The Jason Kidd Saturday Roundup

Pretty amazing performance by Kidd last night -- hope you were able to see it.  19 points, 16 rebounds, 17 assists, 2 steals.  In the fourth quarter alone he had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.  Then he added four more rebounds and another assist during overtime...

The last time a player had a 15+/15+/15+ triple-double was 1996 -- and it was Jason Kidd (box score).  And via mavsstats, since 1986 only four players have had a 19p/15r/15a triple-double -- Magic (twice), Bird, Lever, and Jason Kidd (twice).

And oh yeah, Dirk had 37 and 9.

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Mavs 111, Hawks 103: The Genius Of Jason Kidd, As Described By, Among Others, Del Harris | DB.com
But the hero of the night was Kidd, who has been terrific in all seven games since the All-Star Break and the Wizards trade (his scoring numbers: 12, 10, 10, 18, 21, 14 and now 19). Here he outplayed everybody on the floor (19 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds gives him his 104th triple-double of his career, third most behind only Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson) … and on one occasion outplayed one guy who wasn’t supposed to be on the floor. ''The coach is not supposed to be on the floor,'' Kidd said. ''You see that a lot in games. The NBA has so many rules, and there is a coaching box, and some of the coaches do stretch that box. For me, it's just a reaction. Make something happen. It was a big play for us. … I thought from there, mentally, we took control of the game.’’

Kidd's savvy coach bump kept Mavs' winning streak alive | Sefko - DMN
"Ask Joe Johnson or any of their players, if they had a chance to do the same thing, they would," he said. "If they thought of it." That's a huge if.

Technical assistance helps Mavericks OT win over Hawks | Sefko - DMN
Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 37 points, hit the free throw on the technical foul. Without it, the Mavericks might not have made it to overtime, where they scored the first seven points and didn't allow the Hawks to score until under a minute was left and the win was in hand. "He's the smartest player I've ever seen," Nowitzki said. Coach Rick Carlisle also had high praise. "I don't know if there's ever been a smarter player in this league," Carlise [sic] said. "There may be a few equals. Magic Johnson, Bird, Jordan, a few others. But I tell you, to have the presence of mind to make that happen at a critical situation is just amazing."

The Hawks lose on a night when losing seemed impossible | Mark Bradley - AJC
The Mavs dusted off their zone — Jamal Crawford: “They saved it for the end; that was smart on their part” — and the Hawks could do nothing against it. Horford: “They couldn’t guard us one-on-one.” But that’s the point. The Mavs overrode their weakness. As Woodson noted, the Hawks “controlled the game until the six- or seven-minute mark.” Then they threw it away.

Woodson takes the hit as Kidd, Mavs stun Hawks  | ajc.com
The Hawk said Kidd’s collision with Woodson and the technical foul shifted the game’s momentum. “It kind of changed the game, but that’s not what lost the game for us,” Johnson said. “They went zone, and we couldn’t get no continuity on offense.”

Jason Kidd's unusually clever play | John Hollinger - ESPN
Kidd’s veteran move was one of two rare plays he contributed to in the fourth to help rally Dallas from a 13-point deficit in the last five and a half minutes of regulation. The other was a five-point play with 4:50 to go that cut Atlanta’s lead from 11 to six. First, Dallas got a foul and basket from Brendan Haywood. When he missed the subsequent free throw, Kidd grabbed the offensive rebound and quickly pitched it out to an open Jason Terry, who sank a 3.

Kidd's scoring key to Mavs winning | Jeff Caplan - ESPN Dallas
Kidd's recent point surge has his season average nearing 10.0 a game. It took him until Feb. 5 to take his scoring average consistently into the 9-point-a-game range. When's he's scored in double figures this season, the Mavs are 20-10. More critical is Kidd posting 14 points or more. When he does, the Mavs are 10-3, including 4-0 in the seven games since the All-Star break.

Mavericks' Caron Butler says he'll play Sunday | DMN
After the game, Butler said: "I'm feeling better. I'll be out there Sunday."