Sunday, May 29, 2011

Terry will erase tattoo if Mavs fail to win trophy

Updated: May 29, 2011, 7:51 PM ET

By Tim MacMahon
ESPNDallas.com
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Mavericks Overcoming Age

Mavericks' head coach Rick Carlisle and guard Jason Terry discuss the team's age and experience, and what it means going into the NBA Finals.

Mavericks Overcoming Age
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DALLAS -- Jason Terry's tattoo of the Larry O'Brien Trophy could be temporary.

If his Dallas Mavericks don't beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, Terry said he would have the tattoo removed from the inside of his right biceps.

"I definitely know that it will hurt worse if I have to take this thing off than it did putting it on," Terry said Sunday after the Mavericks wrapped up their final practice before boarding their flight to Miami.

If the Mavs fail to win their first NBA championship, Terry said it would mean his tattoo was bad luck.

"I'm very superstitious," he said.

Terry got the tattoo on Oct. 19 during a get-together Dallas shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson had at his offseason home before the Mavericks played a road preseason game against the Orlando Magic. Stevenson, who has hundreds of tattoos on his face, neck, torso and arms, offered the services of his personal tattoo artist to his teammates.

Terry, the only player other than Dirk Nowitzki remaining on the Mavericks' roster from the 2006 Finals team, got the trophy inked into his arm to send a message to his teammates.

"It just symbolized the fact that we had a realistic shot of getting here," Terry said. "If I didn't think we had a chance, I wouldn't have put it there."

Terry certainly isn't backing off his belief in the Mavs now that they've earned a Finals rematch with the Heat, although he understands that Miami is considered the heavy favorite.

"Everybody knows that they're picking Miami to win. We know that," Terry said. "It really doesn't matter to us. We know we're very focused right now. We know what the job is and we know how we have to get it done."

Tim MacMahon covers the Mavericks for ESPNDallas.com.

Follow Tim MacMahon on Twitter: @espn_macmahon

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