Thunder: Scott Brooks had an interesting seat in Dallas

In February 1995, Scotty Brooks was traded by the Houston Rockets to the Dallas Mavericks. The Mav point guard then was Jason Kidd.

Now Brooks is the Thunder coach, and Tuesday night he takes his team to Dallas for the Western Conference Finals, and the Mavericks’ point guard is, yes, Jason Kidd. But Kidd hasn’t been in Dallas all those 16 years.

Kidd left Dallas in 1997, traded to Phoenix, where he spent 4 1/2 years, and then on to New Jersey, where he played 6 1/2 years.

The reason for the breakup of Kidd and the Mavs is a mythical NBA story. The Mavs were rebuilding around the Triple J’s: Kidd, Jimmy Jackson and Jamal Mashburn. But urban legend has it that Kidd had a date with pop star Toni Braxton, only she went out with Jackson instead.

Kidd and Jackson long have denied the story, but Dallas soon thereafter traded Kidd, and Jackson left not long thereafter.

So Monday, I asked Brooks why he didn’t get in on any of that action.

“She didn’t like short, non-athletic guys,” Brooks cracked.