Mavs Team Attitude

"We just kept playing. That just shows the character of this team. No matter how old you are, we understood how to play the game, by passing the ball and making sure that we didn't take shots where three or four guys are on you. We just made the extra pass. We didn't care who put the ball in the basket."

-Jason Kidd

Coach K on Jim Rome

Heard a great interview on Jim Rome's radio show yesterday with Coach K. Here are some notes from the interview about Team USA & Duke Basketball:

*When asked if he was tired from doing both Team USA and Duke Basketball

-You can’t get tired out when your are invigorated into something. All of us were invigorated. All of the players said it was the best thing to happen to them.

*In the first practice Kobe Bryant talked to Coach K and said, “Coach I want to guard the best player and I promise I will destroy him.” In the first practice Kobe did not take one shot. He gets it.

*Kobe is passionate about his preparation. He had to adjust his practices. He thought they needed two a days to prepare. Players told him that they didn’t need it. Coach K then realized they were lifting & doing their own skill work in the morning, and then coming back at night and shooting. Kobe never left the gym.

*LeBron wanted to learn from the best. Although he is one of the best passers in the NBA, he wanted to learn the fundamentals from teammate Jason Kidd. He wanted to learn how to prepare better so he wanted Kobe. Coach K said the best thing about practice was how everyone wanted to learn from each other to get better.

*Jason Kidd was the most valuable player on the team. He understood legacy, he had been there before. He had his finger on the pulse of everyone there from the coaches to the players. He had the respect of everyone there. Coach K said they don't win a gold medal without him.

*Shane Battier is Coach K’s favorite. Usually a point guard knows what everyone’s position is. Battier knows this better than most point guards. Coach K likes to huddle up to say something motivational. During Battier’s senior year coach is ready to say something and Battier takes over the huddle before practice. He decides he can’t say anything better than Battier so he doesn’t talk. It says that way the rest of the year with Battier leading the huddles before and after practice, they win a championship.

Four Traits of a Perfect Point Guard

Quotes about Jason Kidd playing the point guard position and the traits it takes to be successful. These are from his teammates and coaches of the USA team. Check out his leadership with TEAM USA. (Fast forward to the 5:00 mark OR watch the whole piece. It is good)

1. Court vision: "He sees things," guard Dwyane Wade says of Kidd's sixth sense. "When you're on the court and you see him do something, you think he had to see that like three minutes ago."

2. High basketball IQ: "His mind is his best talent, "Krzyzewski says. "And his ability to instinctively react to situations on the court is at the highest level, as high as anyone who has ever played the game. "Krzyewski compares Kidd's basketball IQ to Magic Johnson's.

3. Not just passes; perfect passes. "He grew up being a passer, understanding the angles. With Jason, you get wide-open looks. He puts the ball right on the money." During shooting drills last summer, Kidd turned to Carmelo Anthony and asked, "Where do you want the ball?" Anthony, not quite sure what Kidd meant, gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" When players realize that Kidd can deliver the ball to their sweet spot, Krzyzewski says their reaction is: "You mean, I'm going to have room service and you're going to cut my meat too? You're going to give it to me in a certain position?" So where does Anthony wnat the ball?" Whereever he gives it to me," Anthony says.

4. Ability to facilitate: "What's fabulous for our team is if you put Kobe, Carmelo and LeBron in the game, you need a point guard who's really just looking to facilitate and that's what Jason does, "says assistant coach Jim Boeheim. "Other great point guards have a scoring portion of their game, some of them have it as a large portion of their game, whereas Jason never needs to take a shot." This approach fits the team-oriented aspect of the international game, with the emphasis on passing and selfless play.