Kidd oldest starting point guard in Finals

Times wires
Monday, May 30, 2011

MIAMI — After all the assists, steals, 3-pointers and triple doubles, Jason Kidd has an easier path to his next entry in the NBA record book.

All he has to do is show up.

Kidd will become the oldest guard to start a game in an NBA Finals when the Mavericks face the Heat tonight.

While Dirk Nowitzki calls him a "fossil," and Shawn Marion described him as being "almost 50," Kidd is a few months past 38. That's two years older than Ron Harper was when he started for the Lakers in 2000, when Los Angeles won the title.

Winning it all is among the few things Kidd hasn't done in his 17-year career. In 2002 and '03, he reached the Finals with the Nets, who were swept by the Lakers then fell to the Spurs.

"I thought we were going to go on a roll in Jersey and make it three or four in a row," he said. "Now we're here. Hopefully we can find a way to win."

Kidd starts most fastbreaks and controls the halfcourt offense. He'll hit 3-pointers and has excelled defensively during the postseason. Late in close games, coach Rick Carlisle has assigned Kidd to cover Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Carlisle has said Kidd will be among those guarding LeBron James in this series.

The only concessions to age Kidd seems to have made are playing less and tolerating the flecks of gray in his beard.

"He's playing at a high level, keeping up with a lot of these young guys," said Miami's Juwan Howard, who was drafted a few spots after Kidd in 1994. "Normally when you're our age, people count you out. They say you don't have anything left in the tank. But as you get older in this league, you get wiser."

After 1,267 regular-season games, and 136 in the playoffs, Kidd has seen it all.

"We're always a better team when he's our facilitator on the court, and he's getting guys in different positions and leading the offense and helping us in our flow game," Carlisle said. "When we've got to call plays, I'll call them once in a while, but he's great at that, too."

NBA Finals

Heat vs. Mavericks

Tonight: at Miami, 9, Ch. 28

Thursday: at Miami, 9, Ch. 28

Sunday: at Dallas, 8, Ch. 28

June 7: at Dallas, 9, Ch. 28

June 9: at Dallas, 9, Ch. 28 *

June 12: at Miami, 8, Ch. 28 *

June 14: at Miami, 9, Ch. 28 *

* If necessary

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/kidd-oldest-starting-point-guard-in-finals/1172697

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