Terry now a marked man

DALLAS — Jason Terry is probably the most superstitious player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). And from the way the Dallas Mavericks guard torched the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Finals here last Thursday night, it looks like his lucky charms are working.

With the Heat concentrating its defense on Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard, Terry capitalized on open looks to hit a game-high 32 points, 12 in the decisive fourth period. Neither Jason Williams nor Gary (The Glove) Payton could ground the 6-2, 180-pound Jet, his nickname (notice how he extends both arms like airplane wings and "flies" back on defense after he scores) as he took charge offensively with Nowitzki and Howard shackled to a combined 7-of-28 from the floor.

Terry, 28, scored eight straight points to push Dallas on top, 82-72, with 7:55 to go. Miami roared back with a 7-0 blast and could’ve tied it if Antoine Walker’s triple found the mark with 3:38 left. Then, Terry stole twice and the Heat missed four straight shots as the Mavs rode on an 8-1 windup to win, 90-80.

No doubt, Terry will be a marked man in Game 2 (tomorrow morning, Manila).

But as long as he wears Miami playing shorts to bed, Terry shouldn’t be bothered.

Terry’s most unusual superstition is sleeping in the game shorts of the opposing team the night before a game.

"I’ve got buddies on almost every team so I’ve collected all the shorts," said Terry who played five years for Atlanta before moving to Dallas last season. "I also eat the same thing before every game: a little tortellini with barbecued chicken, a glass of water and a glass of cranberry juice."

His game-day superstitions include wearing a headband, popularized by former Seattle SuperSonics guard and his elementary physical education teacher Don (Slick) Watts in the 1970s, knee-high socks because that’s how his father Curtis wore the hosiery in high school and the other team’s shorts in shoot-arounds.

Once, Terry forgot to bring his lucky socks to a collegiate game and shot 0-of-11 from the floor. The socks were sent to him the next day and he scored 20 points.

In the Finals opener, Terry wasted no time in taking charge with eight points in the first period and 12 in the second. Then, in a sudden change of pace, he didn’t attempt a single shot in the third quarter to involve his teammates in the flow. But Terry realized he had to breathe fire again in the last 12 minutes.

Terry said if the Mavs continue to be aggressive in Game 2, good things will happen.

"I know for my teammates, we’re out there being the aggressor," he said. "We can play our game and be in our style of play which is up-tempo and really be aggressive on the defense, especially against a good team like Miami when they got Shaq inside. If you’re passive, he’s going to beat you up all night."

Miami coach Pat Riley paid tribute to Terry after Dallas drew first blood. "The guy that we lost control of and whom we also had put a major emphasis on was Terry," he said. "One guy simply got off and had an incredible night. Basically without him, they might not have won the game."

Riley said the Heat paid dearly for playing zone. "The only thing they got out of the zone, they hit three threes," he sighed. "We left the wrong guys open. Our coverage was wrong and that’s why there was a breakdown only because there was a lack of communication on the call of the zone and we were late getting to our spots and left our guys with air space."

Terry brings a winning tradition to the Mavs. He played on two high school state championship teams and the Arizona squad that won the NCAA title in 1997 with Mike Bibby. Terry was Atlanta’s first round pick in the 1999 NBA draft and was traded to Dallas in a deal that involved Walker in 2004.

Terry is known to be a fiercely loyal person because of his strong family ties. The second of 10 children, he is close to his parents Curtis and Andrea. Born in Seattle, he has a tattoo of "206"—his home’s area code—on his chest and behind it, a drawing of the city skyline. Terry and his wife Johniyka have three daughters, Jasionna, Jalayah and Jaida—another lucky charm because their initials are all J. T.