Two peas in a pod

DALLAS – A few years ago there was persistent speculation that Pat Riley would one day coach the Mavericks.

Guess what? He is.

Avery Johnson and Pat Riley are the same coach. Once you get past the obvious differences in height, hair and experience, the similarities are striking.

Both exhibit an abnormal drive and intensity. Their attention to detail is piercing; their insistence on accountability unyielding.

There are more Riley-isms I could toss out here, but you get the idea.

“The only difference in Pat Riley and Avery Johnson is that Riles has been doing it longer and he’s accomplished a little bit more,” said Derek Harper, an NBA analyst who played for Riley in New York and is close friends with Johnson. “That’s the only difference.”

Riley has four championship rings and nearly 22 years of coaching experience to Johnson’s none and one. But Johnson did win a title as a player and has gotten off to a faster regular-season start than any coach in NBA history.

San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich has had more influence on Johnson than any other coach. Former Mavericks coach Don Nelson helped Johnson understand how to milk a mismatch and put him in place to take over the team.

But in terms of approach and temperament, it’s difficult to differentiate between Johnson and the Miami Heat coach.

Rolando Blackman, an assistant on Johnson’s staff, also played for Riley in New York.

“They’re tough, tough guys,” Blackman said. “They are focused and extremely prepared in getting their points across to the players. They are able to go from the practice court and get players to implement it on the court, which is the most important thing. The words are put into action.

“They get guys to buy in and believe in them. The way they handle players and situations on the basketball court, how they keep a focus and keep an eye on what is going on in their environment …

“I think they’re more alike than different.”

Passion and credibility. Harper will tell you Johnson and Riley use those traits to convince players to buy into their systems. Communication is another common denominator.

Harper remembers a morning when the Knicks were in uniform, taped and ready to take the practice court. Riley surprised the players by having them load onto a bus, which took them to an empty theater to watch the western Tombstone.

The message: You’ve got to cover your teammates’ backs in the playoffs.

Johnson hasn’t displayed such cinematic flair. But he’s constantly bringing the Mavericks together with dinners and other gatherings to get his message across.

“Avery is more fiery at this point because he’s younger than when I played for Coach Riley,” Blackman said. “But as far as basketball knowledge and the understanding of what’s going on, the ability to implement a system that guys follow, I don’t see that much of a difference.

“They’re both warriors. When you have warriors, they’re battlers. When you have that kind of guy around you, that kind of a situation, you know there is only so much ha-ha you’re going to go through.”

Riley is more of an orator than Johnson. The Heat coach may spend 15 to 20 minutes before the game selling his team on why they’ll win. Johnson is briefer, but he will rattle off the reasons why the Mavericks should prevail.

“I think when it’s all said and done,” Harper said, “Avery will win just as much as Pat Riley. I really do. I know that’s saying a lot.”

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, by the way, has said there was never any basis to the Riley speculation. Why would there be?

The Mavericks already had him.