SAN ANTONIO — When the chaos of the Mavericks’ fourth-quarter comeback and overtime-prompting blunders subsided against the Spurs, coach Jason Kidd broke the team’s huddle with one message:
”Just relax,” he told players. “Breathe”
The many Mavericks fans who filled out the AT&T Center stands Wednesday night likely weren’t as Dallas barely avoided what would’ve been a 10th loss in 13 games.
Nor were followers on social media, who have criticized Kidd’s seeming lack of urgency and accountability in interviews and his stoic approach on the sideline.
But don’t consider the Mavericks themselves among those who want more fire and pressure from their leader.
After one of Dallas’ wild wins of the season and before Kidd will face the Lakers team with whom he honed a more patient coaching style, the disparity in Kidd’s public perception and internal appreciation continued to expand.
“He’s a Hall of Fame point guard, one of the best point guards of all time, and you can tell by the way he coaches that he has that demeanor,” third-year wing Josh Green said. “A lot of coaches, they’re tight, they’re panicking, but he’s very relaxed. He sees plays. He sees what’s open. He knows what’s working.
“It’s good to have a coach like that and it’s very motivating for the rest of the team.”
Outside questioning and criticism of Kidd has skyrocketed as the Mavericks have posted a 4-9 record since the Feb. 10 trade deadline, spiraled into play-in tournament standing, and weathered injuries and near-constant changes to the rotation.
Kidd’s answers in interviews have further fueled fans’ frustration.
After the Mavericks blew a 27-point second-half lead against the Lakers on Feb. 26, Kidd called out superstar Luka Doncic’s maturity and deflected blame for not stopping Los Angeles’ run with timeouts.
“I’m not the savior here, I’m not playing,” Kidd said then. “I’m watching, just like you guys.”
After the Monday loss to Memphis dropped Dallas’ record below .500 for the first time since mid-December, Kidd classified his lack of public concern with: “No one is dying.”
Before the game, Kidd appeared to reference an outsider’s tweet with statistics to support Dwight Powell as the Mavericks’ best center when he said “we take the analytics and look at everything you guys write and figure out who can please you guys.”
A couple months after declaring “Twitter isn’t the coach” when asked about rookie Jaden Hardy’s playing time, Kidd gave followers another shoutout during his pregame interview in San Antonio while discussing the team’s polarizing debate about frontcourt playing time.
“Everybody has their opinion about what lineups work until they don’t work, so I think that’s up to someone’s own opinion,” Kidd said. “Some people believe Powell is the best center to play. Some would say CWood. Some would say JaVale. Some would say Maxi. Some would say Markieff, so I have like six centers, and everybody can pick from one.”
Rotation decisions and interviews aside, Mavericks players say Kidd’s demeanor is a positive asset.
He didn’t curse or harp on Maxi Kleber’s in-bound turnover and defensive lapses in the last two seconds of regulation Wednesday, for example.
Kidd instead regrouped in the pre-overtime huddle and instructed Hardy and Green to initiate the offense through Christian Wood, who he recognized could play through foul trouble to score the Mavericks’ first two baskets in overtime.
Many have compared the Mavericks’ slide from the Western Conference finals last spring to a .500 record at the 70-game mark this season to Kidd’s downfall in Milwaukee.
He helped transform the Bucks from a 15-win club to the defensive-minded No. 6 seed in the playoffs during his first campaign in Milwaukee (2014-15). But the following year the Bucks finished eight games under .500 and stories abound about his tyrannical coaching and disposition.
Kidd has credited his two seasons as a Lakers assistant (2019-21) as the championship-level revival that helped him establish better patience and perspective, and the Mavericks — and their fans — hope the approach will help avert a Milwaukee-like downturn.
“He’s very even-keeled,” Powell said, “and I think that’s key in terms of communication because sometimes if you get too high or you get too low, the message can be lost and sometimes things can get confusing. He’s still a passionate coach, was a passionate player, wants to win, so there are going to be moments of more intensity, but at the end of the day, the message is always clear.
“He’s focused on what we have to do next. There’s a time to go back and learn. There’s a time to go back and watch film. There’s practice and all that, but in the heat of the moment in the game, he’s someone we can look to to calm us down and remain focused.”
