Still, the more Avery Johnson raved about Baron Davis, the more you wondered if his comments were meant as a rebuke of his star.
"I mean, how special was he?" Johnson asked. "You're talking about a guy who refuses to lose. You get a player like that who refuses to lose and has a big heart ... he has a lot of heart and strong willpower. Really strong willpower. I had that sort of willpower, but I just wasn't that good."
Johnson identifies with Davis, the point guard who willed Golden State to one of the biggest upsets in NBA history.
He does not identify with the Dirk Nowitzki he witnessed in these playoffs.
The purpose here is not to drive a wedge between the two or manufacture a dysfunctional dynamic. Johnson and Nowitzki are professionals and quality individuals. They will always treat each other with respect.
But the two are as different as Cajun fire and German ice. Nowitzki's response to the Warriors challenge was so passive, so foreign to how Johnson approaches these moments, it's unrealistic to think there won't be fallout.
What did Johnson say when he called out his forward before Game 5? Johnson chided him for becoming discouraged too easily. He reminded Nowitzki that he was a star, not a role player.
The Mavericks coach told the media that while he wasn't as talented as some during his playing days, he still did all he could to impose his will on the game. Johnson didn't accept defeat or what defenses did to him.
Nowitzki accepted what the Warriors did to him. Golden State wanted him to become a passer, and he did. Golden State wanted him to give up the ball at the first sign of a double-team, and he was only too willing to comply.
Warriors coach Don Nelson not only reduced Nowitzki's impact on the series, he chipped away at the forward's confidence.
Johnson is all about confidence. How difficult do you think it is for him to accept a team that won 67 games during the regular season and a player who made a strong MVP push losing their confi- dence at the first sign of trouble?
What bothered Johnson most in the moments after Thursday's elimination is that his team lacked confidence.
"We just got rattled," said Johnson, who was careful not to criticize Nowitzki. "And that's not good."
Johnson was reluctant to turn the team over to Nowitzki last season. The guess here is that he didn't believe the forward was up to the task.
Sure, Nowitzki got big numbers. But there was a shared power arrangement where Nowitzki was 1A, Jason Terry was 1B and Josh Howard was on the rise.
Howard is still on the rise and has moved past Terry in terms of importance to Dallas' success. But the Mavericks were clearly Nowitzki's team this season.
Johnson will likely re-assess that evolution this off-season. He must also look at how he uses his star player.
Johnson has enhanced Nowitzki's game by demanding that he do more in the low post. So why was Nowitzki unable to take advantage of the Warriors' lack of size down low?
"It's a little too early to look at what we need," Nowitzki said moments after the season ended. "Obviously, it would have helped if we had a low post presence.
"That's why I take a lot of that on myself. That's probably the weakest thing in my game right now, the low post game. That's something I've got to work on."
How many years have we heard that?
And how much longer will Johnson try to make Nowitzki into something he isn't? Nowitzki is special with the ball in his hands facing the basket. He's average with his back to the basket waiting for the ball.
It doesn't matter how much he improves. Nowitzki will never be a dominant player with his back to the basket. You might as well ask San Antonio's Tim Duncan to take over a game with his 3-point shooting.
Johnson doesn't have to settle when it comes to Nowitzki. But he must accept who he is and fill in around him.
Nowitzki, meanwhile, must do more than accept his role as the team's best player. He must embrace it.
Asked before the playoffs if he was comfortable with the responsibility that goes with being the best player on one of the league's best teams, Nowitzki answered, "I guess I am."
There can be no guesswork involved. The answer must be yes.
Nowitzki shouldn't sit back and wait for Johnson to tell him what to do or what role to play. He should initiate the conversation.
It's comments like these that will make you look like an idiot.
Marked.
I'll second edpowers motion. This series won't go 7.
Suns have historically not done well against the Spurs. For the one hundredth time, Nash has never beaten the Spurs in a series. Like y'all asked me going into the GState series, what do you see that is going to reverse the recent history all of a sudden?
