Stephen Jackson has been away from the Spurs for nearly nine years.
But after watching him play nearly 17 minutes in his return Saturday night, it was almost like he was never gone.
Jackson was prized by the Spurs organization because of his toughness and willingness to accept challenges. He showed that in his first game back just by playing with them in Saturday’s game.
Many players would have milked the 48-hour deadline to report and joined their new team under more favorable circumstances.
But Jackson returned for a game at the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, covering All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki for much of the game.
Nowitzki erupted for 27 points to lead the Mavericks’ scoring, but Jackson was as effective a defender as the Spurs had in the game.
Jackson contributed five points and didn’t look lost very often in the Spurs’ scheme. He seemed to frustrate Nowitzki with his physical defense and he even drew a charge on one possession.
“I’m definitely excited, because my best years were here,” Jackson told Fox Sports Southwest before the game. “It feels good to be back with Tim, Manu and Tony. We did some great things together. Just to be back in the state of Texas where I’m from is great. I just thank Pop and R.C. for bringing me back.”
It will be interesting to see if Jackson can earns a starting position. As Jackson acclimates himself to his new/old team, rookie Kawhi Leonard will likely get the starting position for several games. If he plays well, it might be hard to dislodge him from the starting job.
Jackson played in only 26 games for Milwaukee and had not seen game action since Feb. 19. But he doesn’t anticipate any problems in getting back into game shape quickly.
“My body feels great and I’ve been working hard all season, waiting for this opportunity to play again,” Jackson said. “Whatever role they want me to play in, I’ll be ready.”
And he left little doubt that it won’t be a difficult transition to a situation where he has familiarity after seven teams in his 12-season NBA career.
“It’s gonna be easy,” Jackson said. “When I was here, we took turns and whoever was going (good), we appreciated giving that guy the ball. It’s all about winning here.
“It’s not about stats. It’s about holding that gold trophy up at the end of the season. That’s always been my goal and it’s always been a goal here.”
It’s understandable why Spurs Nation has been so excited to get him back since the trade was announced.
Now, he just has to work his way back into the rotation.
Here are a few other thoughts after the Mavericks’ victory, giving them a 2-1 edge in the season series.
- Jason Kidd has been struggling through his worst 3-point shooting season in 11 years before Saturday’s game, but it would have been hard to tell Saturday after watching him deftly drop in four 3-pointers to help spark the Mavericks’ victory. When Kidd shoots like that, the Mavericks have a shot to go a long way in the playoffs. He shot 37.4 percent from beyond the arc in the playoffs last season. He needs to approach that percentage for a deep run this season.
- I know that Ginobili has the reputation of a flopper, but Nowitzki was hitting him with some forearm shots that would have made Troy Polamalu proud throughout the game. Watching Gregg Popovich rail at the officials after that series of plays, I’m surprised he didn’t get a technical.
- With Brendan Haywood out, the Spurs wanted to get Ian Mahinmi in foul trouble to exploit the Mavericks’ lack of inside depth. They accomplished that, but backup Dallas center Brandan Wright provided a key boost with eight points and nine rebounds. The Mavericks didn’t lose anything when he was in there. In fact, they might have played better when he was in the game.
- No team does a better job of packing the paint against the Spurs than Dallas. Coach Rick Carlisle’s defensive strategy is the biggest reason why Parker struggles against the Mavericks more than most opponents. He came into the game with his lowest scoring average and shooting percentage against them among all of the opposing teams this season. And he struggled again getting to the basket, leading to 13 points – one of his nine lowest scoring games of the season — on 5-of-12 shooting. Parker said he was tired after the game, but he was also facing a stiff defensive challenge, too.