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Which NBA Finals coach has the edge: Mavericks’ Jason Kidd or Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla?

Both Kidd and Mazzulla have worked through criticism throughout their tenures in Dallas and Boston.

Ahead of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics, columnists and beat writers from The Dallas Morning News and The Boston Globe collaborated to answer several questions and predict an outcome for the series, which starts Thursday in Boston.

Here are their answers to which coach has the edge in the series: Dallas’ Jason Kidd or Boston’s Joe Mazzulla?

Mike Curtis: Coaching is one of the most underappreciated aspects of the playoffs. Adjustments could be the difference between a sweep, a competitive series or ultimately a championship. Kidd has shown the ability to make several quick adjustments throughout the playoffs, whether it’s a personnel change, such as giving Hardy more opportunities off the bench, or challenging a crucial late-game whistle that works in Dallas’ favor.

Mazzulla, 35, is the youngest coach to reach the Finals since Bill Russell in 1969, but his Celtics didn’t go through as much adversity in the previous three rounds as Dallas has. I’ll give Kidd the edge here.

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Tim Cowlishaw: I don’t know that there’s a particular coaching edge in the series. Both have spent time being criticized in their own markets the last two years — Mazzulla for being quiet or soft and emphasizing threes at all costs (who doesn’t?), and Kidd for his team’s uneven play and terrible defense a year ago when Dallas missed the play-in games. But Kidd has been a recent assistant in the Finals (LA) and took the Mavs to the conference finals two years ago while Mazzulla has done the same the last two seasons in Boston. Kidd has been known to be reluctant to use timeouts to quiet home crowds when the opponent is making a run. That will be something to watch in Boston.

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Shawn McFarland: Mazzulla. Kidd might have an experience edge in the postseason given his track record (titles as a player and assistant coach), and he’s pushed the correct buttons more often than not this spring, but Mazzulla’s winning percentage (.738) since becoming head coach last season is hard to overlook. His .676 postseason winning percentage trumps Kidd’s .508, albeit in a smaller sample size. Mazzulla has grown into his role considerably since last year’s Eastern Conference finals loss to the Miami Heat, and he had to knock out Erik Spoelstra and Rick Carlisle to reach this year’s finals.

Kevin Sherrington: Neither Kidd nor Mazzulla has gotten the credit each deserves for getting their teams to the Finals. Just because both have stars doesn’t mean it’s easy. Mazzulla will feel more pressure because of the weight of Celtics history and their standing this season as the league’s best team, at least by record.

Kidd knows what it takes to win a title because he’s done it as a player and as an assistant. He conceded this week that it’s “a lot harder” as a coach than as a player, but he’s rounding into the job.

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Boston is great, but the Mavs have come a long way since the trade deadline. Kidd deserves a lot of the credit for that, and the nod here.

Brad Townsend: Kidd. He’s been a head coach, off and on, since 2014. He’s been on the NBA Finals stage three times as a player and once as a Lakers assistant in 2020, albeit in the Disney World bubble.

Sure, Mazzulla was an assistant when the Celtics lost to Golden State in the ‘22 Finals. But he’s 35 and in his second season as head coach. Losing to No. 8 seed Miami in last season’s Eastern Conference finals was deemed a failure and had media and fans wondering whether Mazzulla was suited for the job. Boston’s 64-win regular season and 12-2 run through the playoffs has more than proved Mazzulla’s head coaching ability, but the pressure to win this championship, which would be Boston’s first since 2008, is immense.

This coaching matchup reminds me a lot of the 2011 Finals, when veteran Carlisle and his staff clearly made better chess moves than 40-year-old Spoelstra and his staff. That was Spoelstra’s third season as head coach and first Finals.

Certainly Spoelstra, with titles the next two seasons, has proved he’s one of the best coaches of this generation, but back in ‘11? Carlisle was the better Finals coach.

Chad Finn: Kidd has never been considered a great tactician, with the Mavs or in previous stops, but he has gotten the most out of this team. Mazzulla made huge progress in his second season -- thank goodness he finally uses his timeouts -- and strategically, he might actually be a little better than Kidd, especially with Sam Cassell and Charles Lee at his side.

Adam Himmelsbach: Jason Kidd has played in the NBA Finals, and Mazzulla never even played in the NBA. But that doesn’t really matter now. I’m not sure that either has an edge, really. Both have pushed all the right buttons during these playoffs. Over the course of the season, the Celtics became increasingly comfortable with Mazzulla’s philosophy and general approach, and it showed.

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Gary Washburn: This is dead even. While Kidd has the experience, the Mavericks struggled at times this season and he has been heavily criticized. Mazzulla won the coaching matchup in the Indiana series against Rick Carlisle and the Celtics were able to win close games. Mazzulla has to devise a way to limit Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Kidd has galvanized what was a flawed roster after trades to get Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington to turn the Mavericks into a better defensive club, but Mazzulla outcoached Kidd in both matchups during the regular season. He has a chance to win the rematch.

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