The Mavericks lost to San Antonio and Jason Kidd was on the bench when it mattered most, but would it really have made a difference if he was in the game? Let’s take a look at some pictures.

First off, take a look at the clock. Kidd was on the bench with Dallas down by two points and 12.7 seconds left in the game. He was actually out for the last 30 seconds or so, but this picture tells the story.

Next up, take a look at the defense. Count the defense and take a look at what they are doing. All five Spurs are watching Terry with the ball. This woud have been the perfect chance to catch them off-guard.

Take a look at Josh Howard. There is no defender within 12 feet of him. Terry should have tossed him the ball and let him either shoot, pass to the open man in the corner, or drive to the basket. Kidd no doubt would have dished the ball in a heartbeat.

But Terry didn’t pass. He held on to the ball and waited for almost five seconds for someone else to move to create a play. Dirk saw this, so he came over to setup a pick and roll.

Dirk set the pick and roll up really well, so what is supposed to happen here is Terry passes the ball to Dirk and let him either drive to the hoop (remember the move he made to draw a foul from Ginobili in the 2006 playoffs?) or shoot a wide-open jump shot.

The opportunity to move the ball didn’t end with the non-pass to Dirk. Terry moved to the free-throw line, drew in Manu Ginobili, which would have been another chance to pass to Howard, who could have swung the ball over to Stackhouse (whose defender most likely would have come over to guard Howard) or drove to the basket. But, again, no pass.

Lastly, even when Terry was up in the air with Bowen right on him, he still had people wide open for good looks. Take a look at it. Dirk has both his hands up waiting for a pass to Terry’s right. Howard is still open at the three point line. Stackhouse is now WIDE OPEN, since his defender decided to come over and help guard the basket. But again, it didn’t happen.

In the end, Avery’s decision to bench Kidd may not have been the reason the Mavs lost, but him being on the bench ended up being the wrong decision. It’s a mistake that I really hope Avery doesn’t make again.

The end of the Mavericks vs Spurs game on Thursday showed me something I’ve known for a while: Avery Johnson is a defensive minded coach whose decisions on the offensive end have become stale. Every since the Finals of 2006 I’ve noticed it. There are a lot of times that the offense breaks down, people are standing around, and nothing really happens unless a shooter makes his shot.

That was supposed to change.

The blockbuster, epic saga that was the Jason Kidd, Devin Harris trade was supposed to bring a spark back to this team. He was brought to Dallas to make it easier for Dirk, Josh, and JET to get the ball and make shots. He was brought here because he knows how close out games and win in the fourth quarter. Avery himself said this about Kidd at the post-trade press conference, “He’s going to help us just because at the end of the games, he knows how to win. … He knows how to finish games. That’s what we need.”

Kidd said similar things about himself. “The big thing is just to understand how to win a game with six minutes left in the fourth quarter and not shying away from that time. Wanting the ball, make or miss, being involved in the play so you can help your team win.”

In the first real test of Kidd and the Mavs, you would expect him to have the opportunity to prove his worth, wouldn’t you? He didn’t. In the closing possession of the game, Avery chose to put Kidd on the bench. Take a look at what happened:


(if you can’t see the video click here)

The biggest problem I have with Kidd being on the bench is that Avery’s logic makes no sense. Jason Kidd is one of the best passers in the history of the NBA. He creates plays for his teammates. His first thought is to pass the ball, which makes it easier for everyone around him to score. I’ve seen the difference it has made in the rest of the team in his first three games with the team. Why wouldn’t you want him on the floor?

Avery answered this question after the game. “Well, we were looking at spreading the floor with all of our shooters in the game. We wanted to put Stack, Josh and Jet, and that gave Dirk some more room to operate in those situations.”I’m sorry Avery. The days of Dirk creating his own shot are over. Jason Kidd will create shot opportunities for Dirk if you let him. If you want to create “more room” for Dirk “to operate” than Devin Harris should still be the Mavericks point guard. Charles Barkley echoed this after the game. “That was a bad decision, because there’s no sense in making Jason Kidd trade if you’re not going to play him in crunch time. You had Jason Terry; you had Devin Harris.”

Bottom-line. Avery needs to change his coaching strategy on offense. If not, either he or Kidd don’t need to be here.