Clarrisse Jordan pays attention to her husband's words. Jackson and Skylar are usually a little playful and fidgety, but never disrupt the proceedings. Emotions can be raw when only 10 minutes have elapsed since game's end, but the coach keeps his composure and can always count on a hug _ or two, or three _ when he is done.

``That's the best part,'' Jordan said. ``Whether you're mad or you're overly happy, the children, it doesn't matter to them. The wife, she bleeds when you bleed, and she's happy when you're happy. But the kids, they're always excited.''

Jordan seems almost too nice to be an NBA coach.

``He should run for mayor, I tell him,'' Washington Wizards assistant coach Mike O'Koren said. ``It's fun just to see it. He's homegrown, and people are very proud of him.''

Jordan returned after 30 years to the hometown where he played in the parks in southeast D.C. as a child. He even lived with his mother for a few months after taking the Wizards job in 2003. At 7 a.m. (ET) every day, he meets O'Koren at the same Starbucks to start his workday, hearing the familiar greetings of ``Hey, coach'' or ``Good win last night'' from people on the street and even bus drivers as he and O'Koren walk the two blocks to the Verizon Center.

The longest-tenured coach in an ever-changing Eastern Conference, Jordan recently signed a contract extension after the Wizards' first back-to-back playoff seasons since the 1980s.

Nearly every one of his players calls him a ``players' coach'' who readily yields to suggestions.

``He's one of those coaches who doesn't really have a big ego,'' forward Antawn Jamison said. ``It's not a `My way or the highway.' He likes a lot of feedback from his players.''

Jordan has fostered that reputation without losing players' respect.

So, how can he be ...

``... an NBA coach?'' Jordan said in an interview with The Associated Press. ``Well, I am. I actually remember when I got into coaching, everybody raved about this coach, that coach, and I would watch these coaches and I would say, `I don't think I want to act like that as a coach.' But they're supposed to be the biggest coaches in college or high school or the NBA.

``I think you can coach guys and be professional talking to them. You can't think clearly when you're screaming and hollering and losing your temper. I'm firm. Even when I can smile and get a message across, I can be firm. I don't have to show a growl. I can say, `Guys, this is how you wanted to play it, so let's play it. You want to reach the next level, so let's get to it.'''

That's what happened when the Wizards were down 2-0 to the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2005 playoffs. The defence had been miserable, and the players were complaining. According to point guard Gilbert Arenas, Jordan came to practice and said: ``Since y'all are the ones out there playing, you guys tell us the defence.''

Adjustments were made, and the communal approach produced four straight wins to put the Wizards into the second round.

``Some coaches add years to your career,'' Arenas said. ``Shoot, he's probably added about five more years to my career, because he's a players' coach. He knows what players are going through. He knows when to take it light. Some coaches are out there just trying to beat you down.''

If anyone has forced the 51-year-old coach to be flexible, it's Arenas, who has blossomed into an NBA star. Jordan's share-the-ball offence isn't supposed to work with a player such as Arenas, but the coach has adapted _ after a few run-ins _ to the player's talent and personality.

``I think that with my personality and the way I coach and the way I can be firm, Gil and I got on the same page,'' Jordan said. ``I'm lucky to coach a guy like him, and I think he and I have been growing together as a star player and head coach very, very well, and that's been very important to this franchise.''

The one exception to the happy family is centre Brendan Haywood, whose relationship with the coach has been frosty over matters such as communication and playing time. Asked if Jordan is a players' coach, Haywood responded: ``I think it depends on the player.''

Jordan said he's still learning to read Haywood's personality. The two met, at Haywood's request, over the summer and discussed their relationship. ``We're working at it,'' Jordan said.

Jordan's bigger challenge is winning a title with the Wizards. He isn't shy when asked where this season could lead.

``We want to win the East,'' he said. ``That's just like a bar at the high jump. You put that bar at 6-5, jump over it, we made it. Why can't we make it seven feet? ... We've got a star player in Gilbert. We've got the highest scoring trio in the NBA. We've got some decent size. We've got some more tough players. We've got veteran guys. We've got a good way of playing. Why not think we can win?''

A title would make for a happy ending, but it probably wouldn't change Jordan. When he signed his US$12 million contract extension, he received advice from respected basketball people telling him he now can be tougher with his players and use his leverage with the front office to get what he wants.

Jordan was dumbfounded.

``It doesn't make me feel like I've arrived. It doesn't make me feel like anything,'' Jordan said. ``I'm going to do the same thing I've been doing. I don't need to ask for anything. I don't need to be tougher or louder or non-approachable. It hasn't changed me one bit.''

The nice guy is staying nice.