Cal Basketball: Even Past His Prime, Jason Kidd Had a Big Hand in Mavs' 2011 NBA Title

At 38, Kidd had a plus-minus of plus-43 points in final three games of title series

Even when Jason Kidd was a freshman at Cal, his value couldn’t always be measured by statistics. Certainly not points.

In his college debut for the Bears, against Sacramento State back on Dec. 1, 1992, Kidd scored just 11 points. Yet he dominated the game with 10 assists and six steals. And he was largely responsible for the crowd of 12,700 that showed up at the Oakland Coliseum Arena after Cal realized little Harmon Gym wouldn't accommodate the fierce interest Kidd generated.

Kidd impacted the game in so many ways — his passing, his defense, his toughness, his basketball IQ, his confidence, his leadership. In a nutshell, just his presence.

Today is the anniversary of the Mavericks’ 112-103 win over the Miami Heat in Game 5 that gave Dallas a 3-2 lead in the 2011 NBA Finals, and Kidd’s contributions to Dirk Nowitzki’s title run were subtle but significant.

Kidd was 38 years old by then, past his physical prime for sure. But he played a significant role all season for the Mavericks and, specifically, in their six-game championship victory over the Miami Heat.

This was the first season after the Heat had assembled LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and James had famously listed off how many championships they would win together. They were the favorites in this series.

But LeBron would have to wait another year for his first NBA crown.

Kidd was very good in Game 5, posting 13 points and six assists in 40 minutes on the floor. He made 3-for-5 on 3-pointers as the Dallas converted 13-for-19 from beyond the arc. Kidd teamed with fellow guards JJ Barea and Jason Terry to produce 51 points and 17 assists.

It was the defensive end that caught the attention of Bleacher Report, which wrote at the time, “Kidd had three steals as he looked more like a 28-year-old on defense.”

Dallas trailed 2-1 in the series before winning three in a row to claim the crown.

How much did Kidd give Dallas in those three games?

Well, he was scoreless in the 86-83 win in Game 4 that knotted the series, although he had three assists and three steals in 39 minutes on the floor.

In the clinching Game 6, a 105-95 victory at Miami, Kidd provided nine points and eight assists in 36 minutes.

But his plus-minus score in those three games is perhaps telling: plus-12 points when he was on the floor in Game 4, plus-13 in Game 5, plus-18 in Game 6.

In other words, in the 115 minutes Kidd played on the way to victories in Games 4-5-6, the Mavericks outscored the Heat by 43 points.

In the 29 minutes Kidd was on the bench in those three games, the Heat enjoyed a 21-point margin.

Teammate Shawn Marion said of Kidd, “He's fearless, man, both ends of the floor. The way he loves taking certain challenges, you've got to respect that."

Without argument, this was Nowitzki’s team. But Kidd, who had come up short in two previous trips to the NBA Finals with the New Jersey Nets, won his only championship and he wasn’t merely along for the ride.

"I can't believe the journey,” Kidd said after the Game 6 victory. "The journey, the character of my teammates telling me they wanted to get me a championship.”

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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