Jason Kidd celebrated his 37th birthday by giving his team a gift.

The future Hall of Famer sunk a season-high 26 points. Sixteen of those points were from downtown, another season high. He dished out 12 assists and grabbed six boards, his phenomenal performance leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 106-96 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

To hear what No. 2 thought about the game, watch this video from ESPN.com.

Head coach Rick Carlisle was nearly speechless after No. 2’s flawless performance, as he told DallasBasketball.com.

"I can’t say enough great things about Jason Kidd. Tonight, and really the two years I’ve been with him. He’s just phenomenal."

Carlisle went on to tell ESPN that Jason left everything out on the court last night.

"I thought he willed the team with his energy and his enthusiasm. He got guys engaged and you know, it wasn’t just play-making, it was shot-making, it was assists, it was defensive plays, it was, you know, giving guys confidence out there. … He is just phenomenal."


The ageless one (Getty Images).

CLUTCH THY NAME IS KIDD
Jason did the majority of his work in the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks entered the fourth trailing by one and without star scorer Dirk Nowitzki, who was ejected in the third.

No Nowitzki? No problem.

"I was out there gunning," Kidd said, cracking a smile. "Since Dirk was gone, I thought I’d play Dirk today. I didn’t want a bad birthday. I was going to take the blame if we lost this game."

Jason played Dirk to a tee. He scored 13 fourth quarter points, dished out three assists and picked off a steal in the final frame as he led Dallas on a 22-3 run that put the Mavericks out front for good.

ESPN Dallas’ Tim MacMahon described No. 2’s hero turn:

"During that run, Kidd absolutely dominated while playing point forward in a small-ball lineup that also featured guards Jason Terry and Rodrigue Beaubois, scoring 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting; he had three assists — highlighted by a beautiful backdoor lob to Beaubois on the opening possession — and three rebounds during the stretch of 5:40. He also had one steal and a few deflections, pumping energy into the Mavs’ zone defense.

It was a classic case of Kidd taking over to change the course of a game."


The sign said it all (Getty Images).

Mavs center Brendan Haywood was in awe of his teammate, as he told DallasBasketball.com.

"Man, he’s the Ageless Wonder. They say he’s thirty-seven, but I gotta see the birth certificate … He’s just one of those guys that seems like he can play forever."

Jason Terry remarked that what J-Kidd brings to the table is an intangible quality that ignites his teammates to perform for him:

"You can’t teach what he brings to the game," Terry said. "It’s just phenomenal. It comes from within. Guys like us feed off it, and we kind of just bow down and praise him. He’s great. Not good, but great."

While his coaches and teammates could only talk about Jason, the veteran boasted about his teammates. He was blown away by his team’s defense in the fourth quarter, holding the Clippers to 5-for-22 shooting. He said that when the Mavs clamp down on defense they are a tough team to beat, as he told ESPN.

"We’re pretty good when we do that," Kidd said. "We might make or miss on the other end, but when we get stops that definitely helps us. We haven’t been getting stops of late. After that little 13-game streak we had, we stopped doing that."

But Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said it best, praising his point guard for making Cuban’s investment in a 37-year old point guard stand out as a stroke of genius:

"He’s tireless," Cuban said. "People talk about age, but it’s not like he’s a high flyer. He uses his brain. He’s more of a chess master. Those guys can play until they’re 80."

NEXT UP
The ageless wonder takes on the Toronto Raptors Thursday night. Tip-off is at 9:30 p.m. CST and can be seen nationwide on TNT.

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Kidd’s season-high 26 points lifts Mavericks past Clippers (ESPN.com, March 24, 2010)
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