NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAVERICKS VS. WARRIORS

May 18, 2022

Jason Kidd

Dallas Mavericks

Game 1: Postgame

Warriors 112, Mavericks 87

Q. The early shooting problems, a lot of those open looks, do you think there was nervousness going on?

JASON KIDD: No, there were a lot of great looks that just didn't go down. It happens. It's basketball. Hopefully we get those same looks in Game 2, and we believe we'll make them.

Q. I wanted to ask about Kleber picking up three quick fouls. How much did that affect the way you guys wanted to play?

JASON KIDD: Well, it happens, and it's the next guy up. As much as we like Maxi on the floor, we have to be prepared. He picked up three quick ones.

But again, when you shoot 48 threes, we've got to make some, and we just didn't make them.

Q. What did you think about the way they guarded Luka and in particular Wiggins' defense?

JASON KIDD: Yeah, they did a really good job, Wiggins picking him up full court. They were box-and-one, went zone. But they did a good job. Give them credit. Wiggins did a really good job. We understood coming into the series that we were going to see that. We'll go back and look at the video and see what we can do better.

Q. I was going to ask about just how many defensive looks they used this game. Do you expect Luka to be the type of player like once he sees it enough times, he just quickly reacts and can adjust to stuff like that?

JASON KIDD: Yeah, they threw a couple looks, the zone, the box-and-one, things that we talked about. There was no surprise. But they're a physical -- they set the tone right off the bat. As we've talked in the Playoffs, the team that's physical tends to find a way to win. We have to get back to being physical.

Again, offensively we got some good looks. We've got to take care of the ball. But we were prepared. We just missed shots tonight.

Q. You guys only had six shots at the rim; is that an obvious place that you need to improve?

JASON KIDD: Yes, I would say that's a place that we have to get better at, if we only had six of them.

Q. Jason, this is the third series y'all have started with a loss in Game 1. What do you think the guys can draw on in terms of turning things around after a night like tonight?

JASON KIDD: There's a team out there that's won a championship starting the same way, losing the first game. So that's a positive. We've always found a way to answer, so we don't have to look too far but at ourselves of how we've gotten better. We've lost two games in a row on the road and found a way to get back in the series. We've lost the first game and gotten back into the series.

This is one game. They did their part. Now we've got to figure out -- again, making shots helps our defense, but give them credit, they were good tonight.

Q. We hardly talk about Luka's age because he's had such an impact so early on in his postseason career, but is there any bit of a different type of beast for him at this stage facing a team that's had so much experience together?

JASON KIDD: Yeah, I think -- well, he's only 23 and we don't really talk about his age. But he understands what they're trying to do, and he'll be better. We believe that in that locker room.

There's not a lot to say. We knew what was going to come. We didn't make shots. Again, he got in the paint and created some open looks for guys that normally make them. They just didn't go down this evening.

Q. You spoke about missing shots, I remember the game against Utah to start off, you guys had missed shots here. When you go through a film session with the guys, is it a matter of shows them the shots? Do they know what to do? How do you take the learning from here to Game 2?

JASON KIDD: Well, they already know the shots they've missed or made. Basketball players know every shot they've had. So you don't have to talk about the shots. They already have the answers. It's a matter of can we do it again? Can we get those same shots in Game 2? And hopefully we can.

Nothing is easy this time of the year. Again, when you go back and look at the open shots that we created, we got a lot of them. We just didn't knock them down in that first half.

Q. You guys faced Gobert in the first round and obviously Ayton in the second round. Looney is not a physical specimen in terms of being a center, but what types of challenges does he present in terms of his versatility, especially on defense?

JASON KIDD: Yeah, he's a great team defender. He doesn't get enough credit for his defense. He understands the schemes. They have a great free safety or linebacker, however you want to look at Draymond. He's the talker. He positions everybody. He talks the defense out, and they all trust him.

He doesn't get enough credit for his defense, but he's good at what he does.

Q. You mentioned you wanted to get back to being more physical the next game, especially on the defensive side. How can guys particularly like Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie do that while also staying within the confines of the game and not getting into foul trouble or anything?

JASON KIDD: I thought they did a great job tonight. You're going to get some fouls. It's just understanding how to be physical and playing within the rules, and those two do it at a very high level. They only had four fouls tonight, so they weren't in foul trouble.

Again, it's not just those two but it's the team. We have to be physical, and not just on the defensive end but on the offensive end.