Avery Johnson Can Be a Little...Intense

Avery Johnson is one of my favorite people in the entire Association. I love everything about him: his hilarious voice, the southern drawl, the clenching of the teeth every 3 seconds, this vicious takedown of a reporter during last year's Finals, and the fact that he managed to intimidate David Robinson when they played together in San Antonio.

When you watch the Mavs play, there's no question who's in charge. It's the Little General. But even he needs to pull back from time to time.

A few of the coaches I played for, I talked to them about that," Johnson said of taking a brief break from the season. "I remember Pop [Spurs coach Gregg Popovich] used to make me get away from it even as a player, because he thought I was too intense sometimes."

"He would have practices without me. He would tell my wife to come on the road. I would want to stay in my room and just watch film, but he would make me get out in his own way.

"I'm so consumed with it. Sometimes, it's good for me to pause."

What's with these Dallas guys taking basketball so seriously? Dirk can't sleep after tough losses, and his coach needs time away from the game because he gets too worked up. Oh, right. They're 58-11 and are the favorites to win the title this year. They can do whatever the hell they want.

(HT: True Hoop)