04/20/2011 - 20:57 J-Kidd Does It Again by Rob Tucker His team trailing by two points at halftime on Tuesday night, Jason Kidd decided that it was up to him to look for his shot and get the Mavericks back out in front. So that's exactly what he did. On the Mavs' first second half possession, J-Kidd sank a triple from the right wing. A minute later he sank a long bucket from just inside the arc. Portland answered with a bucket to tie the game at 55. But on Dallas' next two offensive trips, Jason seized momentum. First, he drove to the hoop for an easy two point layup. Moments later, he sank an 18-foot banker from the right elbow. All told, Jason poured in his team's first nine points of the quarter and gave them a 59-55 lead. It was an advantage they would not relinquish on their way to a 101-89 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. The victory gives Dallas a 2-0 lead in their first round playoff series with Portland. After the win, coach Rick Carlisle heaped praise on J-Kidd for getting the Mavs going in the second half. "I don't know how many shots Kidd hit exactly coming out of halftime, but he hit the first three or four. Again, with our team, we need different guys to step up at different times, and finding that person or having the guys on the floor find that person is key," Carlisle said. "Kidd was really important to us at the beginning of the third quarter. We're down 2 points, and it just was a very difficult game in the first half and the beginnings of the third quarter have been really tough for us." Jason, perhaps from all his sweet play these past two games, sat down late in the third with an upset stomach. But he returned midway through the fourth quarter to help the Mavs finish off the win. "Just a little bit too much sugar," he joked. "I had a little upset stomach, but I'm fine. When I was sick my teammates were picking me up and they got the lead. We were rolling, so I didn't mind getting sick at that point." J-Kidd finished with 18 points on 7-of-11 from the field to go along with eight assists, four rebounds and a blocked shot. Those expecting an offensive slowdown from the veteran, like Bob Sturm, a contributor to The Dallas Morning News, were pleasantly surprised by the effort: "I guess those of us who believe that Jason Kidd would not be able to match his Game 1 offensive performance were proven wrong. His Game 2 offensive show was equally dominant with 18 points and 8 assists. We can continue to debate how long this run will last and whether sitting out 2 games can really rejuvenate his game this much. Or, we can just enjoy this ride and see where it can take the Mavericks." Center Tyson Chandler said that he wasn't surprised in the least by J-Kidd's second straight solid performance: "That doesn't surprise me. He's a Hall-of-Famer and that's what Hall-of-Famers do," Chandler said. "A little rest and an understanding of an opportunity. I think he wants to seize the moment—we have a special opportunity this year and we don't want to leave anything out there. When he's scoring like that, it boosts everybody." Jason Terry noted that any sort of attention drawn by J-Kidd helps to get somebody else open: "This year he has made it a point, 'You have to guard me.' It makes us a better team," Terry said. LOOKING FOR HIS SHOT For Jason, the outstanding play has come from his decision to be more aggressive and find open looks. He told ESPN Dallas' Jeff Caplan after Game 2 that it was just up to him to take advantage: "Kidd has scored 42 points in the first two games. It's his best two-game scoring total of the season and after being stuck in a miserable shooting rut since early March, Kidd has come out of it flaming, knocking down 9-of-16 shots from 3-point range. Not only has he knocked down the weakside 3-pointer, Kidd has created for himself by sneaking into the paint or dribbling into space on the wing and knocking down the mid-range jumper. He is 16-of-25 from the floor overall. "I think in this league everybody is going to give me an opportunity to shoot, so that's no secret. So, it's just being in that mindset of, maybe, 2005." Jason got his game going right away on Tuesday, dishing to teammate Shawn Marion for the Mavs' first two points of the game. After another dime to Dirk Nowitzki, Jason hit his first trey at the three-minute mark of the first period to pull his trailing Dallas team to within five, 17-12. Both teams went shot-for-shot in the second, with Jason hitting another triple at the midway point of the period. He added a circus two-pointer when he drew a foul with his foot on the line and heaved up an off balance shot that fell in as if by magic. The ensuing free throw gave the Mavs a brief 41-40 lead. At halftime they trailed by just two and the deficit was quickly erased by J-Kidd as Dallas surged to victory. "He had his confidence and he was looking for his shot," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. Rob Mahoney of The Two Man Game credited No. 2 for stepping up in the clutch with another big night: Jason Kidd (18 points, 7-11 FG, 3-6 3FG, eight assists, four rebounds) reprised his role as unexpected three-point marksman, and even made a layup just for the hell of it. Again: it's not important that Kidd, specifically, produce like this on offense every night out, but it is important that someone does. If not Kidd then Terry, and if not Terry then Shawn Marion, etc. For now, it's simply great to see Kidd performing at an elite level in the playoffs, something he's never done in his Maverick career. Fresh legs are only the half of it; Kidd is flat-out playing better ball than he did for large stretches of the regular season, and his scoring has added a fantastic new dimension to the Maverick offense. Expectations based on Kidd's late-season performance, fatigue, and age be damned — Kidd has been a pillar for Dallas in the playoffs thus far. Jennifer Floyd Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, wrote an apologetic column to Jason for doubting him: Let's all engage in a little slow clap for JKidd. His scoring came early and was not as flashy, yet for a second game his fingerprints were everywhere on this Mavs W. In assists. In transition. In composure. In leadership when things looked a little dicey. In helping this Mavs team do more than eke out a free-throw-line victory but rather impose its will and show how very different it can be. BALL CONTROL In the second half, keyed by Jason's nine-point surge at the open, the Mavs really took control. But aside from their scoring, there was one other key stat that provided a boon for the Mavericks down the stretch. Dallas committed no turnovers in the final two quarters of play and committed just six—a franchise record low in a playoff game—for the game. ESPN Dallas' Calvin Watkins explains: "Of all the stats coming out of Game 2, this was a big one: zero second-half turnovers for the Mavericks. The Mavericks tied a franchise-low for a playoff game with six turnovers total. It's been done four other times in team history. The last time the Mavericks lost the ball came with 4:42 to play in the second quarter. "I think we've shown we can toss the ball out of bounds with the best of them," Mavs point guard Jason Kidd said. "The big thing is we appreciate the ball this time of year. We've talked about it and we won't harp on it. When you start to harp on it you take away that freedom and creativity. So guys have been really good about it." --

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