After an impressive performance in Game 1 of the playoffs’ opening round, Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks couldn’t keep their momentum, and dropped Game 2 in Dallas on Wednesday.

Jason tallied eight assists, scored five points, grabbed four rebounds and picked off two steals, but the Mavericks fell hard to the San Antonio Spurs, 102-88. The best-of-seven first round series is now tied 1-1 as the teams head to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4.

No. 2 attributed the loss partly to the Mavs’ lack of defense, as he told ESPN.

"We weren’t getting as many deflections or hands on balls or steals like we did in Game 1," Kidd said. "If you’re not going to do that against a good team like San Antonio, they’re going to beat you. So again, we’ve got to come out and get our hands on balls and get some stops."

But even with the series tied up at 1-1 with the Spurs an unshakable Jason had a piece of advice for his team, as he told DallasBasketball.com.

"We’ve been in this situation before. You just have to relax and execute."

To hear more from J-Kidd about the 102-88 loss, watch his post game news conference below, courtesy of DallasBasketball.com:

KIDD THE GENIUS
There’s no question that No. 2 knows the game inside and out. His basketball IQ is off the charts, as ESPN columnist John Hollinger noted.

 

"Mavs point guard Jason Kidd has made the two smartest plays I’ve seen this season. The first came in Atlanta in March when he dribbled into Hawks coach Mike Woodson after he’d wandered onto the court. It’s tough to top that one, but he nearly pulled it off Wednesday night in the third quarter of Game 2 against the Spurs."

As he tore down court on a fast break with Richard Jefferson on his heels, J-Kidd came to an abrupt halt and let Jefferson run him over. This is where Jason’s incomparable knowledge of the game gives him the advantage. Because he was ahead of everyone on the court, it was ruled a "clear path" foul, giving him two shots and possession.

As Hollinger notes, it was just another example of Jason knowing the game better than anyone in the league:

"Now, in a rational world this should be completely bogus, as you should forfeit your "clear path" advantage if you choose to stop moving … but until or unless the league alters the rule, clever players like Kidd are going to be able to use it to their advantage by slamming the brakes in the open court and allowing unsuspecting defenders to plow into them."

J-Kidd’s basketball genius gives him a constant edge over the competition, as he so often proves.

NEXT UP
The Mavericks head to San Antonio to face the Spurs for Game 3 on Friday night. Fortunately for the Mavs, their road record is just as impressive as their home record at 27-14.

Jason remains optimistic about Game 3, as he told Pegasus News.

"We just have to look at this game, see what we did wrong and go from there," Kidd said.

Game 3 tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. CST and can be seen across the nation on ESPN.

RELATED STORIES
Thursday morning Mavs donuts: Your all-access pass to Spurs 102, Mavs 88 (DallasBasketball.com, April 22, 2010)
http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=2937
Top 10 stories of 2010 NBA Playoffs (ESPN.com, April 22, 2010)
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2010/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-100422