Jason Kidd’s Last Stand?
In 2006 the Dallas Mavericks were the talk of the NBA world. Avery Johnson head them playing defense for the first time in a generation, Dirk Nowitzki was emerging as one of the top stars in the league, and their young core of Nowitkzi, Devin Harris, Josh Howard and Jason Terry looked poised to make them perennial contenders.
And then Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals happened.
Comfortably ahead as they started the fourth quarter, the Mavs looked to be a team of destiny. They had already won the first two games of the Finals against the Miami HEAT and it looked like Game 3 was a lock. Teams just don’t come back from an 0-3 hole, so it seemed the Mavericks would finally get their first championship as a franchise.
But then they choked. They choked in a way that few teams have ever choked. They choked so badly that their performance stayed with them, and is still lingering around the rafters of American Airlines Center even today. They lost the next four games and the championship, but vowed to come back stronger the next year.
They were so good during the 2006-07 regular season that they won a stunning 67 games and Nowitzki was named league MVP, but when the playoffs started . . .Chokesville. They hand-picked their opponent – the lowly Golden State Warriors – and then lost in the first round.
Ever since then the Mavs have been wandering around like the Tin Man, looking for his lost heart. They tried to trade for heart, but that hasn’t worked out. Most of the pieces from that 2006 Finals team are gone and they have a first ballot Hall-of-Fame point guard in their back court, but still they have fallen well short of their championship aspirations, losing in the first round two out of three times with Jason Kidd running the show.
Even if you weren’t around to witness that brief history of Dallas Mavericks basketball, it has to be sounding a little familiar. Last week the Mavericks took care of business at home, dropping the Portland Trail Blazers in the first two games of their first round playoff series. Then they went to Portland and lost a closely-played Game 3, but the home team is supposed to win that one. No reason for concern yet. In Game 4 Dallas built a 23-point lead in the third quarter – surely this was the end of that string of chokes. Surely now the Mavericks would shake that old monkey off their backs and blast their way into the second round. This would finally be the end of the postseason curse!
Or would it?
The seemingly unlikeliest of heroes – injured All-Star Brandon Roy – found some special mojo to overcome his injuries and almost single-handedly brought the Blazers back in the fourth quarter. He scored over, around, and through the teeth of the Mavericks’ defense, looking like the Brandon Roy of old, and when the dust settled the Mavs’ 23-point third quarter lead had turned to dust . . .with an 82-84 loss.
That brings us to tonight.
{AUTHOR_BOX}Which Dallas Mavericks team will take the court as the lights go up on Game 5 tonight? Will they come out with a huge chip on their collective shoulets and destroy the Blazers, or will they come out looking beaten and watch as the Blazers turn an 0-2 hole into a 3-2 advantage? Will they show the heart and poise of the championship team they so often claim to be, or will they slip quietly, prematurely, into the offseason once again?
The Mavericks simply can’t afford to do that, and Jason Kidd deserves better. Sure, he has one more year left on his contract, but it’s abundantly clear that his best days are behind him. The 82-game season takes its toll, and while his court vision is still ridiculously good and he can still get into the passing lanes and mix things up, he can’t be expected to carry the load of a starting point guard for much longer. Even in this series, he looked great in the first two games after getting a little breather late in the season, but by Game 3 Andre Miller was getting the best of him.
It makes you wonder – is this Kidd’s last stand? Is this his last chance to return to the NBA Finals? Will it end unceremonously with a first round exit?
The Dallas Mavericks need to make a statement tonight. They need to show that the championship talk is more than just talk. We’ve seen them look very title-worthy at times this season, and with Kobe hobbled and the Spurs looking very beatable, this could be a golden opportunity for the Mavs to reach for the ultimate prize.
But first they have to shake that choker mentality. They need to show the same heart, courage and determination that Brandon Roy in Portland over the weekend.
And they had better do it tonight, because if they lose Game 5 at home there will be no Game 7.
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