With a 39-year-old birth certificate, legs and stamina are not what they once were for Jason Kidd. But for Kidd, age doesn’t affect his will or IQ.
“He’s a warrior and loves to compete,” Vince Carter, Kidd’s former teammate on the Nets and Mavericks, told reporters in Dallas. “We know what he can do, and we know what he’s going to bring to the table. We look at his age and say, ‘He’s an old guy.’ But instead of the age, look at the production. He’s that rare breed.”
Carter and the Mavericks will see Kidd at the Garden tonight, and they expect the best of Kidd, age not-withstanding.
“J-Kidd’s been doing it for years, chasing the younger guys. He takes it as a challenge,” Carter said. “And they got a big guy [Tyson Chandler] in the paint. If he gets beat, he’ll be OK.”
Kidd won a ring with Dallas in 2011, but most of the Mavericks holdovers from that team, including Dirk Nowitzki, are hurt. Only Dominique Jones is expected to be healthy tonight.
“I like to score,” Jones said. “I found out from J-Kidd that if guys are hitting shots, I don’t really have to be the one to score to make an impact. That’s hard for some people.”
fred.kerber@nypost.com