When Jason Kidd signed with the New York Knicks this summer, he said he didn’t care how minutes he played per game, but stated a desire to be on the floor when the game was on the line in crunch time.

On Thursday night, he showcased precisely why he felt that way.


Jason runs back to the bench after his third 4th quarter trey gave the Knicks a 100-95 lead and forced a timeout (Getty Images).

J-Kidd led a furious Knicks rally in San Antonio, pitching in nine fourth quarter points on three treys as New York rallied from down 12 with seven minutes to go to beat the Spurs 104-100 for their sixth straight win. No. 5 finished the game with 14 points, two assists and two steals, a rebound and three blocked shots.

The Knicks are now 6-0 on the season and remain the NBA’s only unbeaten team. After the game, Jason deflected credit for the late rally that he and fellow guard Raymond Felton spearheaded, calling the win a total team effort.

"Everybody just said, stay together," he told MSG after the game. "We’re going to lose or win this game by playing together. You saw that defensively and offensively. Guys are making plays. That just shows our experience that we didn’t panic and guys made shots and plays on the defensive end." 

After managing only 17 points in the third quarter, the Knicks were down by four headed into the final period. Things got even worse in the fourth, as the Spurs lead grew to double digits, forcing coach Mike Woodson to call a timeout with just over seven minutes remaining and New York behind by 11. According to Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, J-Kidd was a calming influence during the stoppage in play.

"Jason was one of the guys who kept us composed when they went up 12 points," Anthony said. "He huddled us up and told us they’re going to let us back in. Play some defense, we’re going to score the basketball. Everyone took heed of that.”

Behind No. 5, New York remained poised, refusing to throw in the towel on the game. What followed was a spectacular run that saw the Knicks outscore the Spurs 25-11 down the stretch to claim victory. The Knicks used a combination of gritty defense and a flurry of baskets to complete the comeback over the Spurs. J-Kidd liked what he saw from his teammates.

"We could have easily said, ‘Hey, we have a game tomorrow, and we can shut it down.’ But guys kept fighting."

It started with a Felton layup that cut the deficit to 10 and Jason followed with the first of his three treys to make it a seven-point game with more than six minutes to go. He buried another just 27 seconds later to make it 89-85 and the Knicks were starting to feel it. After San Antonio’s Tony Parker split the free throws on a trip to the line, Felton cut to the bucket on the other end for a reverse layup to trim the deficit to three.

A three-pointer by Manu Ginobili briefly stunted the Knicks’ comeback, but a three-point play on a dunk by Chandler and another Felton layup got it down to one with under three to play Parker knocked down two free throws on the ensuing Spurs possession, but J.R. Smith answered with a jumper, then followed a steal by J-Kidd with a trey to give the Knicks their first lead since midway through the third quarter. The Knicks defense frustrated San Antonio on their next trip, forcing a shot clock violation and No. 5 took advantage on the other end, burying his third triple of the quarter to expand the Knicks lead to five with 62 seconds remaining.

The Knicks were in control from there, on the way to a monumental win and a building block type statement. In a game with pressure New York may have folded under last season, the addition of skilled veterans helped tremendously this year. Jason’s teammate Tyson Chandler was effusive with his compliments of the point guard.

"I sound like a tape recorder, but whether a steal or 3-pointer, he always seems to make a big play," Chandler said. "We can focus in and play through adversity. Even when things weren’t going well, we knew with a couple of shots, things could go back our way."


No. 5 stepped up his defense and helped to limit Tony Parker in the fourth (Getty Images).

Jason was not only pivotal on the offensive side of the court in this game. He also set a great example for his teammates on defense. Late in the game, Kidd even switched to covering Parker in order to give his fellow point guard Felton a vhance to focus on scoring. It proved crucial to the winning effort.

"I told Raymond I needed him to make something happen offensively. I tried to give him a break on the defensive end with Tony Parker," Jason said. "San Antonio is one of the best in the league. They’ve played together for so long and they just move the ball. Defensively they tested us there. We got down 11, but guys just kept their heads up and kept fighting."

NEXT UP
The Knicks complete a back-to-back tonight in Memphis against the Grizzlies (6-1).

Like the Knicks, the Grizzlies are winners of six straight games entering tonight’s game, making it a matchup of the league’s top two teams thus far. Despite their strong start, J-Kidd doesn’t want New York get too high on their early season success. He knows as well as anybody that it’s not how you start, but how you finish that really matters.

"It is a great test and that’s all it is," he said. "We learn from them and hopefully put ourselves in a good position come April."

Friday’s tip-off is set for 9:30PM and the game can be seen on MSG.

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