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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SUNS v MAVERICKS

May 24, 2006

Avery Johnson

DALLAS, TEXAS: Game One

Q. Avery, you've described the San Antonio series as a heavyweight bought. Of course everybody pretty much saw it that way, your own personal ties to the Spurs and the fact that this team has seen them time and time again finally overcoming that. How hard has it been to change gears and prepare practically overnight for the Phoenix Suns?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: It's a good problem to have. Obviously the Spurs series was a big series, but when we came in this year, we didn't come in to beat the Spurs. We didn't even know if they were going to be there in the second round for us to play and we didn't know we were going to be there.
We came in, trying to win a championship. We were fortunate enough to get by a really good Memphis basketball team, and we were fortunate enough to get by San Antonio, who was our second round opponents, but we didn't necessarily come into the season trying to beat the Spurs.
We came in trying to win the championship. And you know now we have another opponent.
Q. Avery, you're facing the Phoenix Suns who eliminated you last year. How much has that motivated you guys throughout the course of the year and now to deal with them right now?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: Well, yeah, it's part of the motivation. You know, this team ended our season here after six games in the second round, and that wasn't a good feeling knowing that we had to have exit meetings the next day or two. So but at the same time that's only part of the motivation.
There are other things that are motivating us in this series.
Q. Avery, how do you get your guys to rebound for second chance points when you know that Phoenix can get back so quickly on makes and misses?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: Yeah, it's difficult. I think you kind of have to pick your spots there. There are going to be opportunities obviously because teams, you don't make every shot to try to go in get some offensive rebounds but I think transition defense is a big key for us.
But I think you gotta find that balance against them while there are opportunities for you to go in and crash the boards. And it depends on what type of team we have on the court, whether we're small, whether we're big.
I think there are a lot of factors there.
Q. Avery, if will has to introduce himself I should too.
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: Garcia. I introduce you for all of the visitors.
Q. In the first two --
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: What newspaper?
Q. Star Telegram. Do you feel you guys were able to dictate the matchups a bit in the first two series and is that more difficult against this team because they're so unorthodox and unconventional?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: Yeah, in a lot of ways. But I think with the flexibility of our team, the way this team was built, we feel that we can put different matchups out there, either the match up with a team or have them match up with us.
So I think especially with us being healthy now for the first time this year, I think gives us a lot more flexibility and we even had last year against them, and even sometime during the regular season.
Q. Avery, Tim, we met. You have a huge statistical rebounding advantage in the playoffs on this team but do you know yet if you can use that personnel that gets you that advantage against these guys?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: Well, I think it remains to be seen. I think, you know, it depends on how much you can use your 5s, which we're not sure yet. It depends on how much we can play a guy like Adrian Griffin who we thought in the Memphis series really helped us in terms of rebounding.
So just depends on how much we can utilize those guys who are some of our better rebounders and also a guy like Josh Howard who rebounds a lot for us.
Q. The last series, Pop thought they needed to hold you guys under 100 to win. Did I see it was 110 your cut off for these guys or do you not have one?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: Again, I have something in mind. But who knows if we'll be able to get there or not. I think, you know, last year with my inexperience and playing Phoenix and their unconventional style for a long time, it was all about us stopping them, and I haven't seen anybody stop them.
You know, even San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals didn't necessarily stop them. Amare Stoudemire averaged 31 against us and averaged 37 against them, but their offense was pretty efficient, and I think even though we stressed defense all year, I think our offense is going to be just as important during this series.
Q. How much has Dirk changed since Nash left? Has he had to become more of a leader more of a play maker? Could they have co-existed together to the point of being dual MVP candidates at the same team?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: Sure they could have co-existed together. They've existed for several years. Dirk has matured done everything we asked him to do. There were certain things we came in convinced about after last year's playoffs, especially in terms of what I saw against Phoenix and Houston and going back and watching the games and watching certain situations. There were certain things I was convinced about that he had to improve on.
And I think he's embraced it. And he's taken on more of a leadership role and he's a better leader than he was last year. So I think they could have co-existed but he's grown up a lot.
Q. Not many teams can say they traded away a two time or let a two-time MVP get away via free agency. But you're still in pretty good shape. Is that a credit to Dirk?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: Not just Dirk. This is a team game. You know, it's different if Dirk was a tennis player and he lost his tennis coach and you know you brought in a new tennis coach it's still an individual sport. Tiger Woods, even though he changed golf coaches, he's still playing good. It's an individual sport.
This is a team sport. I think it has more to do with Jason Terry and has more to do with Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse. And on down the line. More than anything and the way Dirk stepped the game up.
Q. How would you compare your pick-and-roll defense at this point to where it was?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: I'm 1-1 when I buy you dinner. So I may have to buy dinner again. I didn't eat with you, make sure everybody know that.
Q. How would you compare your pick-and-roll defense right now to where it was one year ago and if you are better in what ways and why?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: I think we have a system in place now, you know, we're a little bit all over the place, but again with this team you gotta give them different looks. Nash is so good and Barbosa is so good at running the pick-and-roll you can't give them the same look. The same thing with Duncan last series, we tried to give him different looks. Sometimes we stayed home. Sometimes we trapped. Sometimes we went on first and second dribble or whatever or even zone. So I think with this team you gotta give them different looks. Can't give them the same steady diet because they really get in a rhythm and Nash is one of the better pick-and-roll players in the history of the game.
So we gotta try to make it as difficult on them. Knowing that they still going to score. I haven't really seen anybody shut this team down.
Q. Devin only played one game I think last year in the series, what could he be for you in this series this year?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: Again, Devin, he's still playing catch up. I think we needed him last year in that series. We didn't have Devin, we didn't have Van Horn. So hopefully they can make key contributions for us this year.
I think you gotta try to send as many different bodies at Nash as you can, and try to wear him down as best you can. And make him play defense.
So Devin is going to be crucial for us. Hopefully he can come back and play strong the way he did earlier in the San Antonio series.
Q. AJ, will you try to put Nash in screen-and-rolls because they talk about he has a tendency to wear down. Can you try to wear him down on the defensive end? You said you have to make him play defense?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: I think you have to try to do a little bit of everything. Make him run him, put him in pick-and-rolls, if there's opportunities to post him, I just think you gotta try to do a little bit of everything. But that just can't be your focus. But he can't be out there, I think, just playing the zone. You gotta try to involve him in as much stuff as you can.
Q. Avery, is there a carry-over in confidence level after beating somebody like the Spurs or do you worry more about relaxing after beating the defending champion?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: I don't worry about relaxing. I hope I don't have to worry about that because, again, if I come into the season just beating the Spurs, we could have beat them and let them play against Phoenix. That wasn't our goal. So we've talked about again winning the championship all year, and I hope we don't have to worry about relaxing.
Q. This Suns team only has three players left from the series against you guys in the playoffs last year. How similar or different is this team compared to last year's?
COACH AVERY JOHNSON: Well, they are different because of different personnel but they're similar because they play the same exact style. The only difference is there are times where they could throw the ball sometime to Stoudemire at the post and he could do something down there. They don't have as much of a post presence, but they're pretty much the same style, different personnel and they're getting just as much out of this personnel as they did last year.

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