After dropping their fourth straight game-this one a tough road loss in Houston-Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd didn’t hold back. Frustrated by recent criticism over his usage of rookie Cooper Flagg as the team’s lead ball-handler, Kidd let his emotions spill over in a postgame press conference that was as fiery as it was revealing.
“I don’t give a [expletive] about the criticism,” Kidd said. “You guys write that [expletive].
I’ve done this. I’ve played this game.
I’ve played it at a very high level, and I know what the [expletive] I’m doing.”
That’s a strong defense of a bold coaching decision-and one that’s been under the microscope since opening night. Early in the season, Kidd handed the keys to the offense to Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick, asking the 19-year-old phenom to initiate the offense in the absence of a traditional point guard.
The results were rocky: Dallas stumbled to a 2-5 start and posted the league’s worst offensive rating through the first seven games. That led Kidd to move Flagg off the ball, a shift that seemed to stabilize the offense-at least temporarily.
But recently, the Mavericks have circled back to that original setup, once again rolling without a true point guard. And this time? Flagg’s been electric.
Over the past two games, Flagg has looked every bit the generational talent he was hyped to be. On Thursday, he exploded for 49 points and 10 rebounds.
Then on Saturday, he followed it up with 34 points, 12 boards, and five assists. That’s 83 points across two games-the most ever scored by a teenager over a two-game span in NBA history.
He also became the first teenager to post back-to-back 30-point double-doubles. The numbers are staggering, but the poise might be even more impressive.
“I don’t give a [expletive] what you guys write,” Kidd continued. “Because you guys have never played the game before.
I have built players. I know what the [expletive] I’m doing.
To take criticism, it only makes me better.”
Kidd’s frustration didn’t stop with the media. He also took aim at the officiating crew, zeroing in on a crucial no-call in the final seconds of Saturday’s game. With 25 seconds left and Dallas trailing by two, Flagg drove hard to the rim and missed a left-handed layup through contact that could’ve tied the game.
“I saw a foul,” Kidd said. “Sean [Wright], Simone [Jelks], and Jason [Goldenberg] were awful tonight.
The referees were unacceptable. It’s a foul, and he needs to be at the free throw line.
Now, does he make both? That’s up to the player, but the referees did not do their job.
They were terrible.”
For his part, Flagg handled the moment with a level head that belies his age.
“I definitely felt some contact,” he said. “But at the end of the day, the refs are the ones making the call, so it is what it is.
I mean, it’s tough. You just got to play through it.
It’s part of the game. It’s not the first time in my life that I haven’t got calls, and it’s probably not going to be the last.
So whatever it is, just got to keep playing through it.”
That’s a veteran response from a teenager who’s already rewriting the record books. And while Kidd’s postgame comments may dominate the headlines, the real story in Dallas continues to be Flagg’s rapid rise. He’s not just flashing talent-he’s producing at a historic level, even as the Mavericks search for answers in the win-loss column.
Interestingly, Dallas actually attempted more free throws than Houston in the game-15-of-26 compared to the Rockets’ 11-of-15. But in Kidd’s eyes, that didn’t excuse the missed call in crunch time.
The Mavericks may be in the middle of a skid, but if Flagg keeps playing like this, it’s only a matter of time before the tide turns. The rookie is proving he can handle the spotlight-and the pressure that comes with it.