Jason Kidd may still be a rookie coach, but he pulled a veteran move late in Wednesday night’s 99-94 loss to the Lakers.
After Lakers guard Jodie Meeks made the first of two free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining, Kidd and Tyshawn Taylor ran into each other on the sideline, sending Kidd’s coke flying into the air and spilling it all over the court.
While the mess was being cleaned up, assistant coach John Welch then quickly drew up a final play for the Nets — who were out of timeouts — and after Meeks hit both free throws, Paul Pierce brought the ball up, dribbled around a Kevin Garnett screen and got an open 3-pointer from the top of the key that rimmed out.
Afterward, Kidd tried to downplay “Cupgate.”
“The cup slipped out of my hand when I was getting Ty [out of the game],” Kidd said. “Sweaty palms … I was never good with the ball, so. In the heat of the battle, you’re trying to get guys in and out of the game, and the [Coke] fell out of my hand.”
Nevertheless, on the television replay, Kidd can clearly be seen saying, “Hit me,” to Taylor as the backup point guard is walking off the floor, only to run into his coach as the drink spills.
“I didn’t even know he was holding nothing, though,” Taylor said in his defense. “Coach is drinking a soda on the sideline. … I was like, ‘What’s he doing?’
“[Spilling a drink] could ice a free-throw shooter and be a timeout when you don’t have one, but that wasn’t the thought process,” Taylor added, drawing laughter from reporters. “I just was coming out and coach was in my way. ‘Coach, get out my way!’ ”
This isn’t the first time Kidd has made a savvy move along the sidelines during a crucial moment of the game — though the last time he did so was as a player. When Kidd was playing for the Mavericks, he ran into then-Hawks head coach Mike Woodson while Woodson was out on the court, drawing a technical foul in a game Dallas eventually would go on to win.
Andray Blatche had his second straight strong showing for the Nets, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists in just under 27 minutes. But Blatche also became the latest Net to sprain his ankle when he suffered a left ankle sprain in the third quarter.
Blatche said he thought he would be fine for the Nets’ game Friday in Houston.
The Nets were once again without Deron Williams and Brook Lopez, both of whom are recovering from sprained left ankles, along with Andrei Kirilenko (back spasms) and Jason Terry (sore left knee).