As the New Jersey Nets discovered on Wednesday night, it’s a whole different Jason Kidd and Mavericks squad this time around.

Jason powers past the Nets’ Devin Harris (Getty Images).

Unlike earlier in the season, it was No. 2 besting New Jersey’s Devin Harris en route to a 113-98 home road of the Nets. Jason picked up his 13th double-double of the season, finishing with 23 points, 10 assists and three rebounds.

J-Kidd, who had 11 of his 23 points in an all-important 3rd quarter, was asked by Mavs Moneyball what was more impressive in the third; scoring 40 points or only giving up 15?

“I think for us the defense after giving up 57 in the first half. You know coach thought that we didn’t play, that we were just going through the motions. He gave us an inspiring speech and we showed that we were listening. We came together on the defensive end, which led to our offense. I think our defense helped our offense out in that third quarter.”

JASON CONTINUES TO SHINE
The experiment of handing Jason the reigns to the offense continues to produce great results. For the fifth time in the last 9 games the Mavs scored over 110 points.

Not surprisingly, with the offense shifting into another gear under J.Kidd, the Mavs have gone 7-2 the last 9 games. Part of that has to do with Jason distributing the ball extremely well, as he reached double-digit assists for the 4th game in a row.

Jason talked with Mavs Moneyball about the importance of everyone stepping up in the scoring department against the Nets.

“I think everyone’s got to chip in. That’s 20 points that we are missing right now, and I think we are all capable of helping out on any give night. You look at Wright and the way he shot the ball tonight. Damp has been more aggressive in the sense that he’s touching the ball. And I think that’s the key—everyone is touching the ball. It’s not just Dirk and J-Ho where they have to score 40 points. And we’re just trying to play a little better defense.”

Carlisle talked to Mavs Moneyball about Jason Kidd leading the Mavs over the Nets:

“Jason Kidd all year long has stepped up his scoring when we’ve needed it. He’s hit big shots like at the end of the Chicago game. Or it’s just a consistent supply of scoring from start to finish. Tonight he gave us scoring from start to finish and had a good floor game. You know, he was just tremendous at both ends. It was a really important game for us because coming off the break the first game is always a challenge. Just from the standpoint of the physical conditioning. We had a good practice yesterday which I think helped set the tone for success tonight. But our first half was poor defensively and we needed to be better in the second. And we were.”

J-KIDD VS. HARRIS
Jason definitely made a statement last night as he out-muscled and out-shot Harris to lead the Mavs to victory.

The Star-Telegram asked J.Kidd about what is the toughest part of guarding Harris, who he limited to 5-of-18 shooting:

“Trying to keep him in front of you. That’s the hardest part. I think you just try to make it tough on him. He’s an All Star.”

No. 2 definitely made it hard on Harris all night as the old man showed that he is still one of the best. In the third quarter especially the difference between the two point guards was evident, as while Jason had 11 points and 5 assists, Harris only had 1 point and 1 assist.

Some might chalk up Jason’s strong night to having extra motivation due to playing against his old team, but as Jason told the Mavs Blog that just isn’t the case.

“No. You can’t get up too high or down too low, because the season is too long. That’s the biggest thing as a professional. It doesn’t matter if it’s an old team or if you have a personal vendetta against a player on the other team. You’ve just got to stay in the box. If you go outside the box, it can only hurt your team.”

STAYING WITH THE MAVS
Jason wants to end his career with the Mavs and after a game like last night, who wouldn’t want that to happen?

Cuban told the Dallas Morning News that he would love to have Jason stay on:

“Absolutely. As long as he can play at the level he’s at, I hope he stays on.”

Jason knows that Cuban will do everything in his power to give the Mavs the tools necessary to win, and for a player who wants to win a championship that is exactly what he is looking for.

J.Kidd is looking for a commitment, and as he told Dallasbasketball.com he believes the Mavs can give him that:

“I would love to end my career here. We’ve got a chance to win.’‘

“You would like to have a team get behind you so you can give everything you have to that team.’‘

NEXT UP
After a day off, the Mavs hit the road to take on their in-state rival the Houston Rockets at 6 pm Friday night. This game can be seen on ESPN.

Jason talked with the Star-Telegram about the Rockets being a dangerous team:

“They are a dangerous team. They are a very good team. They have Yao and Artest. I think a lot of times the role players are overlooked on that team. Rafer is a guy who can give you 20 something points and control the whole game. Battier is a great defender and knocks down threes. Yao is always the focal point and Artest, but you have to make sure that those role players don’t beat you. We got a win down there last time so hopefully we can get another one.”

RELATED STORIES
Nets at Mavericks Boxscore (NBA.com, Feb. 18th, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20090218/NJNDAL/boxscore.html
Mavs Beat Nets: Postgame Quotes (Mavs Moneyball, Feb. 18th, 2009)
http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2009/2/18/763794/mavs-beat-nets-postgame-qu
For Dallas Mavericks, what a difference a quarter makes (Star-Telegram, Feb. 19th, 2009)
http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/1212551.html
Jason Kidd: Nothing personal against the Nets (Mavs Blog, Feb. 18th, 2009)
http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/02/jason-kidd-nothing-personal-against-the.html
Kidd would like many season with Dallas Mavericks (Dallas Morning News, Feb. 18th, 2009)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/021909dnspomavsnewsletter.3146b8e.html
Mavs 113, NJ 98: And Kidd’s Negotiations Begin (DallasBasketball.com, Feb. 19th, 2009)
http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=1351