What a game! What a win! I am so proud of these players who gave it their all when a lot of people gave up on them.
When they went down 29, I told myself "oh damn. This is going to be difficult.. probably impossible"... But I was hoping against hope and logic that they would turn this thing around and come out with a competitive game.
Everybody played really well in the 2nd half. Dirk didn't settle for jumpers and he was very aggressive driving to the basket and getting the boards. You could see his aggressiveness in the 2nd half. Those tip ins, that 2 handed dunk, the left handed layup off of a great pass from Kidd, he was great!
Jet was amazing. He didn't let his horrible first half deter him from trying and once he found his groove, he was unstoppable. He has been amazing this season. His clutch shooting in the 2nd half was huge. He really benefits from the pick and roll with Dirk and of course, those crazy lead passes from Kidd. Great game from him.
Josh was a pleasant surprise. If he could actually continue to play "smart basketball" then this team would really be very good. Those corner 3s (from Dirk and Kidd) were huge. He didn't force his shots in the 2nd half and was playing with a lot of energy and heart. It was nice to see him play "team ball" and actually have fun while doing it. That smile after that made basket was priceless.
Damp was a beast. He was amazing. He was defending and rebounding like a mad man. His dunk which came from a brilliant pass by Kidd was huge. It seemed to inspire not only him but also the entire team. It was great to see such emotion from the big man. Its great to actually see him "expect the pass from Kidd" on the break. You could see him lift his hands and prepare because he knew he would get the ball for that massive dunk. Great game from him too.
And of course, Jason Kidd. What a fantastic 2nd half. It was one of those games when you could tell yourself "he won't let this team lose"... and you saw it in every facet of his game. He was all over the place. He is such an underrated defender. His team defense is probably one of the best, if not the best, in this team. His timely steals, his great defense, his phenomenal passes, his overall impact and leadership was amazing. It was great to see such a performance from him. He has been good the past games but he didn't really have his "imprint" on the game.. the usual impact you would like to see. Last night, he put his stamp on the game. That was vintage Kidd.
Even Diop (he has been dunking the ball - WOW), Singleton and Wright had good games. It was such a great team effort that it was so fun to watch. You can only smile in awe after seeing your team fight back after such a big deficit.
I think I have watched the 2nd half around 4x since last night. And I'm going to watch it over and over til the next Mavs game.
Go Mavs! What an inspiring win!