Jason Kidd knows about being on the doorstep and losing. He led the New Jersey Nets to the finals two straight seasons playing some fantastic ball, only to run into the buzzsaw that was the Kobe/Shaq Lakers and the Duncan/Robinson Spurs.
He was patient, kept evolving his game (as his athleticism faded his outside shot improved) and when he got another shot, he didn’t miss. Kidd has his ring as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
He gets where LeBron James is right now and on Tuesday stuck up for the guy taking the most heat for how the series turned out, according to ESPN Dallas.“I will reach out to him. He’s a good friend of mine,” Kidd said Tuesday during the team’s exit interviews. “I want him to have success and be successful. But, I think right now, it’s just being patient and all the great ones had to be patient. They had to take their bumps or lumps, however you want to look at it.
“But, at the end of the day, they all found a way to win a championship. And I think at the end of his career, he’ll have a couple championships.”Kidd and James are tight, they hugged after the game on the court and James congratulated him, Kidd said. (Yes, James did talk to some Mavs after the game, despite what some seem to think.) But the pressure on James is different than Kidd, he cannot wait a decade for his ring.
