Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd raised a lot of eyebrows when he pulled forward Christian Wood with 6:41 to play in the fourth quarter of Dallas’ first game of the season. Wood was playing well, having just rattled off 16 points in a row. Still, Kidd saw fit to make a defensive substitution.
We know what happened next. The Phoenix Suns got hot, went on a run, and eventually took home a 107-105 win to open the season. Kidd’s decision called into question how he and the coaching staff approach closing games. After practice on Friday, Kidd shed some light on the process.