Respect! 'D' in Dallas: NBA.com front page

[vjz]

Avery Puts the 'D' in Dallas
By Jon Palmieri

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The Dallas Mavericks were already headed toward their fifth straight 50-win season when Avery Johnson became their full-time head coach on March 19, 2005. Despite that success, Johnson saw a team in need of a change in philosophy and style.

Now nearing the end of his first full season at the helm, Johnson's efforts have molded the Mavs into one of the league's dominant teams, one with a realistic chance at the franchise's first NBA title.

The Mavs' success under Johnson isn't all that surprising considering the player he was during a 16-year career that included a world championship as the point guard for the 1998-99 Spurs. Though undrafted out of Southern University, Johnson became the 75th player in NBA history to play 1,000 career games; he and Calvin Murphy are the only two men under six feet tall to reach that milestone.

Johnson won 16 of 18 regular-season games after replacing Don Nelson in 2004-05 and was the fastest coach in league history to 50 wins. A 91-87 victory over Cleveland on March 14 gave the Mavericks a 50-14 mark and moved Johnson to 66-16 for his career, the best 82-game start that any NBA coach has ever had. Paul Westphal held the previous mark with 62 wins against 20 losses when he took over the Suns for the 1992-93 campaign.

Johnson's work has not gone unnoticed. He was Coach of the Month for April 2005 and again for November, making him the first person to win the award in his first two months on the job. He captured the honor again in January of 2006 when Dallas won 13 of 15 games.

Johnson has put himself among the leading contenders for Coach of the Year by transforming a team that for years employed a score-at-all-costs mentality to one that now favors a more determined defensive style and prides itself on limiting the opposition. Under Johnson, the Mavs have completely changed their identity while still remaining a potent offensive team. Dallas will finish this season among the league's top 10 in points scored and points allowed, a rarity in today's NBA.

"If we're strong defensively, that is what will ultimately win it for us," Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki said after a two-point win over the Clippers on April 10. "It has always been the key for us in the playoffs. If we rebound and defend are keys. We have a lot of weapons that we can use. We should be alright offensively."

One of the best examples of Dallas' newfound commitment to defense was its 92-86 win at San Antonio on April 7. The Mavs limited the defending-champion Spurs to 37 percent (31-of-82) from the field and held All-Stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to a combined 23 points on 10-of-30 shooting.

Regardless of philosophy and tactics, a coach is only as good as his players and Johnson has the luxury of calling upon Nowitzki, one of the key figures in this season's hotly-contested MVP race, every night. Dirk's brilliant offensive game is well documented, but the 7-foot German has also improved tremendously as a defensive player under Johnson's tutelage.

Nowitzki has not missed a game all season and Johnson feels that further supports his MVP resume.

"I think it's got to count for something," Johnson told the Dallas Morning News. "And he's consistently good. He may not have the 60-point games or whatever. But he's consistently good at what he does, and that should weigh for something."

What Johnson doesn't have on his roster is a second star player to complement the do-it-all Nowitzki. Jason Terry is the team's second-leading scorer but isn't a natural point guard. Third-year forward Josh Howard is an emerging force, but injuries have forced him to miss nearly one-third of the season.

Howard isn't the only key player that has missed time for Dallas. Veteran Jerry Stackhouse sat out the first 26 games of the 2005-06 campaign with a sore knee, but has returned to provide much-needed offense off the bench. Injuries also have affected the development of guards Marquis Daniels and Devin Harris. Keith Van Horn, Nowitzki's primary backup, suffered a broken hand on March 31, and is not expected to return for the playoffs.

Despite those injuries, Johnson and the Mavericks are currently 59-21, putting them within grasp of the best regular season in franchise history (60-22 in 2002-03). They are also in the running for the top seed in the Western Conference, something Johnson doesn't believe is absolutely necessary for postseason success.

"Everybody says we desperately need to be a No. 1 seed to have a shot of winning the West," Johnson told the Dallas Morning News. "I disagree. I just think we need to be playing good basketball and we need to be healthy, mentally and physically. That, to me, gives us our best shot."

Regardless of regular-season success, the Mavericks and Johnson will ultimately be judged on their postseason performance. Dallas advanced to the Western Conference semfinals in 2004-05, losing to Phoenix in six games. A full season under Johnson, however, could have these new-look Mavs poised for a much deeper playoff run.

[sike]

read it last night.....its a "decent" read....

[chumdawg]

In retrospect, with Dirk appearing able to singlehandedly shoulder the offensive load in certain kinds of games, you wonder if this team wouldn't have been better off trading Terry and his jumper for a shut-down defensive guard.

[sike]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

In retrospect, with Dirk appearing able to singlehandedly shoulder the offensive load in certain kinds of games, you wonder if this team wouldn't have been better off trading Terry and his jumper for a shut-down defensive guard.

isn't that what we believe devin harris is gonig to be?

