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For the Mavs, Two Heads Are Better Than One

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks are in a unique position. They have a skilled head coach in the form of Rick Carlisle. They also have one of the greatest minds in the game as their floor general in the form of Jason Kidd. “It’s very unique because we’ve got a coach on the floor and then we’ve got a coach on the bench,” Mavs center Tyson Chandler said. “They communicate with one another and tell each other what they’re seeing out there. It’s very beneficial for us.”

It took some time for Carlisle, Kidd and the Mavericks to click as a unit, but they have found their way as they are now in the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. “It didn’t pan out right away with the J-Kidd thing, but I think we see what kind of leader he is on and off the floor,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “He’s been phenomenal not only this year but the last couple of years.”

When it comes to the relationship between Carlisle and Kidd, Nowitzki has seen the partnership between the two really develop as they are truly on the same page. “I think J-Kidd and Carlisle play great off of each other,” Nowitzki explained. “They know when to push him. Coach knows when to let J-Kidd do his own thing and call a bunch of different plays in a role by himself.” The flow offense that the Mavericks heavily rely on is a mesh of Carlisle’s Xs and Os skill-set and Kidd’s improvisation and pinpoint passing abilities. “When we’ve got to call plays I’ll call them once in a while, but he’s great at that too,” Carlisle said. “The more he can do it the better our team plays.”

During the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Carlisle went out of his way to describe Kidd’s basketball IQ. “Savant-like,” Carlisle quickly said, before rattling off names like Larry Bird, John Stockton, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson as deserving of being lumped with Kidd on the short list of the greatest brainiacs the league has ever seen. “He has the ability to process situations at a higher level than a lot of us. It’s part of his genius as a player and as a leader.” At age 38, Kidd has a true appreciation for the game and for Carlisle’s praise. “It’s a compliment, but I love the competition no matter at what age. I’m a big fan of the game,” Kidd said. “Seeing these young guys playing at the level that they are, I just wish I was 22 or 23 years old so I could handle the game the way they do.”

Kidd notes a major characteristic that Carlisle possesses which has kept the team poised as they’ve made their run to the Finals. “He is always calm,” Kidd said in regards to his coach. “When we’re down, he doesn’t get flustered or he doesn’t panic. He’s always reminding us to just keep grinding it, stay the course and we’ll find a way to win. When you look over to the sideline and see guys not panicking, that gives you a sense of calmness.” The two might be tied to the hip in that department as Tyson Chandler noted in the historic Game 4 comeback against the Thunder that Kidd was telling all of the players to keep their head and stay in the moment. Carlisle and Kidd’s resourcefulness and their never-quit mentality has put the team in the position they are in. It’s given them the ability to believe that they will be in every game they play as long as there is still time left on the clock.

The poise and confidence Carlisle has shown over the course of his time with the Mavericks has given them the opportunity to reduce any unnecessary wear and tear over the course of this run in the playoffs. With the closeout victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Carlisle moved to 10-3 all-time in closeout games. He is 4-0 in closeout situations as coach of the Mavericks. The 10-3 closeout record is tied with Tommy Heinsohn for best win percentage (.769) in NBA history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The win percentage ranks higher than Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich.

On player who has always been vocal in his admiration of Kidd has been Jason Terry. The overall unselfishness, day-to-day mentality and overall imprint Kidd has left on the identity of the Mavericks has not been lost on Terry. “When you look in his eyes and see what this time means to him, it makes you go out and put forth extra effort,” Terry said. Another extension of Kidd’s basketball IQ is the fact that he’s gone up against Brandon Roy, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant in this year’s playoff run and Kidd has held his own every step of the way. Kidd has continued to step up as another go-to defender for the Mavericks. Terry has noticed what Kidd does that sets him apart from the rest. “He uses his brain and that’s very underrated,” Terry said. “A guy being able to know what the opponent is about to do before they even do it.”

One of the things monitored by Carlisle was the amount of minutes that Kidd logged over the course of the season. Kidd averaged 33:12 minutes of action over the course of the regular season, marking his lowest average in terms of minutes he’s had in his career. Kidd logged 80 games played this season and last season, but the minutes tell the story. Kidd logged 2,881 minutes played last season, and the point guard logged only 2,653 minutes this season. “Even though he’s not playing the minutes that he used to play, he’s a superstar player on our team,” Carlisle said. “We knew we had to get his minutes down. We were able to figure out a rotation that helped us do that. We’re always a better basketball team when he’s our facilitator on the court.”

At 38-years-old, Kidd still feels he can leave his mark as productive player on the Mavericks. “I know I’m not going to be playing 35 minutes a night, so I still have a lot to give back to the game and hopefully a younger point guard I can help develop and share my notes with him and make him a better player,” Kidd said. “So, I still have a lot left to give to the game.”

Kidd is currently grouped together in a group of players such as John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing who were fantastic players but never broke through and won a title. The point guard has never been in the ‘He’s great, but he hasn’t won’ debate, but he does know one thing he’s been labeled during this season on a consistent basis: a 38-year-old guard. “You guys got me with the age thing,” Kidd said with a big smile. The savvy guard has one year remaining on his deal and he still has every intention of fulfilling that commitment, championship ring or not.

The player and the coach appreciate the moment of being in the Finals, but they understand that’s only part of the mission. “It’s been a long journey. We all expected things to happen a little quicker in a sense of being a little more competitive and being in the Finals,” Kidd said. “Patience is one thing and also just understanding the game of basketball can be very nice to you and cruel at the same time. We’re enjoying this moment, but we have to try to find a way to win four games.” Carlisle was more matter of fact when it came breaking down the moment of being in the Finals for the first time as a head coach. “That’s great, but we’re in it to win,” Carlisle concluded.

As the team travels to Miami for the first two games of the series, the Mavericks have stressed staying in the moment and not letting the stage that is the Finals consume them. The Mavericks are in good hands with Rick Carlisle and Jason Kidd at the helm.

http://www.mavsfastbreak.com/2011/05...er-than-one-2/