It's comments like these that will make you look like an idiot.
Marked.
I'll second edpowers motion. This series won't go 7.
Suns have historically not done well against the Spurs. For the one hundredth time, Nash has never beaten the Spurs in a series. Like y'all asked me going into the GState series, what do you see that is going to reverse the recent history all of a sudden?
If Stoudamire plays out of his mind, they have a good chance. I dont see Nash beating them.
It's comments like these that will make you look like an idiot.
Marked.
I'll second edpowers motion. This series won't go 7.
Suns have historically not done well against the Spurs. For the one hundredth time, Nash has never beaten the Spurs in a series. Like y'all asked me going into the GState series, what do you see that is going to reverse the recent history all of a sudden?
If Stoudamire plays out of his mind, they have a good chance. I dont see Nash beating them.
having a better and more experienced leandro barbosa and boris diaw plus the 6 fouls that kurt thomas can dish out. and a healthy raja bell, suns have a very good chance.
i was hoping the rockets would pull out a victory cause the dubs match up better with them, utah will be tough.
im thinking boozer goes crazy avergaing 15-20 boards a game.
okur > bierdrins or if they start harrington boozer > doesnt matter kirelenko = jackson (this may be a wash, kirenko will definately bother stephens shot) harpring < richardson (jrich better be ready to guard cause harpring can shoot) williams < b.davis (lets hope barons hammy is ok)
i was hoping the rockets would pull out a victory cause the dubs match up better with them, utah will be tough.
im thinking boozer goes crazy avergaing 15-20 boards a game.
okur > bierdrins or if they start harrington boozer > doesnt matter kirelenko = jackson (this may be a wash, kirenko will definately bother stephens shot) harpring < richardson (jrich better be ready to guard cause harpring can shoot) williams < b.davis (lets hope barons hammy is ok)
Golden State has a legit shot at beating Utah ....We finally get to see what Jerry Sloan is really made of.....this is going to be a tough series
I've got a problem: Exciting, young, uptempo teams like Chicago and the San Francisco Warriors rely on timing and streaks. The Bulls had a layoff of one full week before their next series (granted, the Pistons had to wait eight days-!). The Warriors have a five-day layoff. This may be the NBA's way of rewarding strong teams by allowing them to fully rest between series, but I'd wager that the NBA is, rather, stretching out its days in order to increase ad revenues. The effect of this is akin to the effect of refs destroying the fluidity of a game by leaning on their whistles. This mode of thinking should be altered; GSW & the Bulls stand less of a chance in the next round as a result, and fans worldwide are deprived.
yeah i dont see nellie outcoaching sloan, there wont be any crazy matchups in this series. My dubs will need monta ellis and harrington to step up forealz! i give the edge to the warriors bench over the jazz.
It's comments like these that will make you look like an idiot.
The only two teams in the Western Conference that can beat San Antonio in a 7 game series are The Mavericks and The Lakers ....
We know what the Suns can do. It all depends on how real that season-end run by the Spurs was. If they've truly regrouped and have that fire again, this could go either way. But otherwise, I see the Suns taking it.
The only two teams in the Western Conference that can beat San Antonio in a 7 game series are The Mavericks and The Lakers[/b] ....
Where'd you pull the Lakers from?
This Suns/Spurs series is gonna be a good one. Naturally, I'm going with the Spurs, but I don't think it's going to be the runaway some folks here are predicting.
The only two teams in the Western Conference that can beat San Antonio in a 7 game series are The Mavericks and The Lakers[/b] ....
Where'd you pull the Lakers from?
This Suns/Spurs series is gonna be a good one. Naturally, I'm going with the Spurs, but I don't think it's going to be the runaway some folks here are predicting.
I'm gonna ask the same devastating question that I posed my friend (anti-Laker), "Seriously! How many Laker games have you seen this season?". I should have used this long ago....
The only two teams in the Western Conference that can beat San Antonio in a 7 game series are The Mavericks and The Lakers[/b] ....
