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DALLAS – Jason Terry is welcome to return to the Mavericks.

It’s just a matter of negotiating a deal that’s agreeable to both parties. And that’s a heck of a lot harder than it sounds, considering that the Mavs hope to make major roster upgrades with their salary-cap space and the 34-year-old Terry would surely like at least one more lucrative contract.

“We’d love to have Jet back,” president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said Sunday. “You talk about a guy that’s given his heart and soul to this franchise, and made big plays and big shots. You would love to have him back. It’s just, at what cost?”

Terry was excused from Sunday’s exit interviews so he could coach the Lady Jets, his daughter’s AAU team. However, he acknowledged after Saturday’s sweep finale that he might have played his last game in a Mavericks uniform, calling it a “hard pill to swallow.”

Terry has made it clear over the years that he has hoped to retire as a Maverick. He spent the last eight seasons in Dallas, making him the longest tenured teammate of Dirk Nowitzki's career.

In a classic Jet moment during the celebration at the end of last year's championship parade, days after Terry was the star of the title-clinching Game 6, he pointed to the spot in the American Airlines Center rafters where he thinks his No. 31 should hang one day. It’s tough for Nowitzki to envision Terry wearing that number for another team next season.

“He’s my man,” Nowitzki said. “Hopefully it’s going to work out, it’s going to work out for him the way he wants it to. Maybe he’s going to be back here. I think it’s definitely going to be weird seeing him in a different jersey, so hopefully we figure it out and he’ll be here.”

DALLAS -- If you were stunned by this offensive stinker, you must not have watched the Mavs much this season.

This has been a bad offensive team since the day the defending champions -- might as well use that term while we can -- reported to the American Airlines Center for an abbreviated training camp.

Dallas’ decision makers anticipated that it would be a difficult process to fit in a few significant new pieces without much practice time, but the hope was that the Mavs would mesh throughout the course of this lockout-condensed season and be prepared to peak in the playoffs.

Pfft.

With the season on the line, the Mavs managed to come up with one of their worst offensive showings, shooting 34.2 percent from the floor in Thursday’s 95-79 loss that put Dallas on the verge of being swept by the Thunder.

“Just picked a bad time to really put a stinker out there,” said Dirk Nowitzki, who had 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting. “Nobody really had a good game for us. They took it to us on the other end. We picked a tough time to really get nothing going on the offensive end.”

That’s happened a heck of a lot this season, which is why the Mavs ranked 22nd among NBA teams in offensive efficiency. To put that in perspective, the Boston Celtics are the only playoff team that was less efficient offensively than the Mavs.

The versatile pieces that Mark Cuban and Co. expected to make Dallas a more dynamic offensive team haven’t panned out. Lamar Odom provided plenty of drama and precious little production. Vince Carter faded after the All-Star break and has really struggled in this series, making only nine of 31 shots from the floor.

The Mavs’ big guns have had off seasons by their standards. Nowitzki’s numbers are his worst since his second season in Dallas, before the Mavs’ run of a dozen playoff appearances in a row. Jason Terry’s stats are his worst in his eight-season Dallas tenure.

When one of those guys struggles, it’s tough for the Mavs to win. When they’re both off, it’s bound to get ugly.

That was the case in Game 3, when Nowitzki was bad and Terry was worse (11 points, 3-of-10 shooting, four turnovers).

“They played great defense all night long on Dirk and myself,” Terry said. “We’ve got to find a way. I think our offensive strategy right now is pretty much predicated on pass the ball around and see what happens. I don’t think that’s a good strategy for us.”

He’ll get no argument from coach Rick Carlisle: “I’ve got to do a better job of helping those guys. That’s something I really take responsibility for.”

Carlisle said something about watching film and trying to get this fixed. The truth is it’s too late for this season, and there’s a good chance Terry is gone next year.

If the Mavs want to get back to being a good offensive team, they better catch their big fish in the free-agency market.

For the sake of Dallas’ recruiting efforts, let’s hope Deron Williams was too busy to watch Game 3.

