Terry then went out and scored 18 points in the Celtics’ stayin’-alive, 97-90 overtime victory Sunday. He had Boston’s nine points of the overtime, including a huge 3-pointer. Given the circumstances, it was easily Terry’s best effort as a Celtic. It only took 86 games.
The underwhelming play of Terry this season was, as Yul Brynner would have said, a 
puzzlement. He had trouble adjusting to his role, which involved both starting and coming off the bench. He averaged 10.1 points per game, well below his career average of 15.7.
You can probably count on one hand the number of games Terry directly impacted – and one of those was when he had a blocked shot at the end. He had four games where he scored 20 or more points and 35 where he failed to reach double figures.
Last season in Dallas, he had 11 games of 20 or more points and only 10 where he didn’t reach double figures. And when he’s not scoring, well, that’s why he’s on the team. He’s not there to defend (thank goodness) or to set up plays (although he can handle). He’s there to score. And you could not have blamed Boston ownership for requesting a refund based on what Terry has given them.
Nonetheless, Rivers stood by him; he didn’t have much choice. Rivers grew weary of Courtney Lee and eventually benched him. But Terry was a veteran, a guy with a ring and a dedicated professional. Rivers gave him a long rope.
“You know, I didn’t know him until this year and I said it the other day: He’s just one of those guys you want around your team, whether he’s playing or not,” Rivers said. “He brings sunshine … the sunshine-bringers, that’s who you want. And Jason Terry is one of those guys.”
The Sunshine Guy came out in Game 4, a day after he had said he would try to channel his anger from the Smith elbow in a positive way. He made one of his patented transition 3-pointers to break the final tie. It’s a shot he works on tirelessly after practice. It’s a shot Rivers wants Terry to take.
He then tossed in a 13-footer, part of his 6-for-6 from inside the arc after missing an uncontested layup in Game 3. He added two free throws after he was fouled boxing out a Knick. It was enough to give the Celtics one more game to play, although the prevailing view is that they only postponed the inevitable.
Terry has two more years on his Boston deal. He will be 36 in September. Year One of the three-year deal has been a disappointment, to say the least. Terry acquitted himself well in Game 4.
The one overriding question afterward was, “What took ya’ so long, Jet?”
Peter May is the only writer who covered the final NBA games played by Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. He has covered the league for three decades for The Hartford Courant and The Boston Globe and has written three books on the Boston Celtics. His work also appears in The New York Times.