Kidd deserves more credit for Mavs success

By David Mullen

The Dallas Mavericks are on the precipice of making the NBA Finals to face the Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics on Saturday, June 6. The Mavs won the first three games in the Western Conference Finals from May 22 to May 26 before losing 105-100 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on May 28 at the American Airlines Center.

But the Mavericks remain confident of winning one of the next three games, and they should be. In NBA playoff history, no team has come back from a 0-3 deficit to win four straight games. NBA teams have a 154-0 record when jumping out to a 3-0 series lead like the Mavericks. Minnesota’s task of winning the Western Conference after losing the first three games isn’t just daunting. It’s never been done. 

TNT TV analyst and former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy, and later mimicked by fellow analyst Reggie Miller, called the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving “the most talented backcourt in NBA history.” The attention afforded the Mavericks, a No. 5 seed entering the 2024 NBA Playoffs, has provided the dynamic duo of Doncic and Irving a national platform to display their talents. 

To be judged as “the most talented backcourt in NBA history,” over the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper or earlier Jerry West and Gail Goodrich of the Los Angeles Lakers, Isaiah Thomas and Joe Dumars of the Detroit Pistons and, as TNT analyst and former NBA Champion guard Kenny Smith said, “Michael Jordan and anyone else” of the Chicago Bulls, seems hyperbolic. But Doncic and Irving deserve the accolades.       

The play of Doncic and Irving in the 4 games to 2 victory over the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs and the stunning 4 games to 2 victory over the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs has led Dallas to the doorstep of the NBA Finals. But Doncic and Irving are sharing praise.

The play of small forward P.J. Washington and center Daniel Gafford — midseason acquisitions credited to Mavericks GM Nico Harrison — have taken the pressure off of Doncic and Irving and forced teams to adjust their defensive strategies to account for two more impact players. After the early February trades, the Mavericks went 15-1 with Washington and Gafford in the lineup. Dallas became a more complete team and Harrison deserves the accolades.

To assimilate the new players into an existing squad of high-level talent was the task of Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd (pictured). He is getting the most out of the Mavericks with a coaching style that he points out comes from a “player’s perspective.” That is not to discount Kidd’s strategic gift. He has always been a basketball savant, yet Kidd is not getting the accolades he deserves.

Never the biggest kid on the court, Kidd was a basketball legend on the streets of Oakland. This is not the story of some “mean streets” legend where basketball was the only way out. Kidd grew up in an upscale Oakland neighborhood with two responsible parents, was recruited to play at a private high school in nearby Alameda and earned a scholarship to the celebrated academic powerhouse University of California-Berkeley.

As a point guard at Cal, Kidd earned Freshman of the Year honors and set an NCAA record for steals and school record for assists. He was the second overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Mavericks behind Purdue’s Glenn Robinson. Kidd was NBA co-Rookie of the Year with Grant Hill. Kidd was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Steve Nash, played for the New Jersey Nets, returned to Dallas and won his only NBA Championship in 2011 with the Mavs at age 38. 

Kidd is in the conversation as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Kidd was a 10-time All-Star and is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. He was inducted into Basketball’s Hall of Fame in 2018. The point guard is often called the “Court General,” and Kidd was a four-star floor leader. Yet as a coach, he seems to be overlooked.

Irving came to the Mavericks with incredible skills but a tarnished reputation. He was considered aloof. Kidd has helped mold Irving into a soft-spoken, respected team leader. Doncic is a three-point shooting blasting cap of emotion on the court, but Kidd is working to calm down the 25-year-old superstar. Kidd has other players understanding their roles and importance on the team. His laid-back demeanor doesn’t warrant attention-getting video clips and social media soundbites, but Kidd is quietly doing a remarkable job as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.

Jason Kidd deserves accolades for the continuing success of the Mavericks. If the Mavs advance to the NBA Finals and can beat the vaunted Celtics, NBA fans nationwide should point to the Kidd.