DALLAS—Jason Kidd, for as long as he has been playing basketball has always made the little plays, the ones only coaches and teammates remember long after the game has ended.
He did it again on Wednesday night—and that’s among the biggest reasons the Mavs are going to the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals for the second time in franchise history.
Dallas 100, Oklahoma City 96.
With 1:14 left in the fourth quarter, Russell Westbrook and Tyson Chandler each leaped high for a rebound. As Westbrook fell to the floor, the ball squirted under him, and Jason Terry scooped it up.
He immediately passed it to Kidd, who had an open three-pointer. Instead, he shuffled a pass to Dirk Nowitzki, who took a three-pointer in rhythm from the top of the key.
Nothing but net as the Mavs took a 95-94 lead.
With 13 seconds left and the Mavs leading 98-96, Kidd made the game’s biggest play.
Dirk missed a three-pointer and the best rebounding guard in NBA history launched his 38-year-old legs high enough to grab his fourth offensive rebound.
Kidd immediately passed the ball to Dirk, who was fouled with 13 seconds left. Dirk swished both free throws.
Ball game.
When the final horn sounded and the raucous throng at the AAC erupted into cheers, Kidd stretched his arms to the heavens and bounced excitedly up and down for several seconds.
“You can’t teach the stuff he does,” Terry said. “His game will never ever show up on the stat sheet. The loose balls he comes up with, the way he strips guys, the way he makes whatever play we need.
“When it’s the fourth quarter and he’s on the court, we just feel like we’re going to find a way to win.”
This is Kidd’s opportunity to win the ring he hoped he would get when the Mavs acquired him four years ago in the controversial trade that sent Devin Harris to New Jersey.
Sure, Kidd was old. Sure, he seemingly had to be talked into shooting. But he was a pure point guard and Harris wasn’t.
Harris, like Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, is a point guard who looks for his shot first.
On another team, that would be OK, but this is Dirk’s team. A shoot-first point guard is a disaster.
More important, Kidd could help Dirk maximize his talent by getting him the ball in his favorite spots and at just the right height, so all he had to do was shoot the ball.
And Kidd is a fierce competitor, something the soft Mavs needed. And he’s a winner.
He’d been an Olympian. And he’d taken the New Jersey Nets to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003, though they never won a title.
Kidd only scored two points in the Mavs’ clinching win on Wednesday night. He finished the game with 10 assists, seven rebounds, a steal and one turnover in nearly 34 minutes.
Sensational.
And he badly outplayed Oklahoma City’s Westbrook, the 22-year-old who was named second-team All-NBA.
In the series, Kidd had more rebounds (26-24), more assists (43-24), more steals (17-8), more three-pointers (9-2) and fewer turnovers (10-24). Westbrook, a dynamic athlete, had more points (118-48).
Kidd punished Westbrook, taking advantage of every mistake the youngster made.
Westbrook, as usual, poured in the points in Game Five. He finished with 31 points, though he needed 28 shots to get them. He also had five assists and three turnovers.
More important, he failed to orchestrate Oklahoma City’s offense in the fourth quarter, which is ultimately the point guard’s job. Oklahoma City scored two baskets in the final 4:46.
Kidd, meanwhile, directed the Mavs offense with efficiency in the fourth quarter. The relentless offensive pressure finally made Oklahoma City crack.
Dirk has been lauded the entire series, and he’s deserved every compliment. Understand, though, the Mavs don’t win this series without Kidd and all the little plays he made.
In Photo: Jason Kidd has 38-year-old legs still strong enough to snatch memorable victories. (AP)
