When Jason Terry had the Larry O'Brien Trophy tattooed on his arm, it was seen as brash, and nobody thought he was serious. But Terry was dead-serious, and had a clear goal in mind ahead of the 2010-11 season: Bring the NBA Championship to Dallas. The trophy fits his personality; he's outspoken, has a cocky persona, but can back it all up with his play. Even in the NBA Finals, as Terry and the Mavericks faced LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat, he kept talking, bulletin board material be damned.
And now, Terry finally has his ring, completing a trifecta that's been years in the making -- a high school state championship, college national championship at Arizona and an NBA title. And there isn't a guy that deserves it more than the crafty guard from Seattle.
Terry backed up his words throughout the series, and provided steady performance after steady performance off the bench for the Mavericks. In Game 6, it was more of the same as Terry took over with Dirk Nowitzki on the bench with foul trouble in the first half. He couldn't miss, hitting off the bounce, from beyond the arc and slashing through the lane while carving up the Miami defense.
Terry finished with a game-high 27 points and showed that shooter's touch he's become known for. Terry, who's known for his accuracy from beyond the arc, used his mid-range game in Game 6, hitting eight of nine shots inside the arc. It's a game he developed under the tutelage of George Gervin, and did so with hard work and repetition (via fun facts about Jet).
"My uncle put me in contact with George Gervin," Terry said. "Even though he's 6-foot-7, he taught me fundamentals. Footwork was a big key. Life on my jump shot, that was another one. I spent a week out there, working out twice a day. We shot 400 makes per session. No threes, just all mid-range jumpers."
Terry reintroduced himself to the world in the NBA Finals, showing his personality and versatile game throughout. And he finally has the ring he so deserved. Congratulations to Jet. It's been one hell of a ride rooting for the Seattle guy playing for a title.