Thursday Night Preview and Why I Hate Jason Kidd

The Thursday night TNT double header has become a showcase night for the NBA, and has a little bit of a Monday Night Football feel to it. Players seem to give a little extra effort, and almost all fans of the Association tend to tune in and take notice. It was only last week when Detroit handed Miami a loss in the final seconds, and Kobe had his jaw-dropping 30-point third quarter, on his way to 52 for the night.

Let's take a look at tonight's games to see if they can continue the standard set last week:

Phoenix at New Jersey: The Suns come into this game red-hot, having won nine of their last ten. Conversely, the Nets come in losing seven of their last nine. The last time these teams played each other, the Nets played so poorly it literally made me sick. It's gotten so bad that Nets fans can't even make it through the entire game without getting ejected. The Suns are a bad matchup for the Nets, so I expect the teams' respective trends to continue. Keep in mind though that the first game of a road trip can be tricky, just ask Dallas.

Detroit at Dallas: Speaking of the Mavs, they've won 13 of 14 and seem to be at the top of the league at this early point in the season. Though Jason Terry has had a slightly reduced role, Josh Howard, Devin Harris, and Anthony Johnson have more than made up for it. Detroit is coming off two straight losses, but played well on the road in Miami last week. I expect a strong effort out of them tonight, though I don't think it'll be enough to take out the Mavs at home.

So with tonight's games fully handicapped, here's something you may not have known about me: I can't stand Jason Kidd. I think he's been O-ver-RAT-ed (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) since the beginning of his career, and when the media over-hypes a player before they deserve it (see: Carmelo Anthony before this season), I end up not liking them. Also, I'm not a big fan of people who beat their wife, and then agree to blow her kisses from the free throw line for the rest of their lives as some sort of Doug Christie-esque form of restitution. Finally, I know it was a while ago, but I just can't be down with any man whose carpet doesn't match his drapes.

*UPDATE: It was just pointed out to me that the Phoenix/NJ game is not part of the TNT doubleheader, and that instead the network will televise a Shaq-less Heat team playing an Artest-less Kings team. But had I known that, I would have had to save my Kidd rant for another time, so I'll continue to pretend that it will be nationally televised. Can you say flex-scheduling, people?