After 16 seasons playing at the highest level among point guards in the game, Jason Kidd’s legacy was set, a Hall-of-Fame resume already assembled.

But in year 17, J-Kidd got another chance to chase a championship and he refused to let it go to waste. The Mavs had exited early from the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons. But with some new supporting pieces around he and Dirk Nowitzki, Jason and the Mavs pieced together an epic 21-game run to capture the title.


Over the span of three months, the Mavericks had to take out four teams on their way to a title. (Getty Images).

As part of Championship Week at JasonKidd.com, we’ll break down each playoff series top to bottom, highlighting the spectacular moments from J-Kidd that propelled the Mavs on a championship run.

Western Conference First Round: The Portland Trail Blazers
Mavs win series 4-2
J-Kidd by the numbers: 11.6 ppg, 6.5 apg, 1 spg, 15 three-pointers

For most of the 2010-2011 season, the Mavericks ran with the NBA’s elite teams and hung in contention for the top playoff seed in the Western Conference. But, despite winning 50 games for the 11th consecutive season, Dallas faltered late in the year and had to settle for the No. 3 seed.

The seeding set them up with possibly the least favorable draw in the first round, the Portland Trail Blazers. As the series began, it quickly became obvious that every Mavs player would need to step up in order for Dallas to avoid another first round ouster. In Game 1, Jason took that to heart.

J-Kidd was an assassin from beyond the arc in the opening game, knocking down 6-of-10 treys on his way to 24 points as the Mavs took Game 1, 89-81.

"We had some guys that didn’t play their best games, but Jason Kidd played the game of the year to this point," coach Rick Carlisle said after the win. "Every shot he made, every play he made was absolutely essential for us. His leadership is something you can’t quantify."

But J-Kidd was no one-hit wonder. He followed his Game 1 outburst with a 7-of-11 shooting performance in Game 2 as the Mavs streaked out to another win and a 2-0 lead in the series.

Portland won the next two games to even the series, including a huge comeback in Game 4 that had many counting the Mavericks out as the "same old" team. But Jason would not let his teammates quit on themselves or their dreams.

"We have to stay together and get home and come out Monday with the same focus and intensity as we did today," he said after Game 4. "Then we just have to finish."

Dallas finished strong on their home floor in Game 5, with an 11-point win that included a single-game playoff-high 14 assists from No. 2. The win sent both teams back up to Portland, one of the toughest places in the NBA to play, for Game 6. But the Mavs weathered the storm and closed the series in six with a stellar comeback of their own. The table-turning Game 6 victory was buoyed by another late game three from No. 2. He finished the series with 15 made threes.

"The Jason Kidd 3 really to me was the big shot of the game," Dirk Nowitzki said after the win. "This was kind of our Game 7. We didn’t want to play again Saturday. Get Kidd a couple of days of rest before we go in a tough environment in L.A. We definitely talked about it before the game, that this was our Game 7, and that’s the way both teams played."

Dallas’ first round victory set up a second round showdown with the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.