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NBA FINALS: MAVERICKS v HEAT

June 5, 2011

Jason Kidd

DALLAS, TEXAS: Game Three

Miami Heat 88
Dallas Mavericks 86

Q. Jason, offensively you guys have been struggling with the exclusion of Dirk. How do you guys improve upon that as a team? Collectively you guys were I believe 17 of 49. How do you guys get going offensively and help Dirk out? You guys came out obviously only two points short. What do you have to do the next game?
JASON KIDD: We have to make baskets. We had some great looks that didn't go down for us. Especially late in the game. So we have to continue to take those wide-open looks and hopefully in Game 4 they go down for us.

Q. Jason, does it feel like right now you guys are spotting them a lot of points with turnovers on run-outs and easy baskets and then you have to expend a lot of energy to get back in the game?
JASON KIDD: You know, I think we got down 15 again and we're fighting our way back, and we cut it to five at halftime. But the big thing is, you know, they win the first quarter, and that's pretty much -- if you want to look at it, that's the game because we won the next three.
We have to take care of the ball against this team. Make or miss shots, you can't just give these guys easy lay-ups on the other end. That's what they're doing to us right now.

Q. J-Kidd, would you say they were the more desperate team the way they came out today? And did you guys not meet their energy level?
JASON KIDD: They were aggressive in the two games prior. This is just like the two games before. I mean, we turn the ball over, they lay it up.
They made shots down the stretch. They made some threes that helped them. For that, we have to take away the three. But the big thing is we had the game there 86-86. We have a good look, but we don't make it.
Coming down the stretch you have to make plays against this team if you want to beat them.

Q. Even with that said, have you guys played a full 48 minutes in this series?
JASON KIDD: I think the big thing is we have had spots of turning the ball over and giving them opportunities. So we have to take care of the ball. But the big thing is we have to have somebody else step up. Just Dirk, he's doing his part, but everyone else has to pitch in.

Q. Jason, is it getting old fighting from behind all the time?
JASON KIDD: Right now in this series, that's pretty much what we're doing. We have to figure out how to get in front and play from up front. But the big thing is we've shown that we can come back, but the big thing -- I've said that the big thing is we have to be able to make plays late in the game. In Game 2 we made the plays, and in Game 3 we just didn't.

Q. Is momentum in this series just kind of a myth right now? Doesn't seem like anything carries over from one game to the next.
JASON KIDD: You have to create your own momentum, and every game is going to be different. This game is different for us, because we made the plays down the stretch offensively and defensively, and then tonight we just didn't do that.

Q. Jason, you got beat in the paint 40 to 22 and they allowed a lot of shots inside -- I mean, outside. One, did you miss Brendan Haywood? And two, what other adjustments do you feel has to be made?
JASON KIDD: We always miss Haywood, because he's a guy who changes shots and rebounds and also can score on the offensive end. But the big thing is, again, we have to protect the paint, and we didn't do that tonight. This game is going to be different. Every game is going to be different. They shot a lot of threes prior to tonight, and the ones they did take they made. So we have to protect the paint and also run them off the threes. That's a lot to do with the talent that they have.

Q. Jason, so much of their attention on defense was to Dirk, and for a while it worked. Once again, he scored the last nine points in Game 2, he scored the last 12 points for you in Game 3. How does that have to change for you guys to win in this series?
JASON KIDD: I mean, he loves that stage late. He wants the ball, and he's always come through. So, again, like I said earlier, somebody else has to step up and help him on the offensive end. Again, we're getting great looks, but they're just not going down. We have to continue to take those looks and hopefully they go down in Game 4.

Q. Jason, obviously bench has been huge for you guys throughout the postseason. With Haywood out and Peja not really being able to do much in the series, how much does that work to your disadvantage, now that you don't have that depth to turn to? And do you think Peja can have a place, find a place in this series?
JASON KIDD: Yeah, I think Peja can find a place. When he's open he has to knock down shots just like everybody else. For that, we have to get him open shots and get him off some screens.
The big thing is when we have those open looks, we have to be able to knock them down no matter if it's our bench players or the starters, because right now Dirk and Jet are the only ones scoring.

Q. Jason, talk about what Miami is doing to shut you guys down in the paint so much? That seems to be where the big point differential came from. And what you do differently between now and Tuesday night to battle back from that.
JASON KIDD: We have to penetrate. Doesn't always mean we have to score when the ball is in the paint. But we have to figure out how to get the ball -- start the play in the paint and work our way inside-out. They do a great job defensively of making you do something that you don't want to. And so we have to, again, when we do have those open looks, we got to knock them down.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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