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Avery "The Lil' General" Johnson has been fired by the Dallas Mavericks. (AP Images)

In what has to be one of the biggest falls from grace in recent NBA coaching history, Dallas Mavericks bench boss Avery Johnson has been fired, two seasons after leading the team to Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

There were signs that Johnson was in trouble for quite some time now, most of them dealing with Dallas' postseason woes. Since blowing a 2-0 series lead to Miami in '06, the Mavs have gone 3-12 in the playoffs, including back-to-back first round losses to Golden State and New Orleans.

The final slate on Johnson's tenure: 194-70 in the regular season, 23-24 in the playoffs.

Many assume this firing was a result of too much too soon for Johnson. He was only on the job for a year when he led the Mavs to the Finals, and was panned for being outcoached by Pat Riley once he got there. He was also harshly criticized for being outcoached by former Dallas bench boss Don Nelson in the first round last year.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban did not offer a statement in conjunction with the firing.

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