Tan: Kidd reaches NBA glory, finally

Prior to June 12, 2011, Jason Kidd had achieved almost everything in his career that any basketball player could hope to achieve.

By Gabriel Tan
Even with his formative steps in the NBA, the 1.93m point guard already showed he was ahead of his peers. Kidd was picked second in the 1994 NBA Draft, only behind Glenn Robinson. In his first season, he picked was the joint winner of the Rookie of the Year award, along with third pick Grant Hill.
In just his second season, Kidd was named NBA All-Star for the first time, and went on to feature a total of ten times in his seventeen seasons. A career which took him to the Phoenix Suns and the New Jersey Nets before he returned to Dallas in 2008 saw Kidd garner plaudits from all across the land largely based plainly on his on-court versatility.
Points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks - you name it, and Kidd could do it. He ranks second in NBA history for career playoffs triple-doubles, and third for career triple-doubles and playoffs assists. He finished second to Tim Duncan in MVP voting in the 2001/02 season.
Granted, Kidd had an illustrious career, yet if you had asked him if he was happy with what he had achieved in the game, he would have simply said ‘no'.
Not anymore, though. For Jason Kidd can now pencil in "NBA Champion" to the accolades listed next to his name. The Mavericks 4-2 victory over the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals has guaranteed that whatever happens from here on, Kidd can bow out of the game having tasted the ultimate glory in basketball.

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"The greatest point guard in the world, a hall of famer" - Dallas Mavericks star Jason Terry speaking after game six about his team-mate Jason Kidd.

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And at 38 years old, you can bet no one had to push themselves harder than Kidd, against the dynamic talents of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
Yet, it was not the on-court actions which led to the Mavericks' triumph that exhibited what a true champion is. Instead, it was what he did immediately after the final buzzer rang, signalling the end of the 2010/11 NBA season.
While his team-mates danced around in delirium, and rightfully so having landed the franchise's first-ever Championship, Kidd instead went in search of Miami's triumvirate of stars. He found James, and then Wade, and lastly Bosh. Before he let himself be overcome by sheer joy and relief, he wanted to offer his opponents words of comfort.
To tell them he knows what defeat feels like, having fell at the final hurdle twice before with the Nets. To let them know their time will come.
And only when he had shaken the hand of his defeated opponents, did Kidd allow himself to embrace the significance of finally landing an NBA Championship.
Dirk Nowitzki was awarded the NBA Finals MVP, and rightfully so. As the Mavericks overcame the Portland Trailblazers, the LA Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and finally the Heat, the German powerhouse was largely involved in everything good that Dallas produced.
However, while Nowitzki was the brains behind their Championship triumph, Kidd clearly provided the heart. Think back to the Western Conference semi-finals, when he totally negated the influence of Kobe Bryant which went a long way in helping the Mavericks claims a 4-0 series sweep.
Looking back on Game 6 in Miami on Sunday, one still gets the feeling the Heat are extremely close to adding to their 2006 triumph. Wade was part of that victory, and has the experience to guide his charges. James and Bosh are clearly stars of the game, and will only get better.
Yes, the Heat's time will come in the future. For now, though, it is Jason Kidd and the Mavericks who deservingly occupy the spotlight. His team-mate Jason Terry, who scored 27 points in game six against the Heat, called Kidd "the greatest point guard in the world".
It's been a really long wait - seventeen years in total - but he has finally done it. And you must admit, Jason Kidd, NBA Champion does have a nice ring to it.