about buying the club? Did you know Laettner and Davis are partners in urban developments?

Did you know a local columnist once dubbed Laettner, "The Duchess of Duke"?

Sorry for the distraction. As you were saying, no matter what happens today against Memphis, the series isn't over. This ain't the NCAAs.

A funny thing to say. But that was before the media found out Josh Howard had to leave practice Friday because of a bad back.

Bad enough that Devin Harris is questionable. Losing Howard is far worse. He fills in the cracks on this team. Kick-starts the offense. Plays great defense.

Might be your favorite player.

My only problem with him is that he doesn't assert himself as much in the second half of games. When a nosy columnist asks why he doesn't, you remind him that Howard's mere presence is "tremendous."

Good point. But if he can't play today, or if his play is diminished? You'll pull out another part from the deepest bench in the league.

You won't push anyone too soon. You're in these playoffs for the long haul. You've got injury issues, sure, but the Spurs have greater ones.

You could do something your mentor never managed. You could win it all because you've never had anything else in mind since you became a coach not so long ago.

You made your team believe in you. Me, too. Even the Spurs have to be wondering, although I'm not so sure about Detroit.

Editor's note: You can stop clenching now.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Originally Posted by kriD

Little General won't let his guard down now

You could do something your mentor never managed. You could win it all because you've never had anything else in mind since you became a coach not so long ago.

You made your team believe in you. Me, too. Even the Spurs have to be wondering, although I'm not so sure about Detroit.

Editor's note: You can stop clenching now.

I love these lines, and the Pistons better be worried!