Welcome to 8th

March 31st, 2008 Posted in Avery Johnson, Game Recap

Last year in the first round of the playoffs Avery benched Erick Dampier in game 1 and effectively told the Warriors that the Mavs had to conform to their style of play. This lead to a first round exit to an 8th seed. Tonight Damp started the game, but then only played 12:30. Then after the game Avery had this to say.

“We couldn’t get stops when we needed to, especially in the fourth quarter,” Avery said. “We continued to score. This was one of our better second halves offensively, but we just couldn’t get the stops against Monta Ellis, Baron Davis. They were all hard to guard down the stretch.”

Don’t you think that just maybe having Damp in the middle of the lane might clog  it up a little to stop guards from having easy layups?  If you look at the game flow for tonight’s game you’ll very quickly notice that while Damp was in the game the Mavs were +10 on the night.  When the Mavs beat the Warriors on January 2nd Damp played 27 minutes.  I’m not saying that Damp caused the Mavs to win that game, but he certainly didn’t hurt them.  And I just find it amazing that Avery would go back to a game plan that caused so much controversy less than a year ago.

So a great effort by Jason Kidd and Josh Howard was wasted tonight.  And now the Mavericks are tied for 7th and 8th with Golden State and Denver.

 


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  1. 43 Responses to “Welcome to 8th”

  2. By KeepingItReal on Mar 31, 2008 at 12:06:54 am

    How often do coaches get fired midseason in the NBA? I’m still pondering why this man is still with this team. It can’t be that hard to say “you’re fired” and maybe add a couple of expletives for old times sake.

  3. By F-Avery on Mar 31, 2008 at 12:20:19 am

    Jason Kidd at the line… Mavs down 5… and Avery doesn’t sub in Damp to clog the lane for a defensive posession?!!!! Next play– Monta Ellis lay up over Malik Allen.

    What a F-ing moron!!!!!!!!!! Sorry Mark Cuban, but we have every right as fans to think this is complete idiocy from your head coach.

    Avery Johnson is kryptonite to this franchise. He can’t coach, can’t develop younger players, and can’t make in-game adjustments… period! Thus, we are left with a roster of has-beens including Terry, Howard, Jones, Stackhouse, Kidd, Magloire, Allen, and George.

    FIRE AVERY NOW!

    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  4. By mike on Mar 31, 2008 at 12:28:49 am

    Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, and Jerry Stackhouse are has-beens? Get out from under that rock and you’ll see that Avery’s not exactly helping get the most out of them.

  5. By cubanandaverybothsuck on Mar 31, 2008 at 1:23:43 am

    i dont post much but after tonite, felt compelled to add my 2cents worth. if i was kidd, i’d figure out a way to get avery tossed at the beginning of every game ,then maybe they’d have a punchers chance to win. avery,these guys have been playin for years, let em play and and stop @#&%in with em. i believe he’s got them wound tighter than a 7 day clock and they’re not havin any fun playing the game. after they miss the playoffs, maybe cuban can talk dick motta out of retirement. stick a fork in em cause they’re done!!!!!

  6. By "well, my guys play hard at least" on Mar 31, 2008 at 2:56:42 am

    I didn’t watch the game, but the thing that made me furious about the box score was the +12 for Dampier in 12:30 minutes of play

  7. By "well, my guys play hard at least" on Mar 31, 2008 at 2:58:34 am

    I didn’t watch the game, but the thing that made me furious about the box score was the +12 for Dampier in 12:30 minutes of play. WTF IS AVERY DOING!!! 12 MINUTES!!! Damp is a good center these days why the heck isn’t he playing him at least 30 minutes every night sans the nights he fouls out. Avery’s excuse would be “well, I didn’t feel we match up well to the warriors with Damp in the game” NO THE WARRIORS DON’T MATCH UP WELL WITH US WITH DAMP IN THE GAME. God he’s such an idiot

  8. By Reea on Mar 31, 2008 at 4:03:46 am

    The thing about these Warriors, once they get confident making their shots, they are hard to stop. No one mentions yet about this super lineup of Avery : LUE / TERRY / WRIGHT / ALLEN BASS in the first quarter and a 10 point lead becomes an 8 point deficit, and the momentum swings to the Warriors for good! I thought you are treating this like a playoff game?? Why aren’t you giving your best players extended minutes for this game?

