When the game is on the line, the Dallas Mavericks know that they have the best man for the job running the offense.

With a huge win over the Boston Celtics in peril, the Mavs turned to Jason Kidd for the team’s final two baskets. But J-Kidd didn’t shoot, instead the NBA’s active assists leader found the open man on each possession to give his team the 89-87 victory over the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

With 1:42 remaining in the fourth and his team down by three, Jason Kidd penetrated into the lane and quickly kicked the ball out to a wide-open Jason Terry for the tie. Terry described the play to Mavs Moneyball afterwards:

"It’s funny, I had told Jason Kidd two minutes prior, I said, ‘Man, look, if you happen to get in the lane, I’m gonna be standing over here waiting.’ I don’t know, they took an eye off of me for a second, and he must have remembered what I said, because he threw it blind and it was a perfect pass. All I had to do was let it fly."

Less than a minute later, the Mavs were in a position to take the lead and knew where they were going to go with the ball. As the clock ticked down, the set play broke down, but it was Jason who found Dirk Nowitzki with 18 seconds left for the win. Nowitzki described the fina seconds to Fox Sports:

"Well, originally the plan was to come to the high post and get a catch there and make a move, but (Kevin Garnett) really played it well … so all I could do was run to the ball somewhere and I knew (Jason) Kidd was going to find me," Nowitzki said. "And then (Glen) Davis was there and I was able to face him up and knock the shot down."

J-Kidd, whose 10 assists Monday night gave him his third double-digit assists effort in the Mavs’ first five games, also had two steals and three rebounds.

QUICK-START KIDD
Prior to the game, Mavs’ coach Rick Carlisle knew, given the solid defenses of both teams, that the point guard position would be pivotal in getting the win.

"Guys got to be making shots, you know. I would say that most big-assists games come when the defense is good, you get a chance to get the ball in (the point guard’s) hands and open shots happen in transition."

No. 2 provided the spark for his team early. He found Caron Butler to get the Mavs their first two points and then, after the Dallas’ defense forced two straight turnovers at the Boston end, Jason drove into the lane and bounced the pass out to DeShawn Stevenson, who nailed a three pointer give Dallas a 9-6 lead.

When Jason took a rest with 1:45 remaining in the first, he had already piled up an impressive five assists and two steals. The Mavs led 23-19.

J-Kidd re-entered the game midway through the second and got right back to work. He found Tyson Chandler with a perfect lob pass that the 7-foot-1 center hammered home to give the Mavs a comfortable 46-34 lead. With Jason in the game for the final 7:00 minutes of the half, the Mavs went on an incredible 21-10 run.

But No. 2 did more than just find the open man. On the defensive end, going head-to-head with Boston’s Rajon Rondo, J-Kidd held his opponent to just six points and four assists in the first half.

Before the game, Coach Carlisle spoke to Mavsfastbreak.com reporter Earl K. Snead and told him that the point guard matchup would be one to watch:

"I think it’s a very interesting game to watch, because of these two guys. I mean, Jason Kidd and Rondo are very similar in their approach to the game," Carlisle said in his pre-game address to the media. "Kidd was kind of the first guy of his kind, and Rondo is probably the closest thing I’ve seen (to Kidd) since then. So, it’s an interesting matchup."

With Jason’s stellar defense getting the better of Rondo, Boston could only muster 34 percent from the field and 25 percent from beyond the arc in the first half. They had just nine team assists at halftime.

In the third, the Mavs continued their solid defense while playing smart. They finished the third without any team fouls and held onto the lead, 70-69.

The fourth quarter started slow for the Mavs and their one point lead turned into a six-point deficit with seven minutes remaining in the game. But in last half of the quarter, J-Kidd subbed in and the Mavs defense started to regain the momentum. No. 2 and the Mavs forced the Celtics to go seven consecutive possessions without a score, and finished the game on a 7-0 run to clinch the victory.

NEXT UP
The Mavs travel to Tennessee to take on the Memphis Grizzlies tonight.

The last time these two team faced each other, J-Kidd finished with nine points, 10 assists, and six rebounds, coming within one point of a double-double.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST and the game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest.

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