Following the Nets: Different Points

DALLAS -- Remember last season, when Nets point guard Devin Harris was the talk of the league? He was running circles around defenders and diving through defenses en route to a well-deserved All-Star berth for the Eastern Conference and second-place finish in the Most Improved Player voting.

Remember last season, when people were killing Mark Cuban and Dallas GM Donn Nelson for swapping Harris for Jason Kidd in Feb. of 2008? Kidd, at times, looked slow on defense and even less adroit on offense and his scoring average dipped to a career-low 9.0 points per game.

It's interesting how that's worked out lately. Now, it's Kidd and his Mavs who, with a 12-game win streak, have been the topic of conversation lately. As for Harris and his Nets, they've been talked about for all the wrong reasons -- 57 of them. When the two face off against each other tonight in Dallas, both point guards want to look ahead.

Then again, why would Kidd crane his neck and look back at the ashes of a franchise he led to two Finals earlier in the decade, especially with the Mavs' future ahead of him?



Share "At the end of the day, all you can ask for is a chance," Kidd said about the Mavs' recent good fortune. "You're not guaranteed to win. We've worked hard this summer and we put ourselves in this position.

"We want to keep going, nothing is guaranteed that you're going to win a championship. But right now, we have a great opportunity and we have to take advantage of that."

For the Mavs, there's no better time to strike. With the Nets on the menu tonight and the Knicks on Saturday, the Mavs could conceivably coast to 14 consecutive wins before welcoming Chicago and Boston to close out a four-game home stand.

"It's a transition stage for them," Kidd said of the Nets. "They have a plan, and that's to start with a new owner shortly and go from there. They have the Draft, and try to work through the Draft and get their team back to the playoffs.

"They'll get it turned around. They have good people and I've heard that the new owner will be exciting and wants to win. That's what it takes."
- Jason Kidd on the Nets "What happened in the past is the past. Now, I'm just concentrating on the present. They'll get it turned around. They have good people and I've heard that the new owner will be exciting and wants to win.

That's what it takes."

Which is all the more reason for Harris to focus on the future, because that's what the Nets have right now. Harris' past includes a Finals appearance with the Mavs in 2006. His present, as you know, is a mess.

"It'll be nice to see some familiar faces," Harris said when asked what he's looking forward to in facing his former team. "But the challenge is playing. They've been playing great right now and they have the best record since the All-Star break.

"So, playing against Dirk and those guys will be fun."

As for his battle against Kidd, Harris can't wait for that either.

"Jason's a great player, a Hall of Famer, a triple-double machine," Harris said. "He's a smart player who knows how to get the best out of everybody's ability."

Harris thinks the Mavs are set up for a deep postseason run.

"They're playing at a championship level again," Harris said. "The way they're playing right now, defensively, and the way they're playing offensively, they have a shot."