  9. By Martin on Mar 31, 2008 at 6:52:21 am

    I think they want to get the lottery pick.

  10. By Mark on Mar 31, 2008 at 9:47:29 am

    I am sick of watching Damp ride the bench. I attended the Laker game and watched him play 20 minutes. The rest of the time he sat on the bench and watched Lamar Odom grab 17 rebounds. All the while Avery sat there with that stupid look on his face.

  11. By WyldMavsFan on Mar 31, 2008 at 9:56:06 am

    This was just game 1 of the series, we can rebound to win this best of seven. Wait a minute, this wasn’t game 1 of the playoffs, I am sorry, our stategy looked the exact same, so I assumed I was watching a repeat.

    How could Avery think that benching Damp was the way to win this game. Doesn’t he get a stat sheet at halftime and realize that the starting lineup was doing a great on BOTH ends of the floor. We forced them to shoot tough outside shots b/c they couldn’t bring it in the paint with Damp (who is a beast these days). Avery takes Damp out with 4min left in the 1st quarter (no idea why, maybe he was a little tired, but this is no time rest.) and now GS takes it to the hole a lot easier, which in turn, opens up the jump shot for them and they ended up outscoring us in the 1st quarter.

    Are you telling me Avery can’t see that. What a Moron. What doesn’t he like about Damp. His ability to clog the lane, his ability to allow other defenders to play up on their man. His ability to be a monster on the boards (espically on the offense). All Avery is concerned about is that he is a little slow, so he sits him, and now we have a small lineup in the game.

    Brandon Bass played very well on Offense last night. he kept us in the game on the offense, but with him and Malik Allen in the game, we had no D in the paint.

    Avery talks about how we couldn’t get a stop, but our two best defenders (Damp and George) never get to play, b/c avery, the Defensive minded coach, wants 5 guys who can make a jump shot, instead of Damp.

    THE WHOLE THING MAKES ME SICK, we could’ve won that game

  12. By John on Mar 31, 2008 at 10:45:18 am

    The Mavs simply are not that good. The Mavs management has decided to go with (I will be kind) veterans while the league is becoming younger and quicker. The blame for this team goes to Cuban, Donnie Nelson, and Avery. As I have said before hang in there Miami, Memphis, and New York we will be right there with you shortly.

    It is time to rebuild. Oh I forgot that is hard when you trade away your draft picks for old men and are way, way over the salary cap making it almost impossible to sign any free agents. Mismanagement at its worst.

    By the way Kidd is pathetic. The defense just ignores him on the offensive end. So what if he hits a couple of shots. Where is this so-called leadership. He hides when the game gets tight.

  13. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 11:12:42 am

    Thank you John I have pointed this out before if Kidd is so good he should be scoring 30 points a night b/c no one on the other teams defense even guards him…of course why waste your time when he shoots up bricks 90% of the time?!?!?! If we don’t make the playoffs at least we will get some sort of draft pick. The other problem is we will be unable to trade next year…at least not for anyone decent no one wants kidd or anyone else on our team for that matter except for Dirk. Of course I bet Avery will end up trading Dirk for some guy even older then him. Hey look at the bright side season ticket holders soon you will be able to upgrade your season tickets very cheap when the Mavs are barely able to win 20 games a season. We are so over our cap we can’t even sign free agents, i will be counting down the days until Kidd retires. Kidd has no leadership i remember the game he got the ball and it would have been a big shot he pumped up the ball 5 times afraid to shoot then tried to jump into the guy who wasnt even really near him…it made me giggle what a loser!!

  14. By David on Mar 31, 2008 at 12:02:06 pm

    It’s funny to read Avery’s quote how Kidd has had free rein since Day 1. Avery says in the beginning, Kidd just didn’t know our offense. Really, Avery? Kidd didn’t know how to bring the ball up and dump it to Dirk for an iso? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that now that we can’t rely on Dirk and his awesome iso, that Kidd has way more assists.