DALLAS – The Mavs have had more lopsided playoff losses in recent years – thanks to a 10-0 run in garbage time – but Thursday night’s 95-79 whipping by the Thunder made Jason Terry flash back to 2007.

“[Expletive], Golden State. Golden State, [expletive],” Terry said when asked whether he’d ever been through anything like this game, using a couple of different colorful words to express his frustration. “We had no rhythm and just couldn’t figure it out.”

It’s as bad as Terry as felt after a playoff game since the 111-86 rout that sealed the eighth-seeded Warriors upset over the 67-win Mavericks.

“You’ve got to take your hat off to them,” Terry said. “They came out and played a hell of a game tonight, kicked our ass in every facet of the game.”

DALLAS – The defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks have reached a point of desperation after just two playoff games.

Sixth man Jason Terry, the longtime voice of the Mavs’ locker room, made that clear as he exited the team’s practice court Wednesday, stopping halfway up the staircase to make a sole statement to the media.

“Game 3 is like Game 7,” Terry said. “Thank you very much.”

The Mavs find themselves in this position after failing to close out the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first two games of the series. The Thunder, who were eliminated by the Mavs in five games in last season’s Western Conference finals, won Games 1 and 2 by at Chesapeake Energy Arena by a combined four points.

The Mavs’ hopes go from slim to virtually none if they fail to win Game 3 at the American Airlines Center. No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in an NBA playoff series. There are 99 teams that have tried and failed in best-of-7 series.

Mavs point guard Jason Kidd attempted to downplay the team’s concern about the situation, but the two longest-tenured Mavericks acknowledged that it’s a win-or-else approach for Thursday night’s game.

“I think that the odds are obviously very stacked against you,” Dirk Nowitzki said when asked if he agreed with Terry’s statement. “It’s definitely a big game if we want to have a chance to make this a series.

“We’re looking forward to a great home crowd. We’ve had two days off to get some rest and look at some stuff and get better today. Hopefully, we’ll play our best game yet and execute a little better down the stretch and squeeze one out and put some pressure on them and make it a series.”

Teams that fall behind 0-2 are only 14-226 in best-of-7 series in NBA history. However, Terry and Nowitzki have experience on both sides of those rare comebacks.

The Mavs rallied from an 0-2 deficit to defeat the Houston Rockets in the 2005 first round, when Terry was the hero of the series. The Mavs lost the 2006 Finals to the Miami Heat after winning the first two games, a crushing defeat they avenged by clinching last season’s title in Miami.

Nowitzki was also part of a comeback from an 0-2 hole in a best-of-5 series, when the Mavs beat the Jazz in the first playoff series of his career.

As far as coach Rick Carlisle is concerned, the Mavs’ mission is to return to Oklahoma City with the series deadlocked.

“We need to win two games,” Carlisle said. “That’s our job now that we’re back home. Game 3 is very important. There’s no denying that.”

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Jason Terry got plenty of touches in this fourth quarter. He just didn’t take advantage of them.

After being shut out in the fourth quarter of Game 1, when he attempted only one shot attempt in the final frame, Terry vowed to come through in crunch time during Game 2. He didn’t back up his bold words.

Terry scored eight points in the fourth quarter of the 102-99 loss that put the Mavs in an 0-2 hole in the series, but he was 3-of-8 from the floor. Terry missed four of his final five shots, including a pair of contested, potential tying 3-point attempts in the final seconds.

“Those weren’t good looks at all, but hey, those are the ones I take,” Terry said. “I thought one of them would go in. I had two shots at it. It didn’t go in. Hopefully next game, it will.”

Terry, who committed a critical foul on Kevin Durant with the shot clock ticking down in the final minute, has always prided himself on being a crunch performer. That’s why it’s particularly painful for him to be a nonfactor down the stretch of two tight losses, although he’s holding out hope.

“It’s going to be like this the whole series,” Terry said. “We’ll go home, we’ll see what happens. It’s going to be tough. It’s going to come down to one or two possessions, a call here or there, a shot here or there. That’s what playoff basketball is about.”

