Another sensational performance by Jason has brought the Dallas Mavericks within one win of reaching the Western Conference playoffs’ second round.
Finishing with 17 points, seven boards, seven assists, and a pair of steals, No. 2 did it all on Saturday, tying up San Antonio’s Tony Parker when it mattered most, and leading the Mavs to a 99-90 victory.
 Jason hit 3-of-7 three-pointers on Saturday (Getty Images). |
Inspired by Jason, the rest of the team also stepped up its defensive effort, forcing the Spurs into 11 turnovers that led to 15 points.
J-Kidd talked with the Star-Telegram about the good team defense of the Mavs:
“This is probably the best we’ve done all season in the sense of sharing the ball. Defensively, we’re out their scrambling. Everyone is covering for each other.”
Dallasbasketball.com described best Jason’s contributions and the total team effort that went into defeating the Spurs:
“Josh was great,’’ Jason Kidd said.
It is worth noting that Dallas attempted 39 free throws and make 85 percent, and that San Antonio had its chances there. … but Parker missed three of eight and the notoriously inconsistent free-thrower Duncan missed seven of those 18 tries.
Dirk Nowitzki was forced by double-teams into a supporting role but supplemented his 12 points with 13 rebounds. And, as Kidd pointed out, “Down the stretch, we went to him. And he made all the right plays….
“Dirk was great.’’
Seriously, Kidd brought up six or seven different Mavs (except himself, of course, though he was damn good, too, with a 17/7/7) and said the same thing about each one:
“J-Ho was great. … JJ was great. … Damp was great. …’’
Despite a memorable win, Jason made sure that his teammates remained focused on the goal at hand. Until San Antonio has been eliminated, there is work to be done.
“They’re not going anywhere. We have to understand that. … It’s not easy to put a team away, especially a team that has won championships.”
J-KIDD PROVIDES BBALL IQ
Jason Kidd knows how to play the game of basketball the right way, and based on how the rest of the Mavs are playing this series, his high basketball IQ is starting to wear off on them.
Dallasbaskettball.com went into detail about how Jason’s on court awareness has changed the Mavs:
“Here’s the truth about Jason Kidd (and you are free to argue to the contrary a few years from now, when Kidd is retired and Devin is a perennial reserve on the East All-Star Team): With the singular move of trading for Kidd, the Mavs went from being a rather low BBIQ team to being one of the smartest teams in the sport.”
“Remember a few years ago in the playoffs, when Jet forgot to run out to guard Phoenix’ Steve Nash on a 3? Are you watching the Boston-Chicago series, where all these kids from both teams are fouling jumpshooters as the clock is expiring, lazily boxing out on free throws, shooting the ball when they should be holding it, holding the ball when they are shooting it, letting their emotions allow for craziness?”
“Now, think of all the low-BBIQ things Dallas has done in this series. I can think of just three that comes to mind immediately:”
+ Game 1, when Ryan Hollins stepped on the baseline as he was being fed an alley-oop at the end of the half
+ Game 4, when Antoine Wright improperly positioned himself so he wasn’t where he should’ve been for a drive-and-kick pass that sailed harmlessly out of bounds;
+ And in Game 4 again, when Hollins overcelebrated his Dunkan.“I’m sure there are a few more. But not many. A dumb team got smart. With one trade.”
One Mavericks player in particular has benefited from playing alongside J-Kidd: backup point guard J.J. Barea. J.J. talked with ESPN.com about what he has learned from No. 2.
“Everything …the way he sees the floor, plays defense, and the way he runs the team. Overall I’ve learned a lot from Jason Kidd.”
NEXT UP
The Mavs and Spurs travel to San Antonio for Game 5 on Tuesday night at 8:30 pm CST on TNT.
Teams down 3-1 have only recovered 8 times in NBA history to come back and win the series. Last time the Mavs played the Spurs in 2006, the Spurs managed to push the series to game 7 after the Mavs went up 3-1. Still, the Mavs eventually won that series. Jason will look to keep the Mavs focused in order to avoid another Game 7 confrontation against their instate rivals.
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