Jason Kidd Turns Up the Heat

Since they stole the championship from us in 2006, it has always been fun for me to watch us beat the Miami Heat. But winning against them without their star, Dwyane "Golden Boy" Wade in the lineup, just doesn't have the same thrill. On the plus side, though, it did prove that maybe moving Josh Howard out and bringing Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood in was exactly the right move for these Mavericks, who managed to pull out a 3-1 in record while playing four games in five nights and breaking in two new players with little to no practice time.

Watching the game, I still find myself thinking, what in the world has gotten into Jason Kidd? It's like the trade and fresh faces have totally re-inspired Kidd and he is showing at all over the court, at both ends of the floor. I have personally always thought Kidd to be a great defender when it comes crunch time in the game. Even at his "advanced age," he isn't shy about throwing his body to the floor in an effort to save the loose ball, and his quick hands always seem to be swiping the ball away from the opponent, especially on key fourth quarter possessions. As good as I believe Kidd to be, he somehow finds a way to turn it up another notch in the fourth quarter.
Against the Heat, J-Kidd finished the game with 21 points, five rebounds, 11 assists, and three steals. The guy is just unbelievable, and only in the past week have I really heard other people begin to appreciate who he is, what he does, and everything that he bring to this team. After the amazing week that Jason Kidd has had, if he doesn't get named Western Conference Player of the Week this week, there is no justice in the NBA.

The Mavs conquered the Heat, 97-91, and like every other game of late, they wouldn't have won without the inspired play of Jason Kidd. Since the All-Star break, Kidd's numbers are up across the board; he is averaging 15 points per game on 51% shooting, including 46% from three point land, while still dishing out nearly 9 assists a game and managing three steals. While many are concerned with the large number of minutes per game Kidd has logged coming out of the break, Kidd himself is not concerned, and said he even prefers to play more minutes. He realizes it's unusual, he said, but his body feels better when he spends 36-40 minutes on the court and less time on the bench. Like Dirk Nowitzki, Kidd also realizes that as each year passes, his chances of winning a championship dwindle a little further.

"As the window gets smaller, you have to make sure that you leave everything out on the floor," Kidd said.

Those sound like the words of a true champion.