If you’re part of the media horde that steps foot in the Mavs’ locker room on a regular basis, you have great appreciation for Jason Terry.

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As good as Jet has been for the Mavs the last eight seasons, he’s been better for us. Countless stories and radio segments have been built around Terry talking and talking and talking.

So, believe me, this is friendly advice: Jet, just shut up about your contract status for the rest of the season.

It’s certainly understandable that Terry isn’t thrilled about the strong likelihood that he’s nearing the end of his tenure with the Mavericks. He’s made it clear that he wants to retire in Dallas, even pointing to the spot in the AAC rafters where he thinks his number should hang.

It’s also clear, however, that Mark Cuban’s business plan isn’t going to include re-signing Terry to the kind of contract that the sweet-shooting sixth man wants.

If you aren’t sure about it, just ask Jet.

Hate to say it, but it’s time for Terry to stop being so brutally honest with his answers. It’s time for him to stop jabbing the Mavs’ management, and he should make his open flirtation with the Miami Heat a one-time, one-team thing as long as he’s cashing Cuban’s checks.

It’s not that Jet’s mouth is any great threat to chemistry in the Mavs’ locker room. His coaches and teammates are used to his “nonsense,” as Dirk Nowitzki recently called Terry’s tendency to utter inflammatory quotes, and have built up a strong immunity to it.

The Mavs can deal with Jet being Jet for the rest of the season, especially if his fantastic fourth quarter in Friday’s comeback win over the Magic starts a trend. And a handful of controversial comments shouldn’t tarnish his legacy in this town, considering his role in bringing Dallas its first NBA title. Terry should shut up about his future to protect himself.

The Mavs can shrug off his me-me-me act without much problem, but how do you think that would go over with a new team? Terry constantly talking about his contract status – while the Mavs fight for playoff positioning – can’t impress owners, general managers and coaches in other NBA cities.

The job interview isn't just about Terry's performance on the floor.

Terry needs to be realistic about the situation. He’s an undersized shooting guard who turns 35 in September. Teams aren’t going to be lining up to offer him lucrative, long-term deals, even if he has another terrific playoff run.

If a team is going to sign a mid-thirties role player, they’d like to get a role model for the youngsters on the roster, too. They definitely don’t want a potential malcontent.

The questions are going to keep coming for Terry. It’s an easy story for a reporter in places like Memphis, Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago and Atlanta – all stops on the Mavs’ remaining schedule – if Terry keeps speculating about what will happen when he hits free agency this summer.

Or Terry can put a stop to it and place all the focus on trying to make another playoff run. He can even do it in typical Jet style with a quote like this:

“The [fill in the blank] are a great organization, but all I’m focusing on is finishing this season as strong as we finished the last one. We’ll worry about what comes next after we have another parade in downtown Dallas.”

That’s a quote the media can work with that won’t work against Jet this summer.

Our weekly look at which Mavs stocks have risen and fallen the most:

STOCK UP
Lamar Odom –- After Odom crashed to an all-time low, with a one-point, one-rebound, one-assist performance and an 0-2-0 line sandwiching his first career DNP-CD, he’s actually had two consecutive productive games. This represents major progress for the NBA’s most disappointing player this season. You wouldn’t think that the reigning Sixth Man of the Year averaging 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists over two games would be a huge deal, but that’s how low the standards have fallen for Lam Lam. The Mavs hope his aggressiveness and interest level in the last two games is a sign of things to come, not fool’s gold.

STOCK DOWN
Jason Terry -- Jet just made a fool of himself in Miami. The gold shoes were silly. The pregame talk of signing with the Heat was stupid and selfish. The 1-of-10 shooting performance was sorry. If you’re going to go out of your way to make yourself a story, you better have more points than turnovers.

Jason Terry could see himself taking his talents to South Beach next season.

Then again, Terry could envision himself calling any NBA city home next season, as he’s already admitted that he feels like he’s “auditioning for 29 other teams” during the final months of his contract with the Mavericks. However, Terry indicated to Fox Sports Florida before Thursday night’s loss in Miami that the Heat are an especially intriguing potential option.

