Jet finds the right time to take flight

Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t too happy, but he was also trying to make a point. Jason Terry had just led the Mavericks in scoring, but Nowitzki was the one asked to do the post-game TV interview.

Sure, it was Nowitzki’s first game back, so naturally he was the guy ESPN wanted. That didn’t stop him from pointing up to Terry’s 31 points on the scoreboard and cracking during the interview about there being a Terry “sighting” that night.

Teammates rib each other all the time and Nowitzki is notorious for running his mouth, so there was nothing malicious in the jab. But there was a hint of truth in it. Terry hasn’t had a bad season by any stretch, but something has been a little off.

“My role has changed throughout the course of the season, but at the same time there was a lot going on,” Terry said Wednesday after practice. “We have a new team, trying to implement new guys and I have no problem with it. I’m rolling with it and at the end of the tunnel there is light.”

And the end of this season, there should be playoffs. Terry is counting on the postseason to prove he can still spread those wings. The team’s biggest in-game supporter – you’ve seen him cheering on his teammates and revving up the crowd – has endeared himself to fans with an infectious smile and attitude.

For all the stuff fans love, Terry wouldn’t be a favorite without his shot. He knows it. So do his teammates and coaches. So when the shot is not there and his production fluctuates, people notice. He’s not a playmaker or lock-down defender. He’s a shooter.

“The guys’ individual performances make up the team,” Avery Johnson said. “If Jet is taking his shots and doing the little things, it makes the team better.”

Read the rest of this story along with a Jazz preview at mavs.com.