Staying in the moment

Avery Johnson was asked today how he prepares a team mentally for another 82-game grind.

“Right now we’re not really looking at it as 82 games, in a sense,” he said. “Right now it’s just Philadelphia. The more you can just stay in the moment, but at the same time have a plan for the future, that’s the tricky part. That’s what we’ve tried to do and I think they’ve done it this year.

“We’ve obviously gotten off to a better start this year compared to last year, so that at least shows they’re interested in playing. I just don’t want them to get tricked by some of things that’s been publicized that the regular season doesn’t count.”

These Mavs will be judged by the playoffs, but there’s still plenty to do before then. Even though they went 67-15 last year, the general feeling was the Mavs undervalued the season and went into the postseason flat.

“You look at it like a journey,” Devin Harris said. “If you want to get to the playoffs and be at our best, we have to learn from the 82-game season.”