"Miami is definitely a title contender. For sure," Terry told the website when asked whether he’d be interested in joining the Heat. "[Team president] Pat Riley is a great guy, and what he's done with the organization is tremendous.

"No question, they need a veteran shooter, a guy who can score besides LeBron [James] and [Dwyane Wade] and they know they can count on. I'm a guy that's been in this league 13 years, (averaging) 15 points a night, easy. Off the bench or the starting lineup, it doesn't matter. So I think I'd be an asset to them."

Terry didn’t exactly ace this job interview. Wearing gold shoes to celebrate the title the Mavs clinched in Miami last summer, Terry had his worst shooting performance of the season, missing nine of 10 field goal attempts during a three-point performance.

Terry had his request for a preseason contract extension fall on deaf ears. He is dealing with the reality that his dream of retiring in Dallas isn’t likely to happen.

"My main goal was to come back and retire a Maverick," Terry told the website. "After no extension this past offseason, I figure it may be time for me to move on. But you never know… I would love to (continue) in a Maverick uniform, don't get me wrong. But we'll see what happens. …

“They said they want me back. But you can say all you want, you got to show me. Like Jerry Maguire said, 'Show me the money."'

The Heat won’t have a lot of money to show Terry this summer. Miami has three stars (James, Wade and Chris Bosh) locked up to lucrative, long-term deals, leaving the Heat without any space under the salary cap. The most Miami would have to offer Terry is the mini-midlevel exception of $3 million per season, a huge cut from the $11.2 million salary Terry is making in the final season of his six-year, $57 million contract.

That might present a problem, but Terry said he’ll see what the market dictates and didn’t rule out being involved in a sign-and-trade deal. One thing that wouldn’t be an issue for Terry is joining a franchise that he faced in heated Finals in 2006 and last season.

"Not at all," Terry told Fox Sports Florida. "That jersey has a logo on it. It says, 'NBA.' No matter what team it is, it doesn't matter. So I'll be excited."

Jason Terry, whose voice was coming back after a battle with hoarseness, had a told-you-so moment Saturday night in Houston.

Jet had just scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, hitting the game-winning shot on a pull-up jumper in the final minute. It was the kind of clutch performance Terry prides himself in – and precisely why he was so irate about riding pine with the game on the line a couple of times earlier this month.

“I told everyone that I have to be on the floor in those situations,” Terry said as he dressed in the Toyota Center visitors locker room. “If I’m not, I’m going to be very disappointed, because I feel that if I’m out there and our team is close, we’ll have a very good chance to win.”

Did Terry remind coach Rick Carlisle of that?

“He knows,” Terry said. “We talk every day since we had our little episode.”

Their “little episode” is a reference to Terry being benched while Rodrigue Beaubois missed a pair of potential game-tying shots March 8 in Phoenix – and the fireworks that went off in the locker room after that loss.

Just to be clear, Carlisle had good reason to bench Terry against the Suns. Carlisle has never elaborated on why he made the “coach’s decision” – that’s all he would say about it – but it was obvious that he was disgusted by Terry’s poor effort when the ball wasn’t in his hands. Carlisle called a timeout after Terry failed to box out Phoenix’s Shannon Brown, and Terry didn’t step foot on the court again after Brown’s ridiculously easy putback dunk.

Carlisle wasn’t the only one upset at Terry. Dirk Nowitzki has also acknowledged having a heated exchange with his longest-tenured teammate that night.

However, Carlisle and Nowitzki readily acknowledge that the Mavs need Terry on the court during closing time to be a legitimate contender.

Terry provided further evidence by carrying the Mavs in crunch time Saturday night in Houston, when Nowitzki didn’t have a bucket for the final 11:10 of regulation and all of overtime with the Rockets opting to hug him on pick-and-rolls. The case had been closed long before Terry scored 11 points in the final 7:11 of the back-and-forth battle between teams scrapping for playoff positioning.

