So far, so good for Jason Kidd and the New York Knicks.


Jason scored 12 points and added six assists as the Knicks moved to 2-0 for the first time since 1999 (Getty Images).

Two days after trouncing the Miami Heat in their season opener, the New York Knicks did the same to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon, blasting Philly 100-84 for their second straight win to start the season. The victory pushed the Knicks to 2-0 for the first time since the 1999-00 season, which just happens to be the last time NY won a playoff series.

Jason played 25 minutes in Sunday’s win and posted his second consecutive 12-point game. This time he tossed in a team-high six assists, a game-high three steals and three rebounds. New York was +14 with J-Kidd on the floor, the highest of any player in blue and orange. As Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News wrote, No. 5 led the charge on Sunday:

"Kidd was the engine on Sunday, the tempo-setter and simply the best playmaker on the floor, for either team. He finished with more assists (six) than any Knick, more steals than any Knick (three) and didn’t commit a turnover in 25 minutes, to go along with 12 points on four-for-eight shooting."

To his credit, Jason deflected praise to starting point guard, Raymond Felton, who played 30 minutes at the point. According to J-Kidd, Felton’s work at the point makes it easier on him at shooting guard and everyone else at their positions.

"Felton’s the engine," he said. What I’ve always told him before the game is that he has to push the tempo to make things happen."

With Felton at the point and J-Kidd at the two, the Knicks once again came out of the gate red-hot in the first. They took 24 shots, buried 12 of them and piled up 31 points in the quarter.

Felton and Carmelo Anthony each scored nine while Jason knocked down a trey and added two assists, one to Ronnie Brewer and the other to Anthony, who each followed with a three. After one, New York was on top 31-25.

As they did on Friday against Miami, the Knicks turned up the defense on Philly in the second, limiting the Sixers to just 19 points on 19 shots in the quarter.

New York didn’t miss a beat on the offensive end either. Thanks in part to three more dimes from J-Kidd in the final four minutes of the half, the Knicks outscored the Sixers 13-5 down the stretch and held a 13-point halftime lead.

New York pushed its lead even higher in the third. After Philly had cut the lead to eight, J.R. Smith made a bucket, then assisted on Jason’s second trey of the game to make it 68-55 Knicks. Moments later, New York pushed the lead up to 16 when Jason found Kurt Thomas underneath the basket for an and-one layup. Thomas and J-Kidd are the elder statesman of the Knicks and Thomas told reporters after the win that Jason’s success defies logic. 

"With Jason, age is just a number. He does whatever needs to be done," Thomas said. "He’s handling the ball, he’s passing the ball when he gets the opportunity, knocking down threes and playing defense on the other end of the floor. I think ever since he got that championship, he’s just really having a lot of fun."


J-Kidd and Thomas celebrate a game-breaking play (Getty Images).

J-Kidd’s contributions on the defensive side of the ball proved just as important as his offensive stats according to Charles Curtis of NJ.com:

"Kidd’s defensive effort has helped, too. He got his hands on passes and poked away the ball twice from Sixers PG Jrue Holiday."

Philly pulled back within nine by the end of the third, but one more big play from No. 5 helped seal the deal early in the final frame. After sinking two free throws to put the Knicks up 14, Jason stepped up on defense and knocked the ball out of the hands of Holliday. The Knicks moved the ball on the other end, culminating in a Smith trey to give the Knicks their largest lead of the game.

"I’ve always felt that when you defend and multiple guys touch the ball, you got a chance to win no matter who’s out on the floor," Jason said.

From there, the rout was on as the Knicks moved to 2-0. Afterward, Jeff Freier of SB Nation pointed to Jason as a reason New York started the season better than they have in 13 years. Freier wrote that No. 5 is the league’s "Unsung Hero of the Week."

"Kidd will be going to the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest point guards ever to play the game, but right now he’s playing slightly out of position, and that helps the Knicks’ offensive flow. Defense and teamwork will be the keys to the Knicks’ success this year, and Kidd is the epitome of a team-first guy. And his play in the first two games of the season makes him the Unsung Hero of the Week."

But Jason isn’t willing to take all the credit for New York’s resurgence. He noted that the Knicks have a roster filled with experienced players and believes that can only be a good thing for the team this season.

"With the experience that we have in this locker room, it doesn’t take long to understand how to play the game," Jason said. "That’s what we have here, guys who know how to play the game, understand their roles, and they’re doing it well."

NEXT UP
J-Kidd and the Knicks complete a home-and-home with the Sixers on Monday night in Philly, New York’s first road game of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen on MSG.

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