PORTLAND, Ore. – A couple of grizzled, hall of fame point guards hooked up on Sunday night at Moda Center.
Jason Kidd on one side. Chauncey Billups on the other. A combined 50-plus years of NBA history and knowledge between them, not to mention 17,727 assists.
And a mutual respect that only comes when you’ve been through many battles against each other – and a few with each other.
“Jason was always one of my favorite players,” said Billups, now in his fourth season as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. “I always looked up to him as a player. I almost went to Cal because of him. I always loved J.
“We played together with USA Basketball a couple times and obviously had some real battles in the Eastern Conference.”
And as a coach?
“It’s almost the same,” Billups said. “I always felt like it was mental warfare when I played against him. It was all mental against him. And he coaches the same way. He’s very crafty. He’s himself, even as a coach, like he was as a player.”
Kidd knows no other way. He was a cerebral point guard and runs the Mavericks the same way. His playing career went from 1994 to 2013. Billups played from 1997 to 2014. Both won championships as players.
And Kidd sees a lot of Billups the player in Billups the coach.
“He’s had an incredible journey,” Kidd said. “At the beginning of his career, some would say he wasn’t going to make it. But he (didn’t) believe the noise outside. He’s had a hall of fame career.
“Seeing him as a coach, he’s a competitor. He wants to win. And he’s teaching this young team what it means to be a pro and to go out there and work on both sides of the ball.”
When told that Billups thought the Mavericks had taken on their coach’s personality, Kidd was asked what he thought that looked like.
“A championship,” he said with a grin. “It’s a great compliment. When you look at the calmness of our group, we’re not a group that goes up too high or too low. We just try to be consistent and put ourselves in position to win every game.
“Not saying you’re going to win every game, but if you have that opportunity, you’re going to win more than you lose. Hopefully, that’s what we have. That’s the way I’ve approached it as a player and a coach, that if you’re consistent with your energy and your emotions, it can put you in a positive way.”
Infirmary is packed: The Mavericks had 11 players in uniform on Sunday and five who were missing in action.
While Luka Dončić returned from his sprained right wrist, Kyrie Irving was out with right shoulder soreness. Joining him on the sideline were Dereck Lively II (right knee hyperextension), Klay Thompson (left foot plantar fascia), Naji Marshall (illness) and Dante Exum (right wrist surgery).
The illness that befell Marshall came on during Saturday’s game at Utah and knocked him out for the second half. That nasty bug has been making its way through the locker room.
X: @ESefko
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