In a rare move by an NBA head coach, Kidd didn’t talk after the Mavericks’ overtime loss. On Wednesday, he addressed his absence.
DALLAS — In a rare move by an NBA head coach, Jason Kidd skipped his postgame interview Monday night after the Mavericks’ overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings.
On Wednesday, Kidd addressed his absence from the post-game Monday night.
“Before we get started, let me just clear up the air a little bit,” Kidd started. “We lost a tough game. We lost another player, so I just needed some time to regroup and refocus and figure out how to put these pieces back together.”
Kidd also thanked the media members and the NBA for “their grace.”
According to the NBA Media Availablity and Access Policies, NBA head coaches must make themselves available to the media. While that policy does not state repercussions for head coaches who don’t adhere to that rule, a fine could be in Kidd’s future.
Kidd’s no-show for the post-game media availability capped a night, for Mavericks fans, that felt like nothing short of a kick in the gut. Not only did the Mavericks take the loss, but they saw another key player, Daniel Gafford, go down with an injury.
In the crowd, American Airlines Center security removed a fan who mouthed “Fire Nico” on the jumbotron. The fan was escorted out of the arena to a chorus of booing fans, all while general manager Nico Harrison and team governor Patrick Dumont sat near courtside.
Dallas Mavericks guards Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson did go to the podium to answer media questions.
Irving and Thompson spoke on the tough overtime loss, Gafford’s injury and the fan ejections. Listen to the full press conferences here:
One bright spot for the Mavericks on Monday came in an ironic way: Because Anthony Davis is expected to miss multiple weeks with an adductor strain injury, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving will take his place at the upcoming All-Star Game.
Irving scored 30 points to lead the Mavericks on Monday night in the loss to the Kings. Dallas lost in overtime after DeMar DeRozan hit a 13-foot floater with two seconds left in the game.