AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The view at the start of games is decidedly different these days. It’s a view Jason Kidd has seen only 17 times in his brilliant, Hall of Fame-bound career.
It’s a view from the bench.
Kidd, who turns 40 this month, has come off the bench for the Knicks in the past three games. Ask him the biggest difference and he smiles.
“Less minutes,” he said.
But Kidd, who is expected to come off the bench tonight against the Pistons for the fifth time this season (he didn’t start one game following an injury), acknowledges there are differences. The preparation, for one.
“I’m trying to make an adjustment to that,” Kidd said. “Making sure I’m understanding who I’m guarding, not the starter now. It’s looking at who comes off the bench, looking at the starting point guard because I might guard him a couple minutes in that first quarter.”
And there is inhaling everything happening on the court, as Kidd always does.
“It’s understanding, watching who’s going and understanding what I have to do to keep that person going or try to get other guys going,” Kidd said. “It’s having the ball a little more. Maybe that’s the difference right now. Having the ball, trying to get guys shots. When you play with [Amar’e Stoudemire and have] him in the post, make sure he touches it every other trip down because he’s playing at such a high level.”
Coach Mike Woodson’s move to bench Kidd three games ago paid huge dividends, especially in the past two games. Kidd scored 12 points in each — the fifth time this season he hit double-figure points in back-to-back games and the first since Jan. 21-24. The 3-point shot returned: Kidd has made 7-of-10.
“I wasn’t staying in the shot,” said Kidd, suggesting his shooting woes (7-of-52 on 3-pointers in 14 games before Sunday) were partly mechanical. “When I leave the ground, which isn’t very high, I was leaning, not staying in the shot.”
In this recent small sample, Kidd has played like he did at the outset of the season.
“I know he’s had his struggles, but during the course of the game he always seems to come up big,” Woodson said.
“He’ll make a big shot. He’ll make a big defensive play. He’ll get a big defensive rebound.”
Kidd did all that in Cleveland on Monday. With the Knicks up three, he twice grabbed defensive rebounds, following the second with a 3-pointer to put the Knicks up six with 1:36 left.
Kidd now subs in for Raymond Felton instead of playing alongside him. That makes Kidd a true point guard again, and no one ever complains about Kidd playing point.
“He’s been a great mentor to me,” Felton said. “I’m always talking to him. He’s always in my ear, giving me pieces of information, things that not only help my game, but help us as a team. He’s by far had a big role in my success this year.”
fred.kerber@nypost.com