[u2sarajevo]

Right now, I believe that Devin Harris is going to be injured most of his career.

[sike]

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

Right now, I believe that Devin Harris is going to be injured most of his career.

tap those breaks sir....

[sixeightmkw]

he might end up like Dirk, he was hurt alot early in his career with the ankle thing but it seems he has gotten over that, played a full season this year.

[TheBlueVan]

devin is going to have to do a lot of work in the off-season. he's still a "kid" tho. i mean look at his body, he should develop a bit more i think. anyone heard anything more about his condition?

[digit]

Some more.....playoff time can't come fast enough...GO MAVSSS...



Something to prove in the playoffs
By Sean Deveney - SportingNews

Sean Deveney
SportingNews.com

Nine years ago, copies of a tape were making their way through the ranks of college coaches. The 15 minutes of grainy VHS footage showed a teen, built like a stick of Juicy Fruit, standing 6-9 and cruising easily around, past and over opponents in Germany's junior league. International scouting was in its infancy at the time, so few stateside had heard the name Dirk Nowitzki -- plus, the handful of scouts who were in Europe simply did not look for basketball talent in Germany.

Nowitzki's father thought attending college in America would be his son's best route to the NBA, and Dirk's coach, Holger Geschwindner, assembled the tape. Kansas coach Roy Williams was intrigued. Boston College was ready to offer a scholarship. Cal was considered the front-runner.

Lanny Van Eman, a former coach at Oregon State, was doing some consulting at the time and watched the tape. "Here was a 6-9 kid who had a beautiful shot, hit everything from the perimeter," Van Eman says. "He was very athletic, could run the floor, could drive past the defense and looked like he would just keep developing. It looked like the only thing he really needed was his post-up game."

Much has changed. Even without attending college, Nowitzki caught the eye of NBA scouts and was the ninth pick in the 1998 draft. He has become one of the NBA's best players, the first legitimate MVP candidate in Mavericks history and the team's only All-NBA first-team player. Yet the scouting report on Nowitzki remains remarkably similar to the mental notes Van Eman made nearly a decade ago: Excellent shooter. Great size. Runs the floor. Handles the ball. Lacks a back-to-the-basket post-up game.

It was that weakness, in fact, that stuck with Nowitzki, a 7-footer, after last year's playoffs. He had been awful throughout the postseason, averaging 23.7 points (down from 26.1 in the regular season) and shooting just 40.2 percent from the field. Houston stifled him in the first round by defending him with small forwards Ryan Bowen (6-9) and Tracy McGrady (6-8). The Suns played Shawn Marion (6-7) on Nowitzki.

In the baggy-eyed hours after the Mavericks were eliminated in the conference semifinals by Phoenix, Nowitzki sat at a podium in Dallas and said, "I take a lot of blame myself. I want to be at the point where it doesn't matter who plays me. If they put a smaller guy on me, I want to post up, and if they play me with a big guy, I'll take him outside. I'm going to have another summer of hard work."

Nowitzki took that determination back to Germany in the offseason. The Mavericks are a talented team, and the emphasis coach Avery Johnson has put on defense makes them championship contenders. But Dallas will not have a chance to win a title if Nowitzki continually struggles against smaller defenders in the postseason. In these playoffs, Nowitzki could find himself guarded by players such as the Grizzlies' Shane Battier (6-8), the Spurs' Bruce Bowen (6-7) and Marion. If he doesn't provide consistent offense against smaller defenders, the Mavericks won't win.

That has been the focus of Nowitzki's work, and the results have been impressive. Nowitzki is having his most productive season, with career highs in points (26.6) and shooting percentage (.482). And the one skill he has lacked since his teens -- the post-up game -- is improving.

"I have been here five years," Mavericks assistant Paul Mokeski says, "and every year, we get to the playoffs and they match up smalls on Dirk. I think he has figured out how to handle that. He has always been able to shoot, and that is a big problem when you have a power forward guarding him -- he can take you outside and make his shots. Now, he is better at putting the ball on the floor and going to the basket stronger. He is backing down smaller guys in the paint and shooting over them."

There is no shortage of players, coaches and franchises that enter this postseason with something to prove, but in the coming weeks, Nowitzki and the Mavericks will have the most on the line.

The same question about Nowitzki haunts the franchise: Can regular-season success translate to the playoffs? Dallas has averaged 56 wins over the past five years but has made just one trip to the conference finals. The Mavericks have been labeled soft, and Nowitzki, as the team's mainstay for the past eight seasons, has been given the same tag.

But, in any sport, years' worth of labels are easily peeled off with the strength of one championship run. This season may represent Nowitzki's and the Mavericks' best chance. "We can do it," says Mavericks point guard Jason Terry. "We are deep. We can score. We play defense. And we have the big guy. We're ready."

