On the night of March 5, Jason Kidd faced his first real crisis in his three years as Mavericks coach.
The season, and perhaps his job, was in jeopardy.
After a 17-point loss at home to Indiana, Dallas' fifth loss in six games, nearly 40 minutes elapsed before Kidd emerged from the locker room to speak to reporters, and reporters were not able to talk to the team. asked pointed questions about the state of affairs.
Kidd answered all questions calmly and patiently over a period of 15 minutes.
“It's actually a great test for us. It's going to be even tougher in April, May and June, so we'll see if we can get through the difficult period in March,” he said that night. “So this is a great test of, 'Do you let go of the rope?'”
Six weeks later, as the Mavericks approach the start of Sunday's first-round playoff series against the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena, it's clear they're holding onto that rope rather tightly.
This is clear from their record of 16 wins and 2 losses immediately after losing to Indiana.
That's pretty decisive, as 11 of those wins were by double-digit points and the average margin of victory was 14.4 points.
Obviously, Kidd's decision to insert Daniel Gafford and Derrick Jones Jr. into the starting lineup was a big change that saved the season, and that night, March 5th, the team was asked by reporters to review this game. It was the answer to the question Kidd posed when asked. Adversity with 1 win and 5 losses.
“Yeah, if we get hot, everyone's going to ask, 'So how did this turn around?' “It’s about the group coming together and coming to work every day with a positive attitude and energy, and having fun,” Kidd said.
Kidd is in the third season of a four-year contract. So does general manager Nico Harrison.
Kidd's tenure has been a roller coaster, with more peaks than lows. A 16-18 start in his first season, 2021-22, saw Dallas win 36 of the final 48 games of the regular season and advance to the Western Conference Finals, defeating 64-win Phoenix in the semifinals. It was quickly forgotten.
However, Dallas missed the playoffs last season with 38 wins and 44 losses, causing some fans to experience amnesia from the previous year. Six weeks ago, when Dallas fell to a 34-28 deficit in a lethargic loss to Indiana, fans and reporters wondered if the Mavericks would repeat last season's collapse.
Earlier this week, Kidd was asked if he thought the team's late-season surge was vindicated. After the March 5 loss, at least one national NBA analyst, ESPN's Tim Legler, wondered if Kidd's job was in jeopardy.
“That's just part of a coach's job,” Kidd said. “I'm going to be criticized for what other people think. There's nothing I can do but do my job and support and help the players in the locker room.
“Patience is not the key to life, [just] Both in sports and in real life. I hope people understand that. But those guys in the locker room understood perseverance and understood the journey. The season didn't end on March 5th. It wasn't his first loss. It wasn't my first time losing badly.
“Justified? No, the goal is to win a championship. I had the opportunity to do it as a player and [assistant] coach.I would like to try it again this time [head] coach. “
In an exclusive discussion with news Two weeks ago, Harrison credited the coaching staff and players for getting his team out of the depths of a 1-5 record.
“I think it's just that we have the right group of players. We have the right coaching staff. We have the right team to surround this team,” Harrison said. “Everyone goes through tough times, but . . . that's how you get out of it. That's what defines you.”
Kidd and his staff helped the Mavericks go from having the NBA's worst defensive rating (127.3) in their first seven games after the All-Star break to having the No. 1 defensive rating (106.0) in the 16-2 game. showed adaptability.
On the theme of adaptability, Kidd and staff have also transformed the speed and aggressiveness of Dallas' offense, going from a team that finished 28th in pace last season to a team that finished seventh in pace this season. .
And what about Dallas' 5-11 record last season in games where Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving played together? Old news.
“The coaches did a great job,” Harrison said. news 2 weeks ago. “One, when you have two superstar players, first and foremost, getting them to play together at a high level, respecting each other's play and playing together, is the key to the success of the tournament. “You always have to step away from your game a little bit in order to be a team.”
“It's great to be able to do that. Jason and his staff have done that at a high level. If that doesn't happen, we won't be successful.”
It seems like the head coach and staff should be lining up for a contract extension. What's more, Harrison and his staff's efforts to revamp the roster around Doncic and Irving also seem worthy of an extension.
Perhaps new Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont, whose family purchased majority ownership of the franchise in late December, is waiting for the outcome of this postseason before considering a contract extension. unknown.
But right before Part III of the Mavericks vs. Clippers series, one thing is clear. The Mavericks didn't let him off the ropes in March. This was despite the fact that many of us were watching closely for any signs of slippage.
twitter: @townblood
Read more of Dallas Morning News' Mavericks coverage here.
