Celtics' Terry back in Dallas for reunion, loss

Terry was in town with his new team, the Boston Celtics, and the first order of business was wiping out a bad night in New Orleans and ending a two-game skid. That didn't happen, with the slide reaching three games in a 104-94 loss in which he was held to eight points on 3-of-9 shooting.

The significance of the moment wasn't lost on him, but the loss took away some enjoyment.

"It was nothing out of the ordinary. It was a good feeling," Terry said after the game. "But again, I was solely locked in on the game. It was good to see everyone. But I'm a Celtic now."

The veteran shooting guard spent eight seasons with the Mavericks, endearing himself to the home crowd through civic involvement and the "Jet" nickname he fostered through his signature celebration of big 3-pointers — running down the court with his arms spread like wings.

"I'm very comfortable here and so I can imagine the first shot's definitely going to be a 3," said Terry, who showed up wearing his championship ring a couple of hours before the game. "I'm just excited."

Well, Terry told a little lie there. He actually drove for a layup, got fouled and made both free throws shortly after entering the game late in the first quarter. Wearing a green headband and No. 4 instead of a white one with No. 31, Terry missed his first 3-point attempt early in the second.

Terry got a loud standing ovation when he was introduced, but the game wasn't stopped and fans quickly found themselves cheering a 3-pointer by Vince Carter instead.

"A lot of smiles," Terry said of what he was expecting. "Seeing a lot of the courtside season-ticket holders, all of the people that I spent a lot of time with, seeing them."

The 35-year-old Terry is no longer with Dallas because the Mavericks decided to get younger in the backcourt while building salary cap space for a big move in free agency. They struck out on point guard Deron Williams last summer and figure to go after center Dwight Howard this offseason.

Meantime, Dallas has jeopardized a 12-year playoff streak by going with a roster overloaded with one-year contracts for a second straight season since beating Miami in the 2011 finals. The Mavericks (32-36) started Friday 3½ games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the final Western Conference playoff spot with just 14 games remaining.