Jason Kidd Takes Shot At Rudy Gobert After Mavs-Jazz Series

Rudy Gobert, Jason Kidd, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, NBA
NBA Analysis Network

The Dallas Mavericks handled business in their first-round NBA playoff series against the Utah Jazz, defeating them 4-2. It was an impressive victory for the Mavericks, who didn’t have Luka Doncic for the first three games because of a calf strain.

Doncic is now healthy and Dallas will certainly need him as they head into a second-round matchup with the No. 1 seeded Phoenix Suns. The Suns received a good fight from the New Orleans Pelicans, who defeated the San Antonio Spurs and LA Clippers in the NBA Play-In Tournament to make the field as the No. 8 seed. Phoenix won the series 4-2 and is getting Devin Booker healthier.

The Mavericks will certainly have their hands full trying to beat the Suns, who finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA, eight games clear of the second-place Memphis Grizzlies.

Head coach Jason Kidd has done a great job thus far in his first season at the helm in Dallas and he will be tested by the Suns.

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When discussing the upcoming series against the Suns, Kidd took a shot at the Jazz. Kidd commented on how different it will be defending Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee than it was defending Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside.

“They can hurt you in the paint with JaVale and Ayton. This isn’t Gobert or Whiteside. These guys can put the ball in the basket. So, our bigs are going to be tested.”

This isn’t the first time that Kidd took a dig at the Utah Jazz big men. Early in their series, he took shots at Gobert after the team force-fed him the ball in Game 2. It helped the Mavericks come away with a victory after Gobert had only one shot attempt but Utah won in Game 1.

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While some would see it as unnecessary to take another dig at Utah, at the crux of the conversation, Kidd is correct. If the Mavericks deploy a similar strategy defensively, hoping the Suns go inside to Ayton and McGee, they are going to be in for a long series.

They will have to adjust their game plan defensively for the personnel that they are going up against. Gobert and Whiteside averaged 13.8 points per game combined in the first-round series against the Mavericks. Ayton averaged 20.5 himself against the Pelicans, while McGee scored 8.3 per game off the bench.

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Slowing those two down will be part of the keys to victory for the Dallas Mavericks. Lacking options on the interior, Kidd will have to get creative when trying to slow down Phoenix on the interior.

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