Where'd you pull the Lakers from?
Phil OWNS Popovich .....If not for their LAST SECOND overtime victory over the Lakers (without Luke and Kwame) L.A would have swept the season series ..
The only two teams in the Western Conference that can beat San Antonio in a 7 game series are The Mavericks and The Lakers[/b] ....
Where'd you pull the Lakers from?
Phil OWNS Popovich .....If not for their LAST SECOND overtime victory over the Lakers (without Luke and Kwame) L.A would have swept the season series ..
That's very nice. And the Lakers looked very sharp in losing in the first round, so I can see how you'd think that they'd beat those damn sloppy-ass Spurs.
Comments
02:05 AM CDT on Saturday, May 5, 2007
His admiration was obvious.
Still, the more Avery Johnson raved about Baron Davis, the more you wondered if his comments were meant as a rebuke of his star.
"I mean, how special was he?" Johnson asked. "You're talking about a guy who refuses to lose. You get a player like that who refuses to lose and has a big heart ... he has a lot of heart and strong willpower. Really strong willpower. I had that sort of willpower, but I just wasn't that good."
Johnson identifies with Davis, the point guard who willed Golden State to one of the biggest upsets in NBA history.
He does not identify with the Dirk Nowitzki he witnessed in these playoffs.
The purpose here is not to drive a wedge between the two or manufacture a dysfunctional dynamic. Johnson and Nowitzki are professionals and quality individuals. They will always treat each other with respect.
But the two are as different as Cajun fire and German ice. Nowitzki's response to the Warriors challenge was so passive, so foreign to how Johnson approaches these moments, it's unrealistic to think there won't be fallout.
What did Johnson say when he called out his forward before Game 5? Johnson chided him for becoming discouraged too easily. He reminded Nowitzki that he was a star, not a role player.
The Mavericks coach told the media that while he wasn't as talented as some during his playing days, he still did all he could to impose his will on the game. Johnson didn't accept defeat or what defenses did to him.
Nowitzki accepted what the Warriors did to him. Golden State wanted him to become a passer, and he did. Golden State wanted him to give up the ball at the first sign of a double-team, and he was only too willing to comply.
Warriors coach Don Nelson not only reduced Nowitzki's impact on the series, he chipped away at the forward's confidence.
Johnson is all about confidence. How difficult do you think it is for him to accept a team that won 67 games during the regular season and a player who made a strong MVP push losing their confi- dence at the first sign of trouble?
What bothered Johnson most in the moments after Thursday's elimination is that his team lacked confidence.
"We just got rattled," said Johnson, who was careful not to criticize Nowitzki. "And that's not good."
Johnson was reluctant to turn the team over to Nowitzki last season. The guess here is that he didn't believe the forward was up to the task.
Sure, Nowitzki got big numbers. But there was a shared power arrangement where Nowitzki was 1A, Jason Terry was 1B and Josh Howard was on the rise.
Howard is still on the rise and has moved past Terry in terms of importance to Dallas' success. But the Mavericks were clearly Nowitzki's team this season.
Johnson will likely re-assess that evolution this off-season. He must also look at how he uses his star player.
Johnson has enhanced Nowitzki's game by demanding that he do more in the low post. So why was Nowitzki unable to take advantage of the Warriors' lack of size down low?
"It's a little too early to look at what we need," Nowitzki said moments after the season ended. "Obviously, it would have helped if we had a low post presence.
"That's why I take a lot of that on myself. That's probably the weakest thing in my game right now, the low post game. That's something I've got to work on."
How many years have we heard that?
And how much longer will Johnson try to make Nowitzki into something he isn't? Nowitzki is special with the ball in his hands facing the basket. He's average with his back to the basket waiting for the ball.
It doesn't matter how much he improves. Nowitzki will never be a dominant player with his back to the basket. You might as well ask San Antonio's Tim Duncan to take over a game with his 3-point shooting.
Johnson doesn't have to settle when it comes to Nowitzki. But he must accept who he is and fill in around him.
