Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks spent the first weekend of the new decade on the West Coast, working hard against the Sacramento Kings and the defending NBA champion, the Los Angeles Lakers.

After a topsy turvy holiday weekend, the Mavs came out one up and one down over the weekend in SoCal with a win on Saturday over the Kings, and a loss on Sunday in L.A.

J-Kidd racked up 14 points in the 99-91 victory over the Kings and went 2-2 from beyond the arc. He also delivered seven assists, swiped three steals and grabbed two boards. No. 2 told Pegasus News what it took to take down the Kings.

"Teams that play defense, if you look in the past, they all won championships," Kidd said. "That’s what we’re trying to achieve … If we were going to have any chance to win tonight, we had to play defense and we did that."

J-Kidd’s sentiments were proven to be true in Sunday night’s match up against the defending champs. The Lakers’ defense and offense kept the Mavs from breaking into triple digits in the 131-96 loss. No. 2 pitched in five assists and four rebounds.


Dallas might have lost to LA, but the J-Kidd repertoire — like this no-look pass — was on full display (Getty Images).

Even after suffering the worst loss of the season, No. 2 is already looking on the bright side and ready to move on. As he told ESPN:

"They’re the champs. They came out and played from the beginning and we didn’t," Kidd said. "We just didn’t make shots, and when we tend not to make shots, we usually stop playing defense. That’s what we kind of reverted to. But it’s just one game. Now we go back home and play on Tuesday, so we’ll get back going in the right direction."

KUDOS FOR CUBAN
J-Kidd has a knack for finding the best in situations as well as people. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is entering his tenth year of ownership, and No. 2 took some time to reflect on Cuban’s style.

He told the Star-Telegram that Cuban stands out because he cares about the players and the organization, which isn’t always the case with team owners.

"There are some

[owners who don’t]," Kidd said. "But Mark’s about winning."

He went on to say that Cuban is one of the best owners because of his passion for the game and his team:

"It’s kind of funny how fast time goes by. He’s one of the best owners. He takes care of his players and he’s a competitor and he wants to win. That’s all you can ask for. As a player, you want to compete, and he gives you that chance. He’s a fan and he wants to win a championship. All he asks is that you go out there and play hard."

OWNING THE ROAD
After the 1-1 weekend the Mavs have now gone 12-6 on the road this season. J-Kidd told the Star-Telegram that their record indicates they’ve grown as a team.

"Normally, we’re so strong at home and not that way on the road, but maybe this is a sign that we’re growing as a team and hopefully that can put us in that category of trying to compete for a championship."

SHOT WON’T FALL
It was exactly where they wanted to be.

The Mavericks were down by three when No. 2 had the ball in his hands with less than a second left in the game on Thursday night.

Jason took the shot, but the ball went in and out of the hoop and the Mavericks fell 97-94 to the Houston Rockets. After the game, J-Kidd told the Star-Telegram how he felt about his shot.

"I got a great look at it," Kidd said. "I wasn’t sure how much time was left, so I may have rushed it just a little. I was keeping the clock in my head, but I actually had a little more time than I thought."

Although he missed a buzzer-beater, No. 2 chipped in 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and a steal in the Mavericks’ last game of 2009.

ONE VOTE AT A TIME
J-Kidd is on the ballot to play in his eighth All-Star game. He is currently the fifth ranking guard in the Western Conference with 405,027 votes. Los Angeles’ Kobe Bryant is at the top of the list with 1,606,032 votes.

To cast your vote for Jason Kidd, visit NBA.com.

NEXT UP
The Mavericks return home to American Airlines Center in Dallas to face the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. CST on Fox Sports Southwest.

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