Hot Seat Alert: Should Avery Johnson Return to Dallas Next Season?

You would think that blowing a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals was bad enough for the Dallas Mavericks.

But a first round playoff lost to an eighth seed after winning 67 games was probably even more embarrassing.

And if Dallas fails to defeat New Orleans in the first round this year, head coach Avery Johnson can potentially have fingers pointing towards him.

It was just two years ago that the Mavericks were a championship caliber team.  And since then, it looks like the Mavericks have been stripped of their manhood completely.

A huge chunk of their manhood was taken away from them the minute the Miami Heat raised the Larry O'Brien trophy above their heads in 2006. 

And the first round lost to Golden State last year sealed the deal.  So who is to blame?

Both Avery Johnson and Mark Cuban can be to blame—but seriously, Mark Cuban isn't going to fire himself.

Cuban can be blamed for trading away their future (Devin Harris) and failing to improve with their current. (Jason Kidd)

Kidd was brought to Dallas for leadership and experience, and what's the result?  A 3-1 hole they now have to try and dig themselves out of.

Game Four of this series was another disappointment for Dallas, as Jason Kidd was ejected and Dallas eventually lost the game by 13.

"A huge chunk of their manhood was taken away from them the minute the Miami Heat raised the Larry O'Brien trophy above their heads in 2006".

Dallas is now on the brink of being eliminated from the first round in back-to-back seasons, and hasn't won a playoff game on the road since 2006.

If or when Dallas loses this series, what's next?

Do they wait another year and try again, or do they start making changes personnel wise? 

Another year, and possibly another let down—and this series can definitely cost Avery Johnson his job.

New Orleans can finish off Dallas at home on Tuesday. 

Michael Whittenberg is a senior writer and NBA Community Leader for BleacherReport.com.