Twelve hours earlier, Jason Terry made 3-pointers, strutted, high-fived fans and helped will the Mavericks to a crucial victory.
But now it's Saturday morning. Terry is droopy-eyed and stiff-legged as he descends the stairs in his Stonebriar home, where he's always upstaged and outnumbered. Girl-trapped. Waiting downstairs are wife Johniyka and their four daughters. The youngest, 21-month-old Jasa, beelines to Jason, who lifts her and kisses her cheek.
"They're all sweet girls, very loving," Johniyka says. "And they can pretty much get what they want from Daddy."
Warm heart. Cold-blooded shooting guard. For Terry, 31, it's no contradiction.
It's a compelling combination.
It is why he is the most fan-friendly, opponent-bugging Maverick, which makes him doubly vital as Dallas faces nemesis San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs beginning at 7 p.m. today in San Antonio.
He unselfishly embraced the sixth-man role this season but often sought the ball late in games.
He is the Maverick who carries his Bible onto the team plane, but he's also the one who punched Spurs guard Michael Finley in the groin during Dallas' run to the 2006 NBA Finals.
And when this series shifts to Dallas next week for Games 3 and 4, count on Terry to enlist the crowd as the Mavericks battle to avoid a third straight first-round ouster.
"I think what fans like about me is I'm real and I don't see them any different than me," he says. "It's all about me being a kid at heart and loving the game and realizing that any one of those 20,000 fans would love to be in my position.
"So why not put on a good show for them?"
Jason Eugene "Jet" Terry's 19.6-point regular season average was his highest in five seasons as a Maverick. According to the Web site 82games.com, he averaged 6.0 points during fourth quarters, 10th-most in the NBA.
No wonder he is favored to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award.
"As energetic as he is on the court, he's just as energetic in the community," notes Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who last week was a guest on Terry's ESPN radio show.
DMN
3. San Antonio vs. 6. Dallas
Day Date Location (TV) Time
Sat. April 18 San Antonio ESPN-x 7:00
Mon. April 20 San Antonio TNT-x 8:30
Thu. April 23 Dallas NBATV-x 7:30
Sat. April 25 Dallas TNT-x 3:00
Tue. April 28 San Antonio TBD TBD*
Fri. May 1 Dallas TBD TBD*
Sun. May 3 San Antonio TBD TBD*
x-also on Ch. 21; *-if necessary
