Where Was Kidd at Crunch Time?

by Marcel Mutoni

The big Mavs/Spurs game last night certainly lived up to the hype. The Playoff atmosphere was palpable, with the big-name players deciding the game’s outcome. Well, almost all of the big-name players.

Curiously, Avery Johnson kept Jason Kidd on the bench in the game’s final moments, and today, people are demanding to know why.

In just the fifth game of Kidd’s Dallas rebirth, Johnson stunningly and inexplicably benched Kidd for the Mavs’ final two possessions in crunch time against their biggest rival. Two possessions, spanning nearly 35 seconds.

That’s the same Kidd who Dallas worked so hard to bring back because, in Johnson’s words, this team needed someone after those playoff collapses against Miami and Golden State who “knows how to finish games.”

It was certainly a bizarre decision on Avery’s part, as he stuck with Jason Terry (who had himself a miserable night) and helplessly watched Dirk launch two long (if ill advised) shots with the clock running down.

Be careful, Avery Johnson. With these kinds of decisions, your seat is only going to get warmer and warmer by the day.