Before the NBA season began, Jason Terry got the Larry O’Brien Trophy tattooed on his biceps (pictured above) at a team get-together. The Larry O’Brien Trophy is awarded to the team that wins the NBA title each year, so it was a curious decision for permanent ink by Terry considering he had never won a title. Before the NBA Finals began, we said he would either appear foolish or clairvoyant for his tattoo decision. Terry even said he would get the tattoo removed if his team lost.
Now I guess we can call him a genius.
Between Terry’s permanent ink, Dallas blowing their 23-point lead to the Blazers in Game 4 yet bouncing back to win the series, and then sweeping the Lakers, it seems like the Mavericks were a team of destiny. They had the right combination of size, speed, shooting, defense, and coaching, and they proved they were the best team in the NBA this year. They also showed that they belonged as contenders and that they all shared dreams of winning the championship.
Terry, who was called out by Dirk Nowitzki for not playing well enough after the first two games of the NBA Finals, responded by saying LeBron James wouldn’t continue to get the best of him defensively. The Mavericks began running him off screens to give him improved looks, and he benefited from open looks off turnovers to start raining shots. Terry went 6-for-12 on threes in Game 5 and Game 6 combined, scored 48 points, and shot 67%. The Miami Heat may have shot well, but in order to beat the other team, you have to make more shots, and that would have meant shooting 70% to keep up with JET.
Getting the Larry O’Brien Trophy tattoo was as bold of a move as a player can make, and Terry backed it up. He didn’t coast behind Dirk Nowitzki nor did he let his teammates carry him. He earned the trophy by playing better than nearly anyone else in Dallas’ close-out wins.
