NBA Update: Dirk Nowitzki wants Jason Terry to help him out in crunch time
There’s been one common theme in the last two games of the NBA Finals. When the game enters its final stretch, Dirk Nowitzki simply takes over. Nowitzki has been tremendous down the stretch and has more often than not, been unplayable.
However, the games have not followed the same script. Dallas won one and lost the other, despite Nowitzki being deadly in equal measure during both encounters. The difference has been the contribution, or the lack of it, from Jason
Terry.
Point guard Terry is the only other survivor in the Dallas team from the 2006 Finals. He comes off the bench to provide valuable offence to the team in critical situations. He did so at the start of the Mavericks comeback in game-2
that resulted in a dramatic win. However in game-3, Terry missed his opportunities down the stretch, putting extra pressure on Nowitzki.
Dirk scored 12 straight for the Mavs at the end of game-3. However, because his teammates, especially Terry, could not knock down the big shots he ought to, Dallas fell short.
The Miami Heat put LeBron James on Terry in the final period, just like they did with Derrick Rose in the series against the Chicago Bulls. James stifled Terry and even though Terry is not the Mavs primary offensive weapon, like
Rose was for the Chicago Bulls, he is still a critical one.
Now Dirk has called on his teammate to break the shackles and find a way to get on the scorecard when it matters.
“They keep sticking [LeBron James] on Jet in the fourth quarters and he’s been doing a good job,” Nowitzki said. “Jet hasn’t really been a crunch-time, clutch player for us the way we need him to.”
Even Jason Kidd said after the last game that the Mavs need someone else to step up on offence apart from Nowitzki, who seemingly has to do it all himself. Usually that someone is Jason Terry, but he wasn’t able to do so in game-3
and it cost the Mavs. In fact, Terry is 0-7 from the field in the fourth quarters of game-1 and game-3, the two that Dallas lost.
Terry himself knows that he needs to step it up as his team needs him in the final period and he is adamant that LeBron James and the Heat cannot keep him quiet for too long.
“Let’s see if [James] can defend me like that for seven games.”
“I had two opportunities,” Terry said. “One in the corner for 3, LeBron closed out. The other one in the right corner, LeBron closed out again, didn’t get enough air under it.”
“Hey, it happens. If I get those same shots in Game 4, I bet I make them.”
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