The idea of an athlete being "clutch" means different things to different people, and it comes in many variations on the basketball court.

Clutch doesn’t have to be the buzzer-beater that wins the game, although it can be. It can be a perfect outlet pass that allows a teammate to succeed. It can be suffocating defense on the opponent’s superstar. It can be the heads up play that gets a foul called on an opposing player — or coach. Or it could simply be taking over the game in a time of need.


Jason Kidd exemplifies many of the characteristics that make a basketball player "clutch."

When referring to Jason Kidd, clutch is all of those things. As part of Clutch Week at JasonKidd.com, we’ll be breaking down all the things that make J-Kidd clutch. From his NCAA Tournament heroics as a Cal Bear, to his run in with Mike Woodson, all the way to the 2011 championship run that featured all things clutch.

CINDERELLA STORY
In high school, J-Kidd led his team to two straight state titles, was named California Player of the Year twice and National High School Player of the Year by Parade and USA Today.

But his first real bout with clutch didn’t come until college, the first time that Jason played on a team in the role of underdog. In his freshman season alone, Jason led his Cal Bears to upset wins over UCLA, USC and Arizona and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

In that tournament, Jason would come up as clutch as he has ever been. First in the opening round, No. 6 Cal needed Jason’s every play to defeat LSU in a game decided by the famed "pretzel shot" with five-tenths of a second left as Jason turned panic into victory for a 66-64 Bears win.

Two days later, J-Kidd and the Bears pulled off the upset of the year, knocking off No. 3 Duke, the two-time defending NCAA champions. Against Duke, Jason went play-for-play with the man many considered the best point in the land, Bobby Hurley. Again it was a J-Kidd who came up in the clutch, grabbing a loose ball in the post and somehow creating the space to put it in, giving Cal a lead with 1:11 to go. They carried that lead to a win and a Sweet 16 berth. Watch highlights from those two games below.

A CAREER BUILT ON CLUTCH
After two years at Cal, Jason departed for the NBA where’s made a habit of come up big in crunch time.

He started with the Mavericks and through trips to Phoenix and New Jersey, J-Kidd always came up clutch, like in Game 1 of the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals.

After two trips to the Finals and countless clutch shots, steals and passes, Jason moved on from New Jersey and back to Dallas. It was there, during the 2009-2010 season, that J-Kidd made perhaps the most clutch play of his career. And it didn’t involve a shot, pass or rebound.

With his team trailing by two with less than two minutes to go, Jason drew a technical foul on Atlanta coach Mike Woodson by running into the coach, who had stepped onto the playing floor to instruct his team. The play earned Dallas a technical foul shot and possession, which they turned into a lead and eventually a win. Watch Jason discuss the play below:

Then came the 2010-2011 season. Jason started the Mavericks on a roll with his clutch three in Boston. In the postseason he had an offensive outburst to lead the Mavs past Portland in the first round and in the second round it was his defense on Kobe Bryant that stole the show. 

In the Western Conference Finals, it was another clutch three that sank Oklahoma City. Finally, in the Finals, Jason was a defensive thorn for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. And it all led up to one of the biggest shots of his life in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The shot clinched Game 5 for the Mavs and was a catalyst to their NBA Championship victory in six.