On second thought, maybe Avery Johnson was right to bench Jason Kidd during crunch time. The newest Mav hideously short-armed a free throw that would’ve tied yesterday’s loss to the Lakers with 10 seconds remaining. After Kidd’s gaffe, Kobe Bryant polished off a 52-point masterpiece with two free throws, and Dirk Nowitzki -- who was otherwise spectacular -- totally air-balled a wide-open three-pointer. Of course if you missed the game and relied only on this account from Dallas’ Only Daily, you’d think the Mavs didn’t even get off a final shot: “Bryant hit two free throws, and the Mavericks couldn’t get a good look at the end.” Huh? --Richie Whitt

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