“That’s his quarter. That’s his reputation,” Carlisle said. “He takes pride in it. Our guys look for him, and he’s a different breed of cat. There aren’t a lot of guys that want that responsibility. We’re fortunate that we have two of them with him and Dirk – and [Jason] Kidd, if you want to throw a third guy in.”

Added Nowitzki: “That’s why he’s one of the best clutch players in this league.”

Terry, who talks as freely as he shoots, couldn’t have said it better himself.

DALLAS -- Jason Terry’s time in Dallas might be nearing its end, but he’s earned the right to have his jersey hanging in the American Airlines Center to honor him forever.

If not from the arena rafters -- as Jet ever so humbly requested during the post-parade celebration after last season’s title run -- then at least in the media room. After all, Terry unofficially holds the franchise record for the most sensational quotes spoken.

Terry’s mouth has been on a heck of a run recently. From complaining about crunch-time minutes to calling out teammates and the front office to openly discussing auditioning for the other 29 teams, Jet has provided plenty of sports talk radio fodder over the last couple of weeks.

“Oh, I’m going to speak the real,” Terry said Saturday night, puffing his chest out after playing a key role in the Mavs’ 106-99 win over their Interstate 35 rival Spurs.

What Jet speaks depends on your perspective.

“If I was a reporter, I probably wouldn’t even interview him because I know he’s talking, it’s just nonsense half the time,” said Dirk Nowitzki, Terry’s locker room neighbor for the last seven-plus seasons. “Especially after games, he’s just fired up. I wouldn’t even pay him no attention.”

Owner Mark Cuban had a similar reaction to Terry’s recent controversial comments, calling it “just Jet being Jet.”

Coach Rick Carlisle’s take: “Everybody can shoot their mouth off if they’re going to play like he’s playing right now.”

And that’s all that really matters. The Mavs will gladly put up with Terry, who has been inconsistent on the floor this season, flapping his gums for the media when he produces like he has this week.

Terry averaged 19.7 points on 51.2 percent shooting from the floor (61.5 percent from 3-point range) during the 3-0 homestand. He was at his clutch best in the last few minutes against the Spurs, hitting a pair of 3-pointers to stop San Antonio from mounting a serious threat, drilling the dagger with 41 seconds remaining.

“If he stays locked in and fired up,” Dirk said, “I think he’s still one of the best closers in the game.”

This was classic Terry in crunch time. And it was a welcome change from riding pine with the game on the line in close losses to the Hornets and Suns since the All-Star break.

“I’m always confident in those situations,” said Terry, who finished with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting against the Spurs. “Nothing’s changed for me. Again, it’s my job when I’m in there to do what I’m supposed to, and that’s to either make a shot or make a play. You know me. I want to be in there, but it’s on Coach.”

It’s on Terry, too.

Carlisle has never publicly confirmed this, but it was pretty clear that he benched Terry down the stretch in Phoenix because of poor effort. Terry got yanked during a timeout after he failed to even try to box out Shannon Brown, who threw down an uncontested putback jam.

Carlisle wasn’t the only one mad at Terry that night.

“We clashed a little bit after the Phoenix game,” Nowitzki said, declining to get into details. “Since then, I think he’s been really focused. He’s been playing well. He’s been aggressive. He’s been engaged on the defensive end, going for it and helping the team. That’s all we ask for.”

Terry getting into it with teammates isn’t too unusual. He’s had dozens of heated on- and off-court discussions with Dirk over the years, like brothers who bicker but always have each others’ back. Terry almost scrapped with J.J. Barea just before the playoffs began last season, getting benched for the rest of that game because of it.

That obviously didn’t bother the Mavs once the postseason began.

Terry tends to be emotional, but the circumstances are different this season. He has no job security and readily admits that his contract is always on his mind. (And feet, for that matter. He has “CTC” stenciled on his Reeboks, which stands for Cut the Check.)

Yet Terry understands that his individual business interests and the team’s goals are intertwined. The best way to get paid is to win big.

“No question, I’ve got a lot riding on this season,” Terry said. “Obviously financially with my situation, knowing where I’m going to be next season, it’s up in the air. So, for me, the more we play, the more I get exposed, the more I get seen. I want to stay and play as long as we can this year. If we go back to the Finals and win it all, I’ll be able to write my own ticket.”

