Not every game ends in a fade away jump shot at the buzzer. Jason Kidd and the Mavs proved that Tuesday night.
J-Kidd’s bounce pass to Drew Gooden was smoother than any buzzer-beating jump shot, and it was just what the Mavericks needed to beat the Pistons, 98-93, last night.
The beautiful assist went through a lane of traffic and found Gooden, who stuffed it home to give the Mavs an 85-80 lead with five minutes to go. After the win, Jason told the Dallas Morning News about his picture-perfect pass:
"I had two big guys running and Drew got in front of Dirk and Dirk was the decoy on that one," Kidd said. "I looked at him and hoped the defender would think I was going to Dirk. I was just hoping Drew kept running and he caught it and finished it. He made the play."
 Jason spent most of Tuesday night blowing past the Pistons, logging eight assists in the process (Getty Images). |
Eddie Sefko of the Star-Telegram described the pass:
"Kidd threw one of the prettiest bounce passes you’ll ever see, through traffic and right into the mitts of Drew Gooden, who flushed a dunk and got the crowd and the Mavericks rolling."
J-Kidd finished the evening with crazy eights, eight points and eight assists, in the win over Detroit. He also secured four rebounds and recorded a steal and a block.
JET-FUELED
No. 2’s pass wasn’t the only noteworthy moment of the game. Teammate Jason Terry had an explosive night on offense with 26 points.
The Jet told the Dallas Morning News that he got his boost from a talk with J-Kidd earlier in the day.
"He told me, just go do what you do," Terry said. "Stop listening to everybody."
NEXT UP
J-Kidd and the Mavs take on cross-state rivals the San Antonio Spurs Friday night at 8:30 on KTXA.
RELATED STORIES
Pistons at Mavericks Boxscore (NBA.com, Jan. 6, 2010)
http://www.nba.com/games/20100105/DETDAL/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0020900502
Sparked by Kidd assist, Mavericks beat Pistons 98-93 (Star-Telegram, Jan. 6, 2010)
http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/1871231.html
Jet finally gives his shooting hand a workout (Dallas Morning News, Jan. 6, 2010)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/010610dnsposefko.3da2341.html
Dallas Mavericks avoid another clunker, rally past Pistons (Dallas Morning News, Jan. 6, 2010)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/010610dnspomavslede.4d1264b7.html