Nowitzki, meanwhile, must do more than accept his role as the team's best player. He must embrace it.
Asked before the playoffs if he was comfortable with the responsibility that goes with being the best player on one of the league's best teams, Nowitzki answered, "I guess I am."
There can be no guesswork involved. The answer must be yes.
Nowitzki shouldn't sit back and wait for Johnson to tell him what to do or what role to play. He should initiate the conversation.
The two now have plenty of time to talk.
Dude, so much anger.
Pistons over Bulls - rooting for the Bulls but even before yesterday's thumping I give the edge to the Vets.
Nets over Cavs - Cleveland is a fraud
Spurs over Suns - Been saying it. Watch.
Jazz over Dubs - Excitement turns to mortified boredom as a possible Suns/Warriors giddy matchup turns into Pop v. Sloan for the West
this could go either way IMO.
Phoenix has no chance against San Antonio
It's comments like these that will make you look like an idiot.
Marked.
I'll second edpowers motion. This series won't go 7.
Suns have historically not done well against the Spurs. For the one hundredth time, Nash has never beaten the Spurs in a series. Like y'all asked me going into the GState series, what do you see that is going to reverse the recent history all of a sudden?
If Stoudamire plays out of his mind, they have a good chance.
I dont see Nash beating them.
having a better and more experienced leandro barbosa and boris diaw plus the 6 fouls that kurt thomas can dish out. and a healthy raja bell, suns have a very good chance.
im thinking boozer goes crazy avergaing 15-20 boards a game.
okur > bierdrins or if they start harrington
boozer > doesnt matter
kirelenko = jackson (this may be a wash, kirenko will definately bother stephens shot)
harpring < richardson (jrich better be ready to guard cause harpring can shoot)
williams < b.davis (lets hope barons hammy is ok)
should be a great series.
Sloan > Nellie
I've got a problem: Exciting, young, uptempo teams like Chicago and the San Francisco Warriors rely on timing and streaks. The Bulls had a layoff of one full week before their next series (granted, the Pistons had to wait eight days-!). The Warriors have a five-day layoff. This may be the NBA's way of rewarding strong teams by allowing them to fully rest between series, but I'd wager that the NBA is, rather, stretching out its days in order to increase ad revenues. The effect of this is akin to the effect of refs destroying the fluidity of a game by leaning on their whistles. This mode of thinking should be altered; GSW & the Bulls stand less of a chance in the next round as a result, and fans worldwide are deprived.
My dubs will need monta ellis and harrington to step up forealz! i give the edge to the warriors bench over the jazz.
The only two teams in the Western Conference that can beat San Antonio in a 7 game series are The Mavericks and The Lakers ....
We know what the Suns can do. It all depends on how real that season-end run by the Spurs was. If they've truly regrouped and have that fire again, this could go either way. But otherwise, I see the Suns taking it.
I think we can survive w/ out the Bulls not making the finals.
Speak for yourself.
Just for the record, I did not make that Sheed FINISH HIM! graphic.
And I do expect the Bulls to recover for Game 2.
Getting Ben Wallace doesnt leap frog them to the Finals IMO.
DEFENSE
The Dubs & Suns are really gonna be put to the test w/ two of the better Defensive teams in the WEst/
This Suns/Spurs series is gonna be a good one. Naturally, I'm going with the Spurs, but I don't think it's going to be the runaway some folks here are predicting.
I'm gonna ask the same devastating question that I posed my friend (anti-Laker), "Seriously! How many Laker games have you seen this season?". I should have used this long ago....
Phil OWNS Popovich .....If not for their LAST SECOND overtime victory over the Lakers (without Luke and Kwame) L.A would have swept the season series ..
That's very nice. And the Lakers looked very sharp in losing in the first round, so I can see how you'd think that they'd beat those damn sloppy-ass Spurs.
Nash= Grossiest look ever.
what is going on?
Why is he still in the game bleeding like that?
its hard to watch lol.