--Avery Johnson isn't going to waste any time dealing with rumors about his job status. The Mavericks' coach has got plenty more on his mind.
"For me it hasn't been a distraction, because I go about doing what I do day in and day out," he said. "I don't think anybody outworks our staff. I think we're very prepared. We try to do everything that we think we should do. We don't want to go overboard, but we feel we prepare the players in such a way that they need to be prepared." Many have speculated that Johnson may have coached his last game with Dallas.
"I don't think it's been a distraction for us," he said. "Hopefully it hasn't been a distraction for the players. Not any situation that involves me. If it involves something else that's different, but I don't think what we've done we have to be ashamed of.
"Day in and day out we try to lay it on the line and try to get the team in the best shape we can to go out and perform. And from there, obviously, you need some of the guys to really step up and play well."
--The Mavs departed for New Orleans and Game 5 after a rare players-only practice. Avery Johnson met with the team before canceling the scheduled workout.
The players then decided to get on the court anyway without the coaching staff, conceivably to work out a few things among themselves. Johnson welcomed the move.
"I don't know if we need another drill," he said. "We've been having drills and scrimmages and a lot of things since the first day of training camp, and if you don't have it by now, I don't know if you're going to have a Cliff Notes session and get it.
"I was thinking about just keeping the legs fresh and meeting on the plane, but they decided that they needed to go down on the court and do something. We'll see what type of carryover it has."
The Mavs would lose, but the effort was there for the first time on the road.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I just feel bad that our men's season is over for them, but we've really been inconsistent this year." -- Head coach Avery Johnson after the playoffs ended.
