Jason Kidd is a superlative defender for his age, and any age, for that matter, and that’s precisely what Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle recently told the Star-Telegram.
"He’s a great defender. Period," Carlisle said. "Down the stretch, he really gears it up. He just has a great impact keeping us together when it is tough out there."
No. 2 is used to defending the best players in the league and has proven he’s the guy to do it. He currently ranks eighth in the NBA with 1.84 steals per game.
"In age, you have to use that to your advantage. Knowledge sometimes is a little bit better than being quicker than your opponent," Kidd said. "Just knowing tendencies and habits is something that I’m living off of right now."
J-Kidd’s knowledge and creativity is seemingly never-ending, as seen in last night’s 100-86 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. No. 2 bounced a pass off of a defender’s back, received the pass from himself and drove to the basket.
With some crafty passes, Jason dished out nine assists. He also pulled down five rebounds, added a block and scored six points, all from beyond the arc.
J-Kidd proved he can outsmart the league’s best scorers on Saturday night when he held Charlotte Bobcats guard Stephen Jackson to just six points in the fourth quarter and overtime after Jackson had gone on an 11-point flurry to put the Bobcats ahead. In Monday night’s win over the New Orleans Hornets, No. 2 silenced Chris Paul, one of the league’s most feared guards.
Teammate J.J. Barea shared some insight on J-Kidd’s defense against Paul.
"He had a play on Chris Paul where he kept him in front and kept him from making the shot. Great defender. He knows where to go. I don’t see him a step slow on defense. Kidd knows more than anybody in the league. He’s doing a great job."
NEXT UP
The Mavs go looking for their sixth straight win when they host their cross-state rivals the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Center on Friday night. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. CST on KTXA.
RELATED STORIES
Maverick’s Jason Kidd views age as advantage (Fort Worth Star Telegram, Dec. 17, 2009)
http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/1833458.html
Mavs 100, OKC 86: No Pink Slips For Dallas (And Please, No More Orange Shoes For Thunder) (DallasBasketball.com, Dec. 17, 2009)
http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=2349
Mavericks at Thunder Boxscore (NBA.com, Dec. 17, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20091216/DALOKC/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0020900366