Kidd’s “Spectacular” Game Leads Mavericks in Series Opener Bryan Gutierre, DALLAS — There are going to be X-factors that change from game to game in a playoff series. X-factors are players that you don’t necessarily pencil in for a performance but they ultimately play a huge role in a victory. Jason Kidd proved to be the X-factor for the Mavericks by scoring 24 points in 89-81 victory for the Dallas Mavericks over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game One of the first-round playoff matchup. It was the 30th time he’s managed at least 20 points in a playoff game in his career. The 38-year-old’ s season-high was 21 points against the Lakers on Jan. 19. “Spectacular,” Rick Carlisle said of Kidd’s performance. “We had some guys that didn’t play their best games, but Jason Kidd played the game of the year to this point. Every shot he made, every play he made was absolutely essential for us. His leadership is something you can’t quantify.” The part of Kidd’s game that has made him an offensive scoring threat during the latter years of his career is his ability to be a threat from beyond the arc. Kidd shot a career-best 43% from three-point range last season, but he was only shooting 34% this season. To make matters worse, the veteran point guard was shooting only 29% from long range after the All-Star break. Part of the plan to help Kidd be ready for the playoffs was managing his minutes as the season came to an end. The rest allowed to him to get his legs back and allow his mechanics to get back into form. It appears that the plan worked out in the opening game against Portland. “I was ready,” Kidd said. “The rest definitely helped. Between coach and our trainers, they all did a great job of resting me but keeping me fresh at the same time and ready for tonight. I felt great and we got a big one under our belt (Saturday).” Here is a breakdown of Kidd’s shot-chart from Game One and how the rest did the veteran point guard good: At the rim: 0-1 From 3-9 feet away: 0-0 From 10-15 feet: 1-1 From 16-23 feet: 2-2 From three-point range: 6-10 Portland did everything they could to take Dirk Nowitzki out of the ballgame and it worked until the fourth quarter. The Trail Blazers were sending a variety of double-teams towards Nowitzki and it bothered him as he shot 5-16 from the field and only had 10 points through the first three quarters of the game. The trade-off to Portland’s gamble was leaving Kidd open and he took advantage of it. “They want me to be aggressive. We all know that Dirk (Nowitzki) and (Jason Terry) are offensive guys and they put the ball up,” Kidd explained. “But, in the playoffs you have to have other guys step up and score and I know that our opponents are going to give me that jump shot and I have to be able to knock it down. (Saturday) was a good example of that. ” The six made three-pointers marked a career-high in a playoff game (previous high was five on four different occasions). “Nobody thinks of him as a shooter,” said Blazers guard Brandon Roy when assessing Kidd’s performance. “We didn’t predict him to make six.” Kidd’s scoring touch really adds another dynamic to the team. The Mavericks were 24-6 in the regular season when Kidd scored 10+ points, 6-0 when he scored 15+ points and 2-0 when he scored 20+ points. For the Mavericks, it was definitely a sight for sore eyes to see Kidd’s shooting touch come back. In the six games leading up to the regular season finale against the New Orleans Hornets, Kidd scored a combined total of 25 points. The 12 points that Kidd had in the finale against New Orleans was a glimmer of hope that the scoring would return. Game One continued to show signs of optimism that the plan would continue to work out in Dallas’ favor. It is a given that adjustments will be made from game to game in a seven-game series. Now, it is up to the Trail Blazers to decide how they want to handle Kidd. It’s highly unlikely that he will have another scoring explosion like he did in Game One, but he probably won’t have to hit the repeat button in Game Two. The Mavericks have the ability to have a potent scoring attack and players who struggled in Game One should be able to bounce back on Tuesday. Going forward, Portland will be sure to keep tabs on Jason Kidd. If not, the Mavericks guard will be sure to come in guns blazing in an attempt to make them pay for leaving him open. --

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