The Mavs will need Terry to keep performing like he has this week to have a legitimate shot to make that happen.

That's speaking the real, no nonsense.

DALLAS -- Jason Terry continued his recent trend of raising eyebrows with comments regarding the probability that the Dallas Mavericks' future plans don’t include him.

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“We already know that management told us they're playing for next year,” Terry said Thursday night, “but everybody in this locker room is trying to win this year and see what happens."

Coach Rick Carlisle basically responded with a shrug, saying that he agrees that the team is playing for this season.

“I’m not going to get caught up in some statements made in the heat of the moment or whatever,” Carlisle said. “We know where things are at. We’ve got to play, we’ve got to play well. We aspire to be not only a playoff team, but a playoff team that’s dangerous and can challenge for a title. I believe we can get there, but it’s work.”

Owner Mark Cuban, who is on a family vacation, didn’t reply to a Friday morning email asking for his reaction to Terry’s comment.

As far as Carlisle is concerned, the Mavs’ motormouth sixth man is putting in the necessary work. Terry has averaged 21 points on 48.5 percent shooting in the Mavs’ two wins this week.

“I love Jet’s approach right now,” Carlisle said. “The last two games he’s been terrific. He’s been great all week with practices and everything else. He’s one guy I’m not concerned about being ready to play.

“I feel like he’s going to be ready every night. I don’t get into the amateur psychologist side of reading into statements made after games.”

The Mavs do have sports psychologist Don Kalkstein on staff. Maybe Jet needs to spend a few hours on Kalkstein’s couch, but his recent performances don’t indicate that Terry’s displeasure is a problem.

DALLAS – The sight of Jason Terry riding pine during crunch time is rather startling.

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After all, this is a guy who has ranked among the NBA’s best fourth-quarter and crunch-time scorers every season since he’s been with the Mavericks, according to numbers crunched by 82games.com. Jet busted out the wings after a bunch of big shots during the Mavs’ championship run, too.

But Terry has been on the bench twice with the game on the line over the last 10 days, acknowledging the obvious that he wasn’t happy about it after Rodrigue Beaubois missed two potential tying shots in the final seconds against the Suns last week.

Has Terry earned the right to be on the floor in those situations regardless of the circumstances?

“A strong case can be made that he has, and I know that I’ve taken a lot of heat in the past for at times having him on the court at times when you guys didn’t think he should be on there,” coach Rick Carlisle said, referring to the Free Roddy B. movement from a couple of seasons ago. “So, that’s something that’s in our rear-view mirror though. We’ve all moved forward. The thing that we’ve got to focus on is this week.”

OK, so if there are crunch-time situations this week, will Terry be on the floor?

“You know, I don’t make any promises about anything,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got to play the games. We’ve got to play the games. If there are 100 of those situations, he’s been on the floor probably 98 of them in three and a half years. I think the bet is pretty good that he’ll be out there.”

The two exceptions, however, are still fresh.

Maybe it’s a wake-up call to Terry. If that doesn’t work, it could be the beginning of a trend.

The smile rarely leaves Jason Terry's grill, but last night was one of those occasions.

Jet was especially grumpy for two reasons: The Mavs lost to a lottery team and he didn’t get to touch the ball with the game on the line.

Informed that coach Rick Carlisle blamed himself for the Mavs’ failure to score on the final two possessions, Terry didn’t exactly disagree.

“I don’t know if it’s lack of execution or play-calling or whatever you want to call it, but we didn’t get the shot we wanted,” said Terry, Dirk Nowitzki's closing sidekick for years. “That’s why we lost.”

His answer when asked what the Mavs were looking for on the last two trips: “Hopefully, they’re looking for me. But that wasn’t the case.”

That’s a lot of swagger for a dude who had as many turnovers as buckets in the loss to the Nets. Terry was 4-of-14 from the floor, including 1-of-5 in the fourth quarter, but he still wanted the rock when it mattered most.

