Mental toughness

How a team comes back after playoff disappointment isn’t the only measure of mental toughness. That happens every day.

“I can gauge it even before adversity,” Avery Johnson said. “I can gauge it in different situations. I can even gauge it in practice.”

Johnson feels good about the team’s mental state, adding much of that confidence stems from Dirk Nowitzki’s leadership. “Dirk sets the tone for us in a lot of ways,” Johnson said.