<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Johnson stresses that a winning team has to know when to have fun11:28 PM CDT on Sunday, March 25, 2007By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News dmoore@dallasnews.com ATLANTA ? Part of being a head coach is to know when to back off a bit. That's what Avery Johnson did in Atlanta. He didn't run practice Saturday, leaving that to his assistants. He let the team spend Sunday night in Atlanta rather than fly immediately to its next stop, which the team usually does after a game. Mavericks/NBA Mavs blog | Inside the MavsMavs 104, Hawks 97Hawks make it hardAvery applies breaksBox score | ScheduleNBA: Scores | StandingsMore Mavericks"That's the key, I think, to championship teams ? knowing when to have a little fun," Johnson said. "All the good teams I've been on, you've got to know when to do it. The undisciplined teams, they tend to come up short on some nights." The Mavericks didn't come up short, beating the Hawks for their sixth straight victory. And Johnson even managed to have some fun himself. His wife and family met him in Atlanta over the weekend to help celebrate his birthday. Johnson turned 42 Sunday. "A few of the coaches I played for, I talked to them about that," Johnson said of taking a brief break from the season. "I remember Pop [Spurs coach Gregg Popovich]used to make me get away from it even as a player, because he thought I was too intense sometimes. "He would have practices without me. He would tell my wife to come on the road. I would want to stay in my room and just watch film, but he would make me get out in his own way. "I'm so consumed with it. Sometimes, it's good for me to pause." And what did the players give Johnson for his birthday? "We just found out it was his birthday," Josh Howard said. "Probably, we'll do something on the plane." Knocking off the rust: Devean George returned after a five-game absence with a sore right knee. He played just over eight minutes and failed to score. "My leg feels good," George said. "That's the most important thing. Now it's just about getting my timing back. "I've got a little way to go. That will come." Greg Buckner returned in Boston after missing four games with a sprained right knee. He failed to score in 10 minutes Sunday. "Devean George and Greg Buckner aren't anywhere close to where I need them to be," Johnson said. "If we had to start the playoffs tomorrow, I would really be concerned."</div>
