It's a pretty improbable stat, but last night, Jason Kidd won the first game of a series, and it's a first since he arrived in Dallas!
This is obviously an anecdote since under his leadership, the Mavericks still reached the conference final twice, but it's always good to take when you regain, as a bonus, home field advantage. Especially for Jason Kidd, as in 2022 against the Warriors, his players are not favorites.
“We are still the outsiders, and it’s a role we appreciate” he explains. “We have to play, and understand how to win away. These are just adjustments. We do it, they do it… It's about being ready. Conley has found himself in this situation before. Gobert too. They have players who know that everything is not decided in one match, and that it is a series. For us, the goal is to know how to do better in Game 2. This is completely new for us because we don't usually win Game 1. We must understand how we achieved this, and how we can do it again. »
Keep Doncic and Irving under 40 minutes
After highlighting Kyrie Irving for his start to the match, the coach highlighted the defensive performance of Luka Doncic in the last action, but also his ability to raise his level of play in the 4th quarter. Unlike Tom Thibodeau, Jason Kidd rested Doncic in the first half, and for him, that's the key.
“Maybe it’s the rest early in the match…” confirms the coach. “We try to keep Luka and Kyrie under 40 minutes to be able to finish the marathon. It's a serie. Often, we focus on a single match. But one thing leads to another. We had the luxury of resting him just before halftime, knowing the second half was going to be a struggle. I hope that helped him get into the fourth quarter and put in the shots he put in all season long. But also to find the unmarked players and to make his free throws.
