Media Teleconference

This is a Jason Kidd conference call, with questions from various media members. The New Jersey Nets star was available to discuss the upcoming NBA finals between his team and the San Antonio Spurs.

Opening Statement: We are happy to be able to represent the East in the NBA Finals. We know we have our work cut out for us against a very good San Antonio team. We are just happy to be back. Hopefully, we can do better than we did last year.

Q: What did you learn from last year's Finals that you can apply to this one?

Kidd: I think being swept in any series is not a good feeling. For us last year in the Finals, we felt we could compete and we just didn't play ... we had to play a perfect game against the Lakers. I think we can use that experience of feeling like, "OK, we've accomplished something," when we really haven’t accomplished anything. Our goal is to win a championship, so I think we can have different mindset in that sense from last year when we were just happy to be there. This year, we deserve to be here, and our work isn't done.

Q: Talk about the improvement in team chemistry from last year to now.

Jason Kidd: Last year was a building block in the sense of getting to know one another and understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses. Becoming a solid unit in the sense of understanding and learning how to be a champion. Last year we had no injuries and this year we have all kinds of injuries. The big thing for us was, how does the team handle that after having success? I thought we handled it pretty well.

Q: What is the most impressive thing about Tony Parker?

Jason Kidd: I think it's a combination. Him being 21 and also, not just being a on a good team, but being on an elite team, if not the best team in the NBA, and not being fazed by that and growing. He gets better each time he steps out on the floor.

Q: The Nets and Spurs each won a game this season, how will that impact the Finals?

Jason Kidd: We only got to play San Antonio twice and we split with them. The big thing though is that that is thrown out the window. This is for the big trophy. We understand what their strengths are and they understand what our strengths are. It's just a matter of going out there and whatever team can force its will, its tempo, its pace, will probably be the winner of this series.

Q: Do you think they will double you?

Jason Kidd: I don’t know what their gameplan is going to be, but for us, we are just going to try to execute our gameplan, run our offense and play our defense and make adjustments as we go. Hopefully, they'll be the right adjustments.

Q: How do you think the long lay-off will affect the Nets' offense? Does the 2-3-2 format place more pressure on you?

Jason Kidd: The lay-off for us ... as you know we kind of had a lay-off in between the Boston and Detroit series, and I thought we handled that well. This will be a little bit longer, but for our offense ... we create the rhythm by getting out and running. Being able to practice here and being able to continue to get up and down the court to get some kind of pattern or rhythm is going to be a big part if we are going to have success in this series. I think the lay-off is good because physically and mentally it gives you a break to re-charge and get ready for the big run.

Unfortunately, we were in this 2-3-2 format last year and we only went to a 2-2 format. We have to take one game at a time. We can't be worried about the format. We thought about the format last year and only got to 2-2. We just have to take one game at a time and our job is to go down to San Antonio and get a win.

Q: What are some of the difficulties of guarding Tony Parker?

Jason Kidd: His speed. He's lightning with the ball. He's very creative. He can find the open guy. He's knocking down that jump shot. He poses an offensive threat like most talented point guards in this league. Everybody talks about how young he is, but he plays a lot older than his age. He's a handful to handle.

Q: With such a long lay-off, how are practices different?

Jason Kidd: I think the coaching staff has done a wonderful job with the practices -- in the sense of doing different stuff. One, I think the guys have given the effort, and that's the key to having good practices. Everybody's been businesslike, giving 110 percent in practice and understanding no matter how long the lay-off is, we have to be ready come June 4.

Q: The team was playing so well. Are you worried the team will be rusty following the long lay-off?

Jason Kidd: As players, sometimes you want it to continue. We've been in this situation through this past season when we were playing well up until the All-Star break and then we took that long lay-off and we were very inconsistent. We understand what it means to have a lay-off because our second half of the season was basically that. We came out prepared for the playoffs; we just have to keep mentally sharp. Now that we know we are playing San Antonio, hopefully we'll be ready come June 4.

Q: Do you consider Manu Ginobili stronger defensively or offensively?

Jason Kidd: I think he plays both sides of the court extremely well. He's an older player as a rookie being 25. He's had competition in that he's participated with Argentina’s national team and playing in big games and he's been in front of big crowds. Defensively, he's a tough defender, and, offensively, he can knock down the three-point shot. He's very aggressive taking the ball to the basket.

Q: It could be a good scouting experience for you because you could face Argentina in Puerto Rico this summer.

Jason Kidd: They have a great team, but I'm not worried about Puerto Rico right now, I'm trying to win a championship. But (Ginobili) he's an upcoming, talented player. He's going to make a name for himself in the league.


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