‘DIRKIDD’! OR IS IT ‘KIDDIRK’?

[Dirkenstien]

That video was classic. Oh, man. I'm loving it although I wish there was a bash for Amare in there. I reeall can't stand that guy.

[monty55555]

Through four games, the Mavericks have been singing praises about Jason Kidd, that he's even more impressive as a teammate than he was as an opponent.

Turns out, the feeling is mutual.

Kidd has had a crash course in all things Mavericks, not the least of which is learning what makes Dirk Nowitzki one of the NBA's best scorers, and last season, an MVP.

Kidd got a close-up example when the team was in Minneapolis over the weekend.

"You hear whispers about his work ethic," Kidd said of Nowitzki. "Being on the other side, you can say, 'Yeah, OK.'

"But to see it in person, you just say, 'Wow.' That's what happened in Minnesota. I told him I wanted to shoot whenever he'd go because you hear about him going to work out all the time.

"It's a lot of fun in the sense that you just don't understand how hard he works at his game. That can only make me better and hungry, because if he puts in that kind of time, I need to do the same thing."

Kidd has had the good fortune of catching Nowitzki at his absolute best. The key question is whether it's a coincidence, but it doesn't seem likely. Since Kidd joined the Mavericks, Nowitzki has averaged 29 points and made better than 50 percent of his shots in all four games.

It's the first time all season he's had four consecutive games of making at least half his shots.

Nowitzki has credited Kidd. Kidd credits Nowitzki.

And you can envision the two of them on a deserted practice gym in frozen Minnesota and only think of one thing: It's reminiscent of all those hours Nowitzki and Steve Nash put in at dozens of gyms across America when they were teammates.

Those sweat sessions produced a beautiful relationship. And it sounds like Kidd and Nowitzki have established the foundation that could yield a similar bond.

"He's helped me from Day 1," Kidd said. "Going out to dinner in New Orleans, just talking basketball and working out in Minnesota. With everything else we're counting on him to do, that just shows his leadership and maturity."

And, of course, Nowitzki has been downright bubbly about the addition to Kidd. There are times when he still has to work hard for his shots. But mostly, he is getting easier looks at the basket.

And when he's pulling up for a 3-pointer, the confident look is back.

Nowitzki is 6-of-7 from beyond the arc in the Mavericks' three-game winning streak.

What has Kidd more intrigued, however, is another side of Nowitzki's game. In the first quarter against Chicago on Monday, Kidd hit Nowitzki with a pass on a fast break, and the 7-footer made a two-handed tip pass to Jerry Stackhouse.

The play ended up yielding no points as Nowitzki missed a fadeaway, but it was a terrific sign to Kidd.

"It's like everybody is passing the ball now and having fun," he said. "That's a huge key for this team. And with Dirk, passing is in him. He can find the open guy."

It is that unselfish nature that the Mavericks hope will be a pillar for success in this mutual-admiration society.

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