May the best man win
CHICAGO – There's a theory that in the NBA Finals the best player wins. In other words, whichever team boasts the best player on the floor is going to end up with the crown.
Dwyane Wade was better than Dirk Nowitzki last June, and the Heat won. Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird – they were all better than their counterparts when they were winning titles, and that was the difference. Superstars generally win out; that's the way it works in the NBA.
Using that analogy, is it possible that the Atlantic Division, which is totally up for grabs, will be won by the team with the best player?
I realize the parallel may be a little strange – the Atlantic just might be the worst division in league history and I'm comparing its race to the NBA Finals – but work with me here. Because if the theory holds true, then the New Jersey Nets will eventually win the division for one reason: Jason Kidd is the best player in the Atlantic.
Thursday's victory in Chicago was the fifth in six games for the Nets, so it appears New Jersey is finally rounding into form. But after an atrocious first third of the season that has been filled with injuries and off-court distractions, the Nets find themselves jumbled together with New York, Boston and Toronto – teams New Jersey was supposed to leave in its wake.
Fortunately for Lawrence Frank, Kidd is playing at an otherworldly level and seems to have steered his team back on course.
For the second time in a week, Kidd helped the Nets recover from an 18-point deficit against the Bulls and led his team to victory. As always, Kidd did it with his own unique style, providing a little – no, make that a lot – of everything: defense, rebounding, scoring, passing and leadership. (Is there anything else?) And as gaudy as Kidd's numbers were (23 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists), they still didn't tell the whole story. Because the reason New Jersey won the game was that Kidd made Ben Gordon a non-factor in the second half.
Gordon was smoking hot in the first half, scoring 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting. The Nets utilized a zone that had worked in their previous meeting with Chicago, but Gordon was able to find holes in it and exploit it. In the second half, Frank put Kidd on Gordon in a man-to-man situation, and Kidd blanketed him. At the other end of the floor, New Jersey decided to really make Gordon work, so Kidd took the ball and posted up the smaller Gordon repeatedly, either scoring or drawing a double team in the process.
The combination of Kidd hounding Gordon at one end and making him defend at the other took its toll, as the Bulls' leading scorer made just one basket and scored three points after halftime. With Gordon ineffective, the Nets were able to shut down Chicago's offense and make a huge push, rallying from a 55-37 hole early in the third quarter to eventually win the game.
The fact that Kidd is playing so well is remarkable. Not only is he doing it while going through a messy, public divorce from his wife, but he's also playing on 33-year-old knees, one of which is two years removed from microfracture surgery. However, Kidd – like Steve Nash – keeps himself in impeccable shape and he's playing better than ever. He's still controlling games, playing the point guard position as only few before him ever have.
Kidd is hoping that New Jersey's improved play of late is the beginning of the eventual conquest of the Atlantic. It may not quite compare with the Nets' two runs to the NBA Finals back in 2002 and 2003, but who knows, if they win the division and gain the top-four seed that comes with it, Kidd just might be able to help them do some damage in the playoffs.
Especially if the theory that "the best player wins" holds true.