    Also, I’m sick and tired of hearing you whiny girls talk about how bad Kidd is. He has shot 9/20 in the last 2 games. 6/9 from 3pt. 13 rebounds. 6 steals. And 29 assists. In his whole career, Devin never had stats that good. Devin was never more of a leader than Kidd.

    Seriously, the stats don’t lie. You guys are both annoying and lame.

  15. By mffl on Mar 31, 2008 at 12:41:07 pm

    First off, leave Kidd out guys. He played exceptionally well yesterday. Jet, however, needs to get his act together soon and make his shots. Avery will probably make the adjustments and play Damp more in our next game against G.S. Warriors next Wed., and STILL find a way to make us lose - he’ll probably bench another player playing good that day. Somebody needs to investigate if he has something riding on Mavs getting out of the playoffs this season. What a sad story he has become.

  16. By Julian on Mar 31, 2008 at 12:42:16 pm

    I think everyone is overreacting here. We have been one of the most successful franchises in the NBA over the last 8 years. We are the only team to make it to the finals out of the west besides the Lakers and Spurs this DECADE! We made it there with Devin and Terry running the point.

    Obviously Avery can coach a basketball team. Don Nelson thought highly enough of him to run practices and eventually take over the team. We are talking about of one the greatest coaches of all time.

    Now I understand that ever since the Miami debacle things have been quite erratic around here. Avery is not all at fault here. The players have endured just as much pain and frustration. It may just be time for a change of scenery for everybody. These are all quality players and a hell of a coach who would get a job the first day on the market. Avery needs to start fresh with a new young team. Avery Johnson has done great things here and we should recognize that.

  17. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 1:04:44 pm

    Julian i think your forgetting something to be considered a successful franchise you need to win a championship or else its all for nothing…also Avery took a championship caliber team and ruined them. We are not even in the same league as the Spurs.

  18. By kc on Mar 31, 2008 at 1:06:45 pm

    Hey, Its time to rest the starters. Remember! we want to get them ready for play-offs.
    Oops! i guess Avery is not looking at the current Standings.

  19. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 1:08:40 pm

    MFFL you leave Kidd out thats fine but ya maybe he played decent for a change last night but thats a first…not to mention we still lost. I for one think Kidd is overrated and his name should not be uttered w/ some of the greatest players of all time. He looked bad in New Jersey and now he looks bad in Dallas…so can we blame Avery for that not really. However, Avery’s coaching is ridiculous and he needs to be fired. But are you going to blame Frank for Kidd’s poor performance..i don’t think so. Harris has played better under him then Avery. So really admit just admit it Kidd is washed up and not worth 17 mil or all we gave up for him.

  20. By Visitor on Mar 31, 2008 at 1:12:52 pm

    A spin on a classic quote from ‘The Princess Bride’:

    “But what about the MFFL’s?”

    “The Mavs Fans For Life? I do not think they exist!”

    If Mavs fans think that their team doesn’t realize that their fans no longer have faith in them, than you are mistaken. Get in the arena and support them no matter what. Shout it out loud. Stop making excuses for your team and show them some love.

    At this point, you will be darn lucky to make the playoffs after the injury to Dirk. That’s life in the NBA. ANY team’s destiny can change in an instant. Keep fighting and maybe you’ll get lucky. Give up and and there’s always next year, right?

    As far as Avery is concerned, the problem is Mark Cuban. Avery is too busy trying to please him, in spite of hating everything Cuban had done to his roster. It’s time for Cuban to eat the biggest platter of Crow that has ever been served to him. I’m sure he enojoys dining on Crow, it won’t be his first serving.

  21. By blah on Mar 31, 2008 at 1:13:03 pm

    Avery Johnson will embarrass the team three years in a row.

    Outcoached by Miami in finals - choke.

    Outchoached by Nellie in first round of playoffs - choke.

    Losing the last 16 games of the season against winning teams and missing the playoffs - choke.

    This dumb choker needs to get fired ASAP.

  22. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 1:36:09 pm

    I dont like the fact that people think you are not a fan b/c you dont think the way things are going are working. I will always be a mavs fan i went when they were lucky to win 20 games a season and ill continue to support them…but that does not mean i have to sit here and agree w/ everything they do. Don’t say im not a mffl i doubt you even watched during those times when we had oliver miller, or popeye jones or other pathetic players(actually jones want during the worst of times just not great times, but miller was what a fat man he was!!!)….i dont agree with avery or the kidd trade but i still want them to win!!!

