The Dallas Mavericks fired Avery Johnson on Wednesday, a day following the team's second consecutive first-round exit from the NBA playoffs, ESPN.com has learned.
Johnson became Mavs' coach during the 2004-05 season and walked away with a 194-70 record (.735) but only a 23-24 mark in the playoffs.
The Mavs have now lost 12 out of their last 15 postseason games after taking a 2-0 lead in the Finals against Miami.
Mark Cuban and Johnson engaged in an emotional argument after a March 18 home loss to the Lakers, and sources indicated that Cuban actually considered firing Johnson before the playoffs.
Both the Mavs and Johnson wanted a speedy resolution to the situation so the coach could pursue current openings in Chicago and New York.
Via ESPN
Dallas Mavericks
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A party held for the birthday of forward Josh Howard after the Mavericks' Game Four loss to New Orleans infuriated coach Avery Johnson, according to the Star-Telegram.
Johnson stressed a rule of no partying to his team, but a celebration to honor Howard's birthday was still held hours after the defeat in Dallas.
Two sources confirmed the party to the Telegram, but they differed on how many players actually attended the affair.
Johnson was so livid at the news that he reportedly canceled the team's practice on Monday, a day before they were eventually eliminated by New Orleans.
Via The Star-Telegram
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NOH 99, DAL 94
Chris Paul led the New Orleans Hornets to a clinching victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game Five of their best-of-seven series on Tuesday night.
Paul had 25 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds and Tyson Chandler tallied 10 points and 14 boards for the Hornets, who shot 49% from the floor and outrebounded Dallas by four.
Dirk Nowitzki ended his season with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists and Jason Kidd added 14 points and 6 assists for the Mavericks, who were eliminated in the first round for the second-straight season.
Jerry Stackhouse was ejected with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter after receiving his second technical foul of the contest.
The Hornets will face the winner of the Spurs/Suns series in the second round.
Game FIC Scores
Chris Paul, NOH - 33.0
David West, NOH - 21.9
Dirk Nowitzki, DAL - 19.4
Jason Kidd, DAL - 18.5
Via Andrew Perna/RealGM
New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Mavericks
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Mavericks Apr 2008 Archive
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The Dallas Morning News | Apr 29, 2008
Avery Johnson talked openly on Monday about the possibility of being fired and on whether or not the Mavericks are still in his corner.
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New York Times | Apr 28, 2008
The league reviewed Jason Kidd’s flagrant foul Monday morning but determined that no further action was warranted.
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Andrew Perna/RealGM | Apr 28, 2008
The New Orleans Hornets won a hot-contested Game Four against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night 97-84 to take a 3-1 series lead.
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ESPN | Apr 25, 2008
Mavericks forward Josh Howard has openly admitted on Dallas' ESPN Radio affiliate to using marijuana during the offseason.
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Dallas Morning News | Apr 25, 2008
Mark Cuban says he will privately deal with Josh Howard about his admitted marijuana use.
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Andrew Perna/RealGM | Apr 25, 2008
The Dallas Mavericks won a game that they had to on Friday night to keep themselves alive in the first round against the New Orleans Hornets, 97-87.
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The Dallas Morning News | Apr 23, 2008
If the Mavericks lose their first round series to the Hornets, as it appears they might, Mark Cuban might consider firing Head Coach Avery Johnson.
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Andrew Perna/RealGM | Apr 22, 2008
Chris Paul starred for the New Orleans Hornets as they took a 2-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night with a 127-103 win.
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NewsOK | Apr 22, 2008
If the Sonics move to Oklahoma City, they will remain in the Northwest division even though geologically Oklahoma City is closer to the teams in the Southwest division.
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The Star-Telegram | Apr 21, 2008
Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith all criticized Dirk Nowitzki on Saturday night when he failed to respond after David West tapped him on the face several times.
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Andrew Perna/RealGM | Apr 19, 2008
Chris Paul had one of the best playoff debuts in NBA history on Saturday night in a big Hornets win over the Mavericks in Game One of their first-round series.
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Chicago Tribune | Apr 18, 2008
Larry Brown, Mike Fratello, and Terry Porter aren't expected to draw interest from the Bulls, but Avery Johnson and Mark Jackson could become candidates.
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Andrew Perna/RealGM | Apr 17, 2008
The regular season is over, but more than half of the league is still active because of a flawed postseason system. Read about the last night of the season and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for April 16th’s games!
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USA Today | Apr 16, 2008
Jason Kidd has finally earned his 100th triple double of his career while leading the Mavericks to a 111-98 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night.
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Dallas Morning News | Apr 16, 2008
Mike Krzyzewski has made it clear he wants Mavs' guard Jason Kidd on the Team USA roster for this summer's Beijing Olympics.
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The Dallas Morning News | Apr 14, 2008
Dirk Nowitzki is determined to play through the pain in his injured ankle.
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Andrew Perna/RealGM | Apr 11, 2008
The Nuggets defeated the Warriors on Thursday to momentarily grab hold of the final playoff spot in the West. Read about that and more in the Daily Rundown for April 10th’s games!
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Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Apr 9, 2008
Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban said on Tuesday that he would vote against a Sonics' relocation to Oklahoma City even if it means he is the lone owner to support the Sonics remaining in Seattle.
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Dallas Morning-News | Apr 3, 2008
Don Nelson was understandably impressed with the Mavericks' team he saw on Wednesday night, who played inspired ball with the return of Dirk Nowitzki.
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Andrew Perna/RealGM | Apr 3, 2008
Gilbert Arenas made a surprise return for the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Milwaukee Bucks. Read about Gilbert’s surprise return and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for April 2nd’s games!
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Associated Press | Apr 3, 2008
Dirk Nowitzki returned to the starting lineup to help Dallas beat Golden State 111-86 on Wednesday night.
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ESPN | Apr 2, 2008
Dirk Nowitzki participated in the Mavericks shootaround on Wednesday, but has ruled himself out of the team's game against Golden State.
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USA Today | Apr 2, 2008
Dirk Nowitzki is a chance to play against rival the Golden State Warriors on Thursday after the team upgraded his status to day to day.
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Andrew Perna/RealGM | Apr 1, 2008
Toronto put together a nice performance to knock off Charlotte on Monday night. Read about the Raptors and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for March 31st's games!
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The Star-Telegram | Apr 1, 2008
Dirk Nowitzki is close to returning for the Mavericks, and it's possible that he could play against the Warriors on Wednesday night.
