Coach Johnson pays for Mavericks’ flop

Suns coach Mark D’Antoni could also be on his way out.

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks fired coach Avery Johnson on Wednesday, the first of what’s likely to be many offseason moves after the team with the league’s highest payroll again flopped in the first round of the playoffs.

Johnson leaves with an impressive resume after three-plus seasons, but Mavs owner Mark Cuban couldn’t tolerate two straight years of first-round exits — or the fact that Dallas has gone 3-12 in the playoffs since taking a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA finals against Miami.

The Mavericks followed that 2006 disappointment with the embarrassment of being ousted by Golden State in the opening round last season in one of the biggest upsets in league history. And they were just dumped in five games by Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets.

Dallas didn’t win a single road game against the Heat, Warriors or Hornets, an 0-9 skid that was too much to overcome.

“Was it time for a change? I guess,” said Dirk Nowitzki, whose MVP season came under Johnson’s watch. “I think this franchise, we owe him a lot. Unfortunately it’s just one of those situations where everybody’s got to move on.”

The final mark during Johnson’s tenure: 194-70 in the regular season, 23-24 in the playoffs.

“This is something that needed to happen,” Johnson said. “There’s no animosity or bitterness. We all still really care about each other, but it was time to go in a different direction. ... We didn’t win the championship, but if you look at the whole body of work that we put together over the last 3 1/2 years ... we’ll put it up against anybody.”

Suns

The Phoenix Suns’ window of opportunity to win an NBA title under coach Mike D’Antoni may have slammed shut with their first-round playoff loss to San Antonio.

General manager Steve Kerr acknowledged differences with the coach but insisted on Wednesday he wants D’Antoni back for a fifth season with the Suns. He said he and owner Robert Sarver would meet with the coach in the next few days.

“I’d like to see him back,” Kerr said. “I’d like to see us working together. It’s been well documented we have some different ideas and different approaches. And what we have to do is talk and communicate and make sure we can get on the same page in terms of how this organization can get better, how this team can get better.”

D’Antoni, though, might not want to make the changes Kerr believes are needed, whether they be expanding his rotation, changing his defensive scheme or altering his staff.

D’Antoni has two years worth $8.5 million on his contract. He won the coach of the year award in 2005 and has a 232-96 record over the past four regular seasons. But the teams have never made it to the NBA Finals, losing in the playoffs three times to San Antonio and once to Dallas.