Jason and the Mavs will look to avoid the trap game against the Golden State Warriors Friday night to move up to 3-0 on their road trip.
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| Jason pumps his fist after hitting a key three-pointer during Dallas’ win this week over Phoenix (Getty Images). |
After having won two games that they weren’t favored to win, the Mavs will have to try to avoid a letdown Friday night. With playoff positioning on the mind and with the fact that the Mavs have lost 4 of 5 at Oracle Arena, the Mavs should be able to come out strong from the get-go.
Coach Carlisle talked with the Star-Telegram about the importance of every game on this road trip:
“The games are huge now. Everybody knows that. Even the sub-.500 teams are getting up for these games because they’ve got a chance to influence what goes on in the seedings.”
“We approach each game with the appropriate amount of respect.”
Born in the Bay Area, Jason returns home for the first time since nearly posting a triple-double (13 points, 14 assists, 9 boards) in his last visit to Oracle in Dallas’ 114-104 loss on March 30th, 2008.
J-Kidd will have to be ready to run as the Warriors average 108 points per game, but also, he will have to be ready to rebound. The Mavs are 5-2 when Jason has 10 rebounds and 19-5 when he has 10 assists.
TRAVEL ADVICE
As someone who has been on a few road trips over his 15 year pro career, Jason has a stockpiled a few tricks.
J-Kidd shared some travel advice with frinds.mavs.com:
“Always make sure that you get plenty of fluids. The planes and the games dehydrate you big time. Always make sure you are hydrated.”
WEEK IN REVIEW
Jason led the Mavs to important victories on the road this week as the Mavs continue to make their push to get a better seed in the playoffs. If you missed J-Kidd in action, here’s what happened:
03.09.2009 | Dealing Dimes
Jason spread the ball beautifully as he had 11 assists in a 119-103 victory over the Washington Wizards.
3.10.2009 | Face Off V. Phoenix
A preview of Tuesday night’s road game against the Suns, which saw Jason match up against another elite point guard in Steve Nash.
3.11.2009 | The Electric Collar Works
Jason nailed a couple of 3-pointers at the end of the game to clinch the Mavs victory over the Suns, as he went 4-8 from downtown for the game.
3.12.2009 | Newly Paved Road
After not winning any road games against playoff contenders, Jason led the Mavs to their second straight road victory with a 93-89 win over the Trailblazers.
NEXT UP
Jason and the Mavs face the Warriors Friday night at 9:30 pm CST.
RELATED STORIES
Mavericks have to avoid taking Warriors lightly (Star-Telegram, Mar. 13th, 2009)
http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/1255966.html
Dallas Mavericks show they can be a playoff factor (Dallas Morning News, Mar. 13th, 2009)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/031309dnspocowlishawcol.3eebb43.html
Travel Tips from the Road (Friends.Mavs.com, Mar. 11th, 2009)
http://friends.mavs.com/profiles/blogs/travel-tips-from-the-road
Dallas vs. Golden State – Preview (ESPN.com, Mar. 13th, 2009)
http://espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=290313009
John Hollinger, The Suns, and Random States (Mavs Moneyball, Mar. 13th, 2009)
http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2009/3/13/795643/john-hollinger-the-suns-an