  23. By cuban on Mar 31, 2008 at 2:26:30 pm

    Did anyone catch “Time out with coach Johnson”? before the GS game?
    Averys little speech about keeping “contracts” was just more petty avery crap
    once we fire the imbecile.. we will be better..i promise

    and take your jesus loving retard jason terry with you , general

  24. By awful coaching on Mar 31, 2008 at 3:17:57 pm

    Damp plays 12 minutes? I was channel flipping, but every time I tuned back in, I got to see total NBA JOKES like Juwann Howard and Devean George stink up the court. And Jason Terry needs to get his act together real fast and quit choking! This is getting so bad it almost looks like Avery has been told to lose these games!

  25. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 3:36:42 pm

    Whats wrong with loving Jesus…that was an insanely rude comment…

  26. By mike on Mar 31, 2008 at 3:51:49 pm

    I don’t know where you live, but Jason Kidd has NEVER been a scorer. 30 points a game? Are you kidding me? Maybe the fact that he has 99 triple doubles(10/10/10… not 30/30/30) has something to do with that superstar status. He makes his teammates better. Haven’t you noticed that Dirk’s shooting percentage went up? How Damp plays with more passion? He was not brought to Dallas to be Kobe Bryant; he was brought to actually get his teammates more involved. And it’s not his fault that Josh Howard hasn’t been slashing to the hoop like he did in ‘05, until after Nowitzki’s injury.

  27. By T on Mar 31, 2008 at 4:08:20 pm

    Time to blow it up!!! We had a 1 1/2 season window with Kidd as a starter and Avery has wasted the 1/2 season by being a stubborn jacka@@. Things will not get any better next year. Did Jason Kidd know what he was getting into when he wanted to come back to Dallas? Well looks like Avery’s last season and the Mavericks in the lottery. Hopefully the balls will bounce the Mav’s way.

  28. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 4:33:03 pm

    im sorry but 10 pts 10reb and 10 assist a game just doesnt impress me so keep talking about his triple double which he still hasnt gotten one here but it doesnt impress me much. Also, i’ve never seen someone who cant finish a lay up like him i mean come on thats ridiculous. Well whatever he was “brought” to do seeing as how we are 0-10 against teams w/ a winning record im not to impressed w/ the job he’s doing….and also what we need is offense we have no offense w/out Dirk especially poor Howard carries the team in his back!!!! I mean honestly Kidd worth 17 mil ha ya right maybe 2 mil thats about it!!

  29. By Ronald on Mar 31, 2008 at 4:38:28 pm

    I completely agree with everything that was said by everybody. Just one more thing to add… in my view, Avery is the perfect example of the problem of “Activity vs. Productivity”.
    He stands on the sideline gesticulating and screaming out things that only make sense to him and he thinks that he is coaching. If you guys watched closely every decision he makes, like the changes he makes, they are 8 out of 10 times so ridiculous that they can only be explained by the fact that he thinks that he’s the coach and he absolutely needs to do something even though he isn’t really sure what. I remember in the GS series him pulling out Stackhouse and replacing him by George just because Nelson had just made a change to adjust to a run the Mavs had just made to go up by double digits… that’s just an example of a decision I never understood, if you’re on a run, let the run continue and let the other side make changes and try to catch up, that can’t be too complicated… but he believes that he needs to make a move to look like a coach…
    Let’s face it, the Mavs past seasons success is due purely to the incredible talent they have on their roster (talent which is still there by the way…) and Avery is just the perfect example of what one of my favorite author of financial books calls “Fooled by Randomness”… in other words he’s like those dumb CEO’s that are put at the head of great company that’s already running perfectly before they get there, and suddenly Wall Street praises them for being geniuses for the company making profits… until eventually the CEO’s mistakes outweigh the advantages that the well oiled machine has and suddenly everybody realizes that the CEO was at the best a below average leader. Avery is the same in my eyes, and it’s Cuban’s duty to make sure that he takes care of this before the parts of the Mavs machine start falling apart for good…
    Is anybody ready to join me for: HIRE_COACH_RICK_CARLISLE.COM
    To me he is the best coach available out there given what he did with Indiana for many years with inferior talent to what the Mavs have.

