Jason Kidd Names His All-Time Starting Five

• Jason Kidd revealed his all-time starting five while talking to Fadeaway World  

• The Mavericks will face the Timberwolves in the first preseason game in Abu Dhabi 

• Kidd picked two of his current Mavericks players along with LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Shaquille O'Neal

The Dallas Mavericks open the NBA preseason games with a 99-111 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. I spoke to Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd prior to the game for Fadeaway World and the Hall of Famer revealed the five players he'd include in his all-time NBA lineup.

"Players playing today or past players? Oh, any. Great question. I have to put Luka and Kai on there. You got LeBron James, you would have to go with Shaq. I should put a shooter on there, so let's put Steph in there."

Kidd picking his own players in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving is not a surprise, even though there are clearly many all-time players Kidd could go for instead. He also picked a third guard in Stephen Curry, but Doncic could run the small forward on this lineup.

LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal are expected picks, given Kidd played extensively against both men. The last time we asked this question was to Ray Allen, and Allen chose to leave LeBron on his bench in a controversial take. 

Kidd included James, with whom he shares a great relationship dating back to their shared time on the US Olympic Team. Kidd has previously said James will go down in NBA history as the GOAT, ahead of Michael Jordan.

---

The Mavericks Struggled In Their Preseason Opener

The Mavericks started the game completely flat, allowing the Wolves to break out to a 1-11 lead. They ultimately got outscored 19-37 in the first quarter and that set the tone for the rest of the game. The Mavs outscored the Wolves in the other three-quarters of the game, but the deficit was too much for them to make up, especially with Luka and Kyrie sitting out the second half.

Doncic dropped an effortless 25 points in the first half, making some ludicrous shots that we've come to expect him to sink. Irving struggled mightily, making just one basket in six attempts, looking out of rhythm. The Mavs will hope he can put it together if they want to have a chance at contention this season.

Anthony Edwards was unavailable for the game due to an ankle injury. Otherwise, the Timberwolves looked like a very strong defensive team. Rudy Gobert picked up nine points and eight rebounds, but the Wolves star on the night was Karl-Anthony Towns, who maintained the sensational form we saw him play with at the FIBA World Cup, scoring 20 points in just 17 minutes. 

The Mavericks and Wolves will rematch on October 7 as the Wolves will look to establish their dominance over their Western Conference Rivals by ending this trip to Abu Dhabi with a 2-0 record over Dallas.

We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.

Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.