They worked for 10 months to win it. Now Jason Kidd and the Mavericks must defend their championship.


The Dallas Mavericks retooled this offseason with an eye on defending their NBA title (Getty Images).

That title defense, a 66-game race to playoffs, begins on Sunday when the Mavs host the Miami Heat in a NBA Finals rematch. But despite the championship banner that will rise to the top of the American Airlines Center on Sunday, Jason said he believes the Mavs are once again underdogs to Miami and they’ll play with the same chip on their shoulder as they did last year.

"I thought LeBron said it best, it’s like the Miami Heat lost the championship. It wasn’t that the Dallas Mavericks beat them," Jason said. "I think we’re still under the radar even though we did win."

But regardless of where they are on the radar, the Larry O’Brien trophy they possess represents a target for the rest of the teams in the league. With that target, and a shortened season facing them, Jason knows the Mavs must get off to a fast start as not to get left behind early in the year.

"I think this is different because when you’re talking 82 games, as always you try to get off to a good start,” Kidd said. "And then somewhere there’s kind of a drop-off, and then you’ve got to pick it back up, and come after the All-Star break you try and position yourself for the playoffs. This season you’ve got to position yourself right from the start those first five-six games. You’ve got to be able to get off to a good start. You don’t want to have to climb out of a hole with 66 games."

The Mavs retooled to make that 66-game sprint, adding forward Lamar Odom as well as guards Delonte West and Vince Carter. Carter, a former teammate of Jason’s in New Jersey, craves the championship that his new teammates won last season and No. 2 wants to help him get it, as he told HoopsWorld in the video below:

Depth will be important for the Mavs, but so will their veteran captain, and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle knows how crucial the success of No. 2 is to his team’s season:

"He’s one of our superstars. It’s as simple as that," he said. "When he’s on the court, it elevates our overall confidence, and then he impacts so many areas. You’re talking about a guy that’s one of the greatest ever to play."

But as he often does, on and off the court, J-Kidd deferred to his teammates and the talent they all have to repeat.

"With the talent we have, you want to give it your best shot because you never know what happens. That’s what we felt last year. We weren’t supposed to get out of the first round, we weren’t supposed to beat the Lakers, we weren’t supposed to beat the young and fast Oklahoma City team, so I think for us it’s hoping we can put ourselves back in that position and see what happens."

The season tips-off on Sunday when the Mavs and Heat go head-to-head at American Airlines Center in a Finals rematch. The balls goes up at 1:30 CST and the game can be seen on ABC.

RELATED STORIES