    P.S: has anyone noticed the confused looks that jason kidd is always throwing towards Avery when he’s gesticulating on the sideline as if to say “What the f*** is that guy talking about… how about he shuts up for a second and I just dribble down the court so we can play so B-Ball…”

  30. By blah on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:22:54 pm

    I suspect that Jason Kidd already despises Avery Johnson. He probably really loathes that no talent mediocrity who likes to think he is a basketball genious.

    I would rather have Jason Kidd coach the Mavs at this point.

  31. By Lee on Mar 31, 2008 at 5:41:09 pm

    I wish I had known this website existed 2 years ago. Even during the run to the finals, I was baffled by the in-game idiocy of avery. Its great to finally have a place to vent.

  32. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 6:01:46 pm

    you obviously have nothing intelligent to say about basketball and prolly do not know anything about…but like i said ill pray for you now please stop its not what this site is here for…its to talk basketball not about God.

    Yes, now back on to topic - Greg

  33. By Visitor on Mar 31, 2008 at 6:41:57 pm

    Dear Aubrey,

    Don’t take things so personally. Fans who over-analyze the interworkings of their team and think they know better than their coach forget that they have no business offering “passionate” advice. Do you have any NBA experience? I’m not talking about having played organized ball, HS B-Ball or even college. The NBA is a totally different beast. Watching the NBA for the last 50 years doesn’t count either. As much as we speculate “what if” Avery did this, or didn’t do that, he’s not an idiot who doesn’t know what he is doing! He wouldn’t have this job if that were the case. Have you ever heard of a Coach who is in a bad situation? Maybe this isn’t a bad situation, but the circumstances are pretty bad. Owner trades (against coach’s wishes) talented young point guard, for an experienced, proven point guard. Kidd is good, but his best days are behind him and he doesn’t really fit into the Mavs offensive scheme. He clicks with the superstar (who BEGGED for him, by the way), but not really with anyone else. Coach is given an ultimatum to make it work or else. Team doesn’t do as well as expected, Coach fights with owner, owner apologizes (Avery’s team T-shirt), team still losing. Has anyone considered the impact the trade had on the players’ chemistry and the atmosphere in the locker room? Avery had a game plan in place, and suddenly he must come up with a new game plan on the fly. Don’t forget that the players are PROFESSIONALS, better than any other players in the world. Out of THOUSANDS of HS, College and International players there are what, 250 positions available in the NBA a year? Avery can yell and scream all he wants, we can whine and complain all we want, but the bottom line is the players are not stepping up and doing their jobs. They are not executing the game plan. You cannot say Avery’s game plan is bogus because it gotten you deep into the playoffs, a trip to the Finals, and oh, by the way, your superstar earned a regular season MVP award. How many other teams have accomplised that?

    I’m reminded of the mid-1990’s when San Antonio Spurs fans were calling for Pop’s head. His rotations are bad, he doesn’t know what he’s doing, blah blah blah, all the stuff we’ve been saying about Avery. Look at the Spurs now. Four Championships in the last 9 years, winningest professional franchise in all of sports.

    Don’t presume to know better than an NBA coach. NBA coaches have the best basketball IQ’s in the world. Better than the players. If that weren’t true than every retired NBA player would be qualified to be a coach. How many actually are? No one knows better than Avery himself what he’s doing wrong. Support your team, eventually things will click. Maybe not this year, maybe this team has seen it’s heyday. But what the Mavs have accomplished is pretty impressive. Besides, Dirk may be back at the end of this week and if the Mavs make it to the playoffs, who knows what will happen?

