He emphasized the importance of closing to his Mavs teammates after their Game 5 win, and then, in Game 6 Jason Kidd went out and did it.

The Mavericks went into Portland’s Rose Garden for Game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals on Thursday night, holding a 3-2 series lead with a chance to close. They built up a 17-point edge, only to watch it dwindle to one. J-Kidd knew that Portland wouldn’t go quietly:

"We knew they were gonna make a run," he said. "We saw that in Game 4. But everybody kept their composure."

With a loss, the Mavs would have been faced with playing a do-or-die Game 7 on Saturday and, even if they won that game, losing some much needed days of rest for their next matchup.

Instead, Jason knocked down a key triple, giving his Mavericks an 89-85 lead with five minutes to go. Jason Terry followed with a long two and Dirk Nowitzki made eight straight free throws down the stretch to clinch a 103-96 Mavericks win and the series.

The victory sent Dallas to the second round of the playoffs for the second time in three years. They’ll face the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. It will be the first meeting between the two teams in the postseason since 1988.

After Game 6, Nowitzki argued that it was J-Kidd’s trey that buoyed the Mavs to victory, rather than letting another lead slip away:

"The Jason Kidd 3 really to me was the big shot of the game," Dirk Nowitzki said. "This was kind of our Game 7. We didn’t want to play again Saturday. Get Kidd a couple of days of rest before we go in a tough environment in L.A. We definitely talked about it before the game, that this was our Game 7, and that’s the way both teams played."

Jason’s clutch three looked familiar because he had taken another from almost the same spot and in a similarly crucial moment during Game 4 that didn’t go down. With another chance in front of him, the future hall-of-famer was ready, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas wrote:

"This one ripped the net, giving the Mavs a bit of breathing room in a game they pulled away to win to end the series.

"I rushed it in Game 4," Kidd said. "I had plenty of time to shoot it. I got a little excited. I thought if the ball came to me, just to relax and take my time. That’s what I did."

It was the only shot Kidd made during the fourth quarter, coming after the Blazers slashed a 17-point lead to one with a little more than five minutes remaining. Portland never made it a one-possession game again."

Bob Sturm of The Dallas Morning News called it "the biggest shot that he has made as a Maverick."

No. 2 finished with seven points, six assists, two rebounds and two steals. The final steal came just moments after the clutch triple, as Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas explained:

"The Mavericks’ 17-point lead with 1:25 to go in the third quarter was down to 86-85 with 5:28 left in the game. What would transpire in those final minutes of Thursday’s Game 6 would either send the Mavs on to the second round or set them up for another round of well-earned bashing.

With their 23-point collapse in Game 4 still fresh, Dallas went on an 11-4 run to put the game away, getting four huge baskets down the stretch. Jason Kidd started it with a corner 3-pointer to push the lead back up to four, at 89-85. He came right back and stripped LaMarcus Aldridge in the paint and got the ball to Jason Terry, who buried a jumper for a 91-85 lead with 4:04 to go."

Jason noted that the road playoff victory was proof positive of Dallas’ mental toughness—a key component of any championship squad, as quoted by Mavs Moneyball:

"It just shows the maturity of a veteran ballclub, having short-term memory, moving on and getting that win in Game 5, and then coming up here and then winning on the road."

MAVS RESPOND
Portland, drawing on its home court advantage jumped out to an early lead in Game 6 and led 27-19 after one. But rather than lay down and ready themselves for Game 7, the Mavs regained focus.

They responded with an outstanding second quarter that saw them excel on both ends of the court. Dallas poured in 33 points during the second and held the Blazers to a paltry 16. By half the tables had turned and the Mavs led 52-43.

"We’re not known for being a defensive team," Kidd said. "We were communicating down the stretch and really trying to show them different looks. Game 4 really prepared us for that. As much as we were embarrassed, in the long run, I think it was a good thing that it happened because we were in the same situation and the big thing is nobody panicked. Even just up one, we just kept playing."

After taking the lead in the second, Dallas wasn’t about to slow down in the third. Jason nailed a jumper from the free throw line to put the first points on the board in the second half and extend the lead to 54-43. He followed that bucket with an assist to Shawn Marion.

Midway through the quarter it was Jason again sparking the offense, as he had a hand in four straight scoring possessions. He handed out three assists and hit a long two-pointer from the corner to give the Mavs a 15-point, lead, 67-52, and force a Portland time out. Dallas pushed the edge as high as 17 with 1:24 left in the third.

The Blazers gave it their best shot at a comeback in the fourth, but as coach Rick Carlisle noted after the win, it was the big three of J-Kidd, Jet and Dirk that carried the Mavs to victory:

"Tonight, Nowitzki, Kidd and Terry weren’t going to let us lose the game. It was simple as that," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "…They made a run in the fourth. We’ve had teams make runs at us all year, but there wasn’t going to be a miracle tonight.

Brian Hendrickson of SI.com agreed:

"While the series had its dramatic moments, it never got as tight as the matchups suggested it would be. Dallas outperformed Portland at virtually every position, getting multiple memorable performances that kept them thoroughly in control all series.

Dirk Nowitzki played like an MVP, Jason Kidd single-handedly won a game, Jason Terry outperformed Portland’s entire bench and Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood set a physical tone inside that the Blazers couldn’t match. Dallas had players come up with heroic performances each night."

Carlisle was happy to see his team come to grips with where they were and what needed to be done:

"A big part of life is acceptance of your situation, whatever it is. And you’ve got to make the best of whatever is thrown at you and thrown your way. And, hey, I tell you what, I tell you this, walking in this place and playing a playoff game is no fun, brother. This is the loudest place I’ve ever been and I’ve been in a lot of places in 27 years, trust me.

"For our guys to hang in and be able to win in this environment is huge for us. To go through what we went through in Game 4, these things happen for a reason. But we feel our work has just begun."

NEXT UP
Jason will have the weekend to rest his legs before another grueling seven-game series begins with the Lakers on Monday night in Los Angeles. Below is a schedule for the entire series:

Game 1 – Mon., Dallas at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)
Game 2 – Wed., Dallas at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)
Game 3 – Fri., May 6, L.A. Lakers at Dallas, TBD (ESPN)
Game 4 – Sun., May 8, L.A. Lakers at Dallas, TBD (ABC)
Game 5 * Tue., May 10, Dallas at L.A. Lakers, TBD (TNT)
Game 6 * Thu., May 12, L.A. Lakers at Dallas, TBD (ESPN)
Game 7 * Sun., May 15, Dallas at L.A. Lakers, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

*If necessary. All times Central.

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