Mavs' Johnson About to Cap Record Start

[HexNBA]

Mavs' Johnson About to Cap Record Start

By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer

DALLAS - When Avery Johnson's playing days were winding down, league executives already had him pegged as a future coach. A good one, too.

"I just didn't know he was going to be this good, this fast," said his boss, Dallas Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson.

Johnson will coach the Mavs for the 82nd time, the equivalent of a full season, on Tuesday night and regardless of the result he's guaranteed to have the best record of any coach in NBA history over that span at the start of their career.

At 65-16, Johnson already has won three more games than Paul Westphal did when he took over the Phoenix Suns in 1992-93. Bill Russell, Paul Westhead and Al Cervi all went 61-21 over their first 82 games, and Red Auerbach was right behind at 60-22, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau.

Johnson appreciates what he's accomplished, but he's not about to let it go to his head. This is a guy who overcame being undrafted and repeatedly released to become the starting point guard on an NBA champion in San Antonio, so he knows all about humility and perseverance.

"There's no magic formula to what we do as coaches," Johnson said Monday. "Fortunately, we've won our share of games, but I don't think it has as much to do with me as the young men on the court."

Nelson believes otherwise.

"Avery is the straw that stirs the Maverick drink," he said. "Internally, as far as MVP candidates, Dirk (Nowitzki) certainly has his place, but so does Avery."

A coach's success hinges mostly on the caliber of his players — Russell, for instance, had Bill Russell playing for him, and Johnson has Nowitzki. It's also true that when Johnson replaced Don Nelson on March 19, 2005, he inherited a club headed toward its fifth straight 50-win season.

Yet Johnson has done more than answer owner Mark Cuban's e-mails to keep the Mavs (49-14) humming. He's made them better, and more playoff-ready, by changing their style, scrapping a score-at-all-costs mentality for an approach rooted in keeping foes under 100 points.

The Mavericks are allowing 92.9 points per game, the best in franchise history and sixth-best in the league. They're also eighth in scoring at 99.6. No other team is in the top 10 in fewest points allowed and most points scored.

"You don't play the way they're playing without Avery's hand prints all over this team," Magic Johnson said recently. "He's a no-nonsense guy, a junior (Pat) Riley. He's a tough dude, but he's a player's coach. He's going to kick some butt when it needs kicking and he's also going to wrap his arms around the guys when they need arms wrapped around them."

He's right: Avery Johnson will call a quick timeout if his team gets sloppy during garbage time, yet the day after Kobe Bryant scored 63 points against the Mavericks in three quarters Johnson didn't force them to watch the game film, like he usually does.

Such balance could be the reason Dallas has lost consecutive games only once in his tenure. That may be his most impressive feat, although there are plenty to choose from.

Johnson was coach of the month in April and November, making him the first person to win the award his first two months on the job. In February, he coached the Western Conference in the All-Star game.

He reached 50 wins in a record 62 games, one less than Auerbach and Cervi, hitting the milestone during a 13-game winning streak that was the second-best in franchise history.

Johnson has been so good that San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich might snicker at his division rival if the two weren't such close friends. Johnson hit the title-clinching shot for the Spurs' first championship and "The Little General" honed his Xs and Os approach through playing for and talking to Popovich.

"You have to be quite positive about what he has methodically and very thoughtfully put together," Popovich said. "No tricks. No smoke. Just a fundamental approach to being a disciplined club. Creating a defense that's a priority for everyone. Being smart enough to keep all the good things Nellie established and not let his ego get involved in that area. A lot of coaches can't do that."

The Mavericks and Spurs are tied for the best record in the Western Conference and knotted for the lead in the Midwest Division, putting them on course for a second-round playoff meeting.

Playoff success is the ultimate barometer of a coach and Johnson is always talking about doing things aimed at winning a title. In his postseason debut, the Mavs were ousted by Phoenix in the second round.

"I think he had the heartbeat of the team last year, but he really knows the guys now — what he has, what he can do," veteran Jerry Stackhouse said. "He always exuded confidence from a leadership standpoint, but he's even more confident now."