Johnson and Harris get last laugh

Avery Johnson can spin a cliché as good as anyone. He also knows when to dish it straight. Last night he was asked if, as a player, he was aware of being called out by a fellow player.

“Oh, absolutely,” Johnson said. “I’m not even going to give you coaches’ talk and say no – circled, put an X, put a star by it, got extra sleep, shot at night.”

Those that know Johnson remember former Portland point guard Damon Stoudemire famously saying San Antonio will never win a title with Johnson running the show. You guys know how that ended up.

Back to the Mavs. Orlando’s Jameer Nelson recently said he’s better and more valuable to his team than Devin Harris. Harris, of course, outplayed Nelson in last night’s win at ACC. After the game, Nelson was ready to move on.

“There’s no hard feelings,” he said. “I hope he doesn’t take it as hard feelings. If I disrespected him, I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean any harm. I had to compare myself to somebody.”