It's usually tough for me to bang on the teams I like; I am an eternal apologist. Not today, friends. I never (until today) thought too much one way or the other about the Kidd trade. Since the trade deadline, the Mavs' fast-break point average has gone up from 12.5 to 18.6. That is an acceptable contribution on Kidd's part. That being said, when he and Nowitzky headed out to the perimeter to make a trap attempt on Chris Paul, Paul knifed right through them, driving into the paint to drop in a beautiful floater. Two of thirty-two points from the floor, a nice compliment to his franchise record setting 17 playoff assists. Those thirty-two points and seventeen assists seriously overshadow any small contribution Kidd has brought to the Mavs. Dallas has consistently high ppg out of Nowitzki, but if he can't hold his own trying to defend on the perimeter, those points are not all that effective. Dallas needs to show up with defense in mind or the Hornets are going to pull off an unfortunate sweep of this series. The series now moves to Dallas, where the Hornets have not won since January 1998. But that streak will end if the Mavericks don't figure out how to slow down Paul and a supporting cast that has been playing with enormous confidence since the Hornets stormed back from a 12-point hole to win the series opener. That's all. folks...
