Things haven't exactly been rosy for the Dallas Mavericks over the past week or so; entering their Tuesday night NBA In-Season Tournament battle against the Houston Rockets, the Mavs have lost three of their past four games, and they even nearly choked away the game they won. As a result, there wasn't much positive vibes around the Mavs, as bad habits appear to have returned for arguably the most disappointing team of the 2022-23 season.

But against the Rockets, the Mavs delivered a statement victory, taking a 121-115 victory at home behind Luka Doncic's 41 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. And head coach Jason Kidd is clearly done with hearing all of the cynicism surrounding his team, as Kidd feels like the Mavs haven't yet fully washed away the stink of last year despite their strong start to the 2023-24 season.

“Failing is alright. It's not a bad thing to fail. For an athlete, you get better and learn from it. […] Sometimes [the ball] goes in, sometimes it doesn't. […] [Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving] are one of the best, if not the best, in clutch time. That was a thing you wanted to make a big deal about last year. But you're not making a big deal about it this year because s**t's going good. So write some positive s**t,” Kidd adamantly said in response to ESPN's Tim McMahon, via Landon Thomas of Mavs Fan For Life.

Plenty had doubts regarding the Mavs' chances of competing during the 2023-24 season, as some believed that the fit between Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving wasn't the best. But now that Jason Kidd and company are starting to make it work, the Mavs head coach is imploring reporters to highlight the good as much as they do the bad.

“It's alright to write positive. People will read your positive s**t. You don't always have to be negative. The world is already negative. Let's see some positive stuff on some positive people that are doing their job on a nightly basis,” Kidd added.

The Mavs have definitely made it much easier for reporters to write positively about the team, as they currently have an 11-6 record at the time of writing