Though Tuesday marks Jason Kidd’s 37th birthday, he’ll be too busy with the Los Angeles Clippers to celebrate with cake and presents.

But the revitalized J-Kidd wouldn’t want it any other way. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle told the Star-Telegram that at 37, J-Kidd’s tank is far from empty.

"He’s done a good job at making sure he’s got lots of gas in his tank."

Jason looked fueled up Saturday night against the Boston Celtics, scoring 11 points, delivering nine assists and six rebounds in the Mavericks 102-93 loss. No. 2 said the Celtics took the game in the final minutes on a 15-6 run, as he told DallasBasketball.com.

"You tip your hat to Boston, they were the better team with two minutes left … under normal circumstances that’s when we step up and make the right plays, but tonight it just didn’t happen."

A FRIEND IN RED SOX
Professional athletes are admired for more than their athletic ability.

They’re also known for the way they handle their success. Jason and Boston Red Sox pitcher Joe Nelson were teammates at Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California on both the basketball and baseball teams.

Nelson told WEEI that he learned how to be an athlete and a professional from none other than his good friend J-Kidd:

"The way he handled the media, press, pressure. Jason was the Gatorade player of the year. We played in front of 25,000 at the Oakland Coliseum when the Lakers weren’t drawing 25,000. The way he carried himself was a very good teaching tool for me as far as involvement with pro ball, how to deal with the media," Nelson explained. "Jason was very accountable at a young age. When we lost, it was his fault. When we won, it was a team effort. That’s an admirable quality."

Nelson went on to say that J-Kidd’s athletic abilities would have gotten him far in any sport.

"He could have been a centerfielder in the big leagues or a running back in the NFL. Instead he chose to be a Hall of Fame basketball player. He was unbelievable. He was, without question, the best athlete I’ve ever been around. He was special," Nelson said. "I watched him hit a ball about 500 feet and break an aluminum bat. The bat shattered in two, the ball went 500 feet. He was strong."

J-Kidd and Nelson have one other connection that still stands. When J-Kidd broke the high school record for most career assists, it was the rarely-used Nelson who drained the bucket.

"I hit the shot that broke the all-time assists record, one of about 10 buckets I made all year," Nelson said. "Filling the lane, a little eight-foot bank off the glass."

NEXT UP
Jason leads the Mavs into a Southwest Division battle tonight against the New Orleans Hornets. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on KTXA.

RELATED STORIES
Donuts: 12 Things To Blame For Celtics 102, Mavs 93 (DallasBasketball.com, March 22, 2010)
http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=2753
Quoteboard: Mavs Talk 102-93 Loss To Celtics (DallasBasketball.com, March 21, 2010)
http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=2752
How Jason Kidd prepared Joe Nelson for his predicament (WEEI.com, March 22, 2010)
http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2010/03/21/how-jason-kidd-prepared-joe-nelson-for-his-predicament
As birthday approaches, Jason Kidd has plenty to celebrate (Star Telegram, March 21, 2010)
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/21/2055097/as-birthday-approaches-jason-kidd.html
Celtics at Mavericks Boxscore (NBA.com, March 21, 2010)
http://www.nba.com/games/20100320/BOSDAL/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0020901033