Avery Johnson sneered, a rare facial condition for a coach normally so smiley. The Mavericks had just been trounced, 114-102, by the Warriors, essentially ending Dallas' hopes of winning the Southwest Division and gaining the West's top seed. Johnson said it was the most disappointing game he ever had coached. The team should give back one-eighty-second of their paychecks, he added. "Seventy-nine games," Johnson said. "I have been waiting 79 games to get some internal leadership. I haven't gotten it yet."

In the locker room, Nowitzki stood wrapped in towels and tried to maintain perspective. "Our offense was not great," he said. "But we don't worry about our offense. It's defense. We have to get our defense ready before the playoffs."

Indeed, the Mavericks' postseason concerns -- leadership and defense are part of that checklist -- go beyond Nowitzki's ability to work in the paint against small forwards. Johnson has stressed defense to this group, and it has responded. Just two years ago, Dallas ranked 28th in points allowed (100.8). That improved to 14th (96.8) in last year's regular season, but the Mavericks allowed an average of 106.8 points in the playoffs.

This year, Dallas' first full season under Johnson, the team is seventh in points allowed (93.2) and 10th in field-goal percentage allowed (.442). But the Mavs have been inconsistent. "When we play defense like we know we can," Nowitzki says, "we can beat anybody. We have to be at our best."

"They have got the defense to win it all, and that is the key," says Warriors assistant coach Mario Elie, who won championships with Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon and Spurs power forward Tim Duncan. Elie disputes the notion that the Mavericks can't win without inside scoring from Nowitzki.

"Dirk right now is the best four-man in the league," Elie says. "He is not the same kind of player as Tim Duncan, where you throw it to him and run your offense. But they can win with him getting his points outside. I seem to remember Michael (Jordan) and the Bulls winning a lot without having a dominant scorer inside."

True, but the Mavericks don't have Jordan. Other than Jordan's Bulls, every championship team in the past 15 years has had a player capable of taking over in the paint. One reason is obvious: inside shots are high-percentage, especially late in tight games. But a good back-to-the-basket scorer also forces opponents to double-team, which sets up passes for open shots on the perimeter. This is a skill players such as Duncan and Heat center Shaquille O'Neal have mastered. Nowitzki still is learning.

"He is going to get his points, but you probably don't want to double-team him," one Western Conference scout says. "Their offense is still one-on-one play, with isolations and mismatches. They are not set up for him to get the ball inside, then dish it outside. Teams will do the same thing they did last year -- guard him with a smaller player and make him put the ball on the floor. It is still not his strength."

Nowitzki acknowledges that paint play never will be his best skill, and Johnson is careful not to push Nowitzki too hard into the post -- what makes him unique is his combination of size and shooting ability. He makes 40.9 percent of his 3-pointers, and the Mavericks don't want Nowitzki to emphasize a weakness at the expense of a strength.

In the loss to the Warriors, he burned power forward Troy Murphy for 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the first quarter. But after the Warriors switched defenders, mostly using Mike Dunleavy on Nowitzki, he was 5-for-14.

Still, Nowitzki appears better equipped to make opponents pay for going small, and, for Mavericks fans, the most heartening sign is an April 7 win in San Antonio (their first win on the Spurs' home floor in 2 1/2 years). Nowitzki, guarded mostly by Bowen, scored 30 points and passed up perimeter jumpers in favor of forays to the rim.

The Mavericks also were able to expose a weakness in the small forward-on-Dirk philosophy -- Josh Howard, the Mavs' slippery small forward, outmaneuvered Duncan and shot 9-for-13 from the field. When Nowitzki is matched against a small, quick defender, it almost always means Howard is guarded by a big, slow defender.

After that game, Mavs guard Jerry Stackhouse told reporters, "I don't think they're going to be able to play Bruce Bowen on Dirk anymore and put Tim Duncan on Josh."

Perhaps. But in the playoffs, the best strategy against Nowitzki still is to guard him with a smaller player. That was his team's undoing in last year's playoffs. He spent a summer working to change it. But this is what he was working toward -- the postseason. The playoffs are here, and if Nowitzki has fixed the longest-standing problem in his offensive game, now it the time to prove it.

Sean Deveney is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at sdeveney@sportingnews.com.

Updated on Tuesday, Apr 18, 2006 12:07 pm EDT

[Five-ofan]

The deveney article is solid and it makes a point ive made for over a year now about the matchup with josh and a 4. Last year 4s could guard him. Now they cant. This will be a huge difference in the playoffs.

[Dtownsfinest]

I like to think of Devin Harris sort of like Gary Payton when he came into the league. Both had similiar builds. Both had a knack for defense at the same point in their careers. Gary wasn't nearly as fragile but he also gained some weight during his career which is what I think Harris is going to have to do in order play at this level of basketball. He and Shaun Livingston are some of the most fragile looking players in the NBA. Until Harris gets his weight up we might as well get accustom to these 30 game injuries he's having.