  34. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 6:48:24 pm

    well first i havent been alive 50 years and no i dont have any nba credentials my bad ill work on that one. OMG if one more person says support my team ill deck them.. my family has been season ticket holders for years. My childhood was spent at the reunion arena watching a pathetic team but i went. So im sorry but im sick of hearing about how i need to support my team. And i am allowed to have an opinion if i want to have so how about you let me have that. I think Avery needs to learn to adapt and how to get the bet out of his players. Yelling at them obviously does not work. And as for the Popp incident i have always liked him and will always support him. And i dont presume to know better…but what is Mark Cuban he was just a fan who bought a team and thinks he knows everything know…so why dont u go give your little speech to him. Oh and lets say the mavs win the playoffs i think we all know what will happen out first round…but personally in my own none nba professional opinion dont see it happening…

  35. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 6:51:06 pm

    Also, i dont completely hate Kidd…i mean if he was on another team i wouldnt. But honestly 17 mil and give up Harris and Diop and draft picks for a past his prime pg…im not an nba professional but to me its just not smart. And i watch the professionals on tv and read and listen and people are doubting the trade so hey its not just my opinion either.

  36. By Visitor on Mar 31, 2008 at 6:54:38 pm

    Aubrey,

    I couldn’t agree with you more about Cuban, and honestly I think he’s the real problem. He has no NBA experience, sits on the bench breathing down people’s necks, acting like a child. The problem is that Cuban has money, and as long as he has $$, noone can do anything to him but talk bad about him. I know you’re a fan, just don’t lose sight of the fact that you are a fan no matter what. We tend to get greedy when we are successful and it’s hard when you don’t do as well as expected. Just don’t worry about. You’re going to have a heart attack! You don’t want to miss it if the Mavs surprise us all!!

  37. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 6:57:10 pm

    Visitor if they win twenty games a year or over sixty i will always be a fan and always watch!!! Shoot if the do bad my parents are going to upgrade their season tickets when its cheaper lol that means i can sit closer!!!!

  38. By Visitor on Mar 31, 2008 at 7:00:39 pm

    Hey, I know what people are saying about this trade and I don’t disagree with you at all. The thing is, things could be going very differently for the Mavs and everyone would be loving the trade. When the Suns got Shaq they initially did poorly too. Everyone was crying bad trade, bad trade!! The difference? Support from owner, management, and fans. In Dallas, Cuban starts whining, fans start shouting, players aren’t 100% committed and here we are. Things could be different if the attitude trickling down from the top were different. Avery ’s just trying to please everyone, his boss, his players, his coaching staff, the media, the fans…I’m surprised HE hasn’t had a heart attack!

  39. By Visitor on Mar 31, 2008 at 7:02:49 pm

    There is no way Cuban’s lowering the cost of season tickets. Not as long as he has a Western Conf Champions banner hanging from the rafters! LOL

  40. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 7:09:44 pm

    so true i swear half the reason he got Kidd is just to make money off selling his jersey he actually said that i mean thats just ridiculous!!!

  41. By Aubrey on Mar 31, 2008 at 7:11:11 pm

    And i have been against the trade since word started about it…its not just bc i dont like Kidd i just dont think what we gave up is worth it in the long run and i didnt think we could win a championship w/ Kidd so why trade off future great players for him…to me it just didnt make since.

  42. By mavs_1 on Apr 1, 2008 at 12:21:18 am

    Devin Harris was not going to win a championship for us, okay? It was not going to happen for him in Dallas. And Aubrey, you’re there ripping Jason Kidd for not being a good player. Well, what does that make DeSagana Diop?!? The only thing he and Devin did was create a mismatch with the Spurs… and nobody else.

  43. By Aubrey on Apr 1, 2008 at 8:45:45 am

    Look people thats it im not ripping Kidd all the time what im saying is if we cant win a championship which Kidd which is not going to happen…he is not worth 17 mil draft picks Harris and Diop. And if Avery knew how to coach a young point guard better then I have no doubt Harris could have taken us to the ship but unfortunately Avery can’t do that. So now we are over our cap w/ no young players and no draft picks…therefore i dont see how the trade is beneficial!!!

  44. By Boogie on Apr 1, 2008 at 9:33:28 am

    dammit…now THAT makes me mad!!! Why the hell would Avery do the same old thing and expect different results???

    Any one of us fans would’ve had a better gameplan than that? It aint rocket science! Get your Big man in there and stop the layup drill!!!

    Wonder whats gonna happen tomorrow…

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