That’s one of the things the Mavs love about their sixth man. He’s annually one of the NBA’s best clutch scorers in part because he has such short-term memory.

Whether he’s lighting it up or stinking it up, Terry craves crunch-time shots. As often as he’s come through over the years, he’s earned the right to grumble when he doesn’t get those opportunities, even if he doesn’t do anything for the first 47 minutes to inspire any confidence.

Vince Carter passed Michael Finley last week to move into 18th place on the NBA's all-time 3-pointers made list. With three more tonight, he'll zoom into 17th place.

Of course, Carter could land right back in 18th after Kobe Bryant closes up shop against Atlanta on Tuesday night.

The two are neck-and-neck in the career 3-point race with Kobe, in his 16th season, currently 17th with 1,460. Carter, in his 14th season, has 1,458. Adding more drama is No. 16 is also active. Orlando guard Jason Richardson, in his 11th season, has 1,461. The Magic play Minnesota tonight.

So it is possible that Carter could actually move all the way up to No. 16 after the Mavs play the Clippers tonight. Or Bryant could get there Tuesday. Or Richardson could hold off both. For now. Or maybe all season.

Carter has somewhat surprisingly been the Mavs' most accurate 3-point shooter throughout the season at 45.6 percent. His 68 attempts rank second on the team, but are not even half as many as Jason Terry's 154 attempts. Yet, Carter has made just 27 fewer 3s than Terry.

Compared to Kobe, Carter's 31 3-pointers are just 11 off -- Kobe is 42-of-141 for 29.8 percent -- and on 73 fewer attempts.

Carter has shot 40 percent or better from 3-point range three times in his career, but he hasn't hit that lofty mark since 2004-05 (40.6 percent) when he split the season between Toronto and New Jersey. Twice with the Raptors, in 1999-2000 and 2000-01, he recorded 40.3 percent and 40.8 percent, respectively.

His accuracy and efficiency this season don't appear to be a fluke.

After going 0-of-3 against Oklahoma City -- which followed a 5-of-7 performance in the previous game -- he is 7-of-14 in the last five games. He has been discriminating with the long ball and proficient in canning it in key situations.

But, which player among the three stands the best chance to finish the season in 16th place (or 15th, depending how Mike Bibby, playing for the New York Knicks and with 1,504 career 3s, finishes the season)?

Kobe is the logical pick, if he finds his range, and then Richardson (43-of-106, 40.6 percent this season) on sheer volume. Kobe averages 38.4 minutes a game, nine more than Richardson and 15 more than Carter and also averages the most 3-point attempts per game, 5.0 to 4.6 to 3.0, respectively.

For tonight at least, Carter has a chance to capture 17th place on the all-time list -- and maybe even 16th. Or not.

But, then there's always Wednesday night against the Nuggets...

DALLAS -- The game within the game tonight features two guys capable of instant offense off the bench and who have little bit of a turf battle at stake, too.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Jamal Crawford won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award two seasons ago. Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry won it the year before. Both enter tonight's game as their teams' second-leading scorers. Both are from nearby areas of Seattle and attended rival high schools.

Terry, 34, is three years older than Crawford, but don't think that doesn't mean the rivalry isn't any less intense.

"Last year we were on the court and I was like, 'Jet, you're not getting Sixth Man this year, you've started too many games,'" Crawford said. "He was at the free throw line, he didn't even look up and he said, 'Nope, I ain't starting no more,' and he didn't start another single game."

(Last season's Sixth Man winner, Lamar Odom, is also in the house tonight, although his chances of a repeat are rather low.)

Crawford signed with Portland this season after winning the Sixth Man award with the Atlanta Hawks. He's coming off a 31-point game in Friday's win at New Orleans and is averaging 14.6 points a game. Terry is averaging 14.8 points a game.

"Jet was one of the first guys from my area to make it in the NBA," Crawford said. "So he's definitely one of the pioneers from our area because it was Mike Dickerson, Doug Christie, Jet, that was kind of our era that we could relate, too. It's always fun to be around him."