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NBA FINALS: HEAT v MAVERICKS

June 20, 2006

Avery Johnson

DALLAS, TEXAS: Game Six

Q. At the beginning of the year you wrote down some very specific things that you envisioned Dirk to do to become all that he can be. Having come through the course of the season to The Finals, how close is he to being what you dreamed he can be?
AVERY JOHNSON: Well, he's made a lot of progress this year, inside out, trying to get some offensive rebounds, trying to improve defensively. You know, he's come a long way in this system. We've only had this system in place for one year. So he's come a long way, he's done pretty much everything we've asked. He's had an incredible season, and, you know, tonight, again, we're looking for him to come out and be really assertive.

Q. Obviously there's been an awful lot going on with the Mavericks since Game 5. But is your message to the team at all coming into this game, we went on the road, we lost by a point, lost by two points, one guy threw up two extraordinary games against us, we're in good shape despite the 3-2?
AVERY JOHNSON: Again, this is a good position to be in. We could be going back to Miami down in this situation. But we've worked hard to get home court. We had a great shot at winning Game 3. We didn't play particularly well in Game 4. I thought we had a great shot at winning Game 5.
These guys have playing and pretty much running through a wall for us all year. Miami did a great job of protecting their home court. Now we're here at home. If you ask me this when I had my coaches retreat back in August of '05, would I love to be in this position, I'll take it a million times.

Q. What is your opinion about the importance of home court in basketball generally, and is there any reason it seems more important in this series than it's been in some others?
AVERY JOHNSON: Well, it's really important for us now, in this situation.
We've won with it and without it. I don't think anything is impossible. That's one of my messages that's been consistent with this team all year; if we have it, just try to use it to our advantage. If we don't have it like we haven't had it in the Semi-Finals, let's still try to find a way to win.
I think if you can make it work for you, use it.

Q. Do you feel like your team was affected unusually on the road in this series compared to other series?
AVERY JOHNSON: No, not really. Because again, like I was telling Sam, I thought we gave ourselves a big-time chance to win two out of those games. We've been a pretty good road team all year.
So I wouldn't use that as an excuse.

Q. Are you concerned at all about Josh, with how the game ended with him missing the two free throws, and having a pretty good game overall, but missing the two free throws and overtime, and the time-out called, is that the sort of thing that rolls off his back, or being a young player, do you talk to him about that and is that a concern going forward?
AVERY JOHNSON: I think that would have been a concern last year. He's so much more mentally tougher this year. He's had some games where he's had to bounce back. Obviously this is a new experience for him in The Finals. Again, I don't take it for granted. I still try to communicate with all six of the players about different things. I always have something to tell every guy every day. I feel that he will be okay.

Q. Mark got fined today as you obviously know, and the Commissioner said that he's evaluating what you said the second time around and will probably make a decision whether he'll fine you after The Finals. Do you have any concerns about being fined, and also, what is your overall feeling about having an owner who has your back?
AVERY JOHNSON: Well, I heard Mark got fined. I haven't spoken to him about it. I think Mark has been tremendous for me and the team and everybody this whole year. So I don't know about -- what I said, was it in my press conference after the last game?

Q. No. It was in the Saturday press conference, I believe.
AVERY JOHNSON: Oh, okay. Well, you know, at this point I can't really be concerned about that. I was just trying to be honest. I've done probably in 18 years, you can add it up, probably a million interviews, and only -- I've gotten it wrong five times. I got it wrong with Eddie (Sefko) the last time. That was kind of -- I was wrong for the way I handled Eddie. I've been on the all-interview team probably six times and you guys probably voted for me when I was a player. So again, I think I handled Eddie wrong. But whatever you're talking about, I don't think I handle anything wrong. I was just being brutally honest. Eddie gave me a mulligan. Maybe the Commissioner will do the same. (Laughter).

Q. Does it bother you at all that the perception exists in this sport that a lot of the calculation about who wins the game comes down to how it's officiated, rather than how the players perform?
AVERY JOHNSON: Well, I would hope not. Like I've said all along, for years, it's just good when the players can kind of just decide. We've never, never here said anything negative about officiating. That hasn't been my M.O.
I think for the most part, they try to do it the best that they can do to let the players decide the game. It's a tough job.

Q. I'll take that mulligan in August at Carlton Woods. Overall in the last few days building up to this moment, can you talk about the stress factor and the overall tension that just builds up over a series like this?
AVERY JOHNSON: Yeah, and it's great. When you're in this situation, you watch it for years on TV, and I think it's wonderful. Whether it's stress, tension, anxiety, whatever it is, I love it. And our players don't always -- you know, they miss it sometime. We miss it as coaches. But I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Q. How is the stress different as a coach than when you went through it as a player in The Finals, and has it been -- has that been a difficult adjustment at all?
AVERY JOHNSON: Well, I wouldn't say it's been a difficult adjustment. It's a different kind of adjustment. You just have more responsibility. Simple as that. And that's why you try to surround yourself with certain people. I think last year, I tried to do everything. I was trying to be the video coordinator, the scout, just everything.
But now I have a system in place now where I have people that I trust. Our team, we've been together now for one and a half, whatever, two years now, and I trust my team. So I just think you try to get people around you that you can trust to try to cut down on some of the stress.
But a lot of it's still there, and again, this is what we signed up for. So you've got to love it.

Q. Again, before as a player, you could focus on fewer things and go, this is what I have to handle and go from there. Now, you just go, "well, this, now this, now this."
AVERY JOHNSON: And then when you were on the court, if something was happening, you could try to take care of it. Now, again, I trust my team, and I've been trusting them all year that they will take care of it.

End of FastScripts...

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