I could be reading too much into his quotes, but I’m pretty sure Jason Terry guaranteed an NBA championship to the Boston Herald and then slightly backtracked later while still expressing confidence.

Even if he initially didn’t quite mean what I think he means, JET’s excited to play with the Celtics and believes they have a real chance to accomplish something special. (Which is probably why he already has a tattoo of the Celtics leprechaun spinning the Larry O’Brien trophy on his finger.) (Boston Herald)

“I started, well, what happened was, preseason, I felt like, two years ago, before (the Mavericks) won (the NBA title), in preseason I felt like we had the team,” said Terry, who bears a similar trophy tattoo on his right biceps. “I looked at our roster, looked at the players we had, and I just knew. I had the feeling.

“So this year it’s nothing different. After the conversation I had with KG (Kevin Garnett) after I signed with Boston, I felt something and I knew. I knew with the players we had, the roster that Danny Ainge put together, Doc Rivers guiding us, we’re going to win again.”

Later in the article while discussing Boston’s lone goal, Banner 18, Terry added, “I think we’ve got a good opportunity this year to win again.”

Confidence.

Maybe the Celtics win a title, maybe they don’t. (ANALYSIS!) In Terry, they have someone who should help cure one of their biggest weaknesses: scoring off the bench. The following quote from Terry to ESPN’s Greg Payne reveals what the former Maverick will provide that hasn’t existed in Boston since the Big Three era was born.

“Sixth man, it’s all about energy, effort, and enthusiasm, the three ‘E’s,’ and then, obviously, putting the ball in the hole,” Terry explained. “But, coming in and making an impact or an imprint on a game — every game is different, but there’s always a point in a sixth man’s role where he has to come in and be like, ‘Look, I’ve arrived. I’m here.’ Game-changer. That’s what the sixth man is.”

Look, I’ve arrived. I’m here. The Celtics haven’t yet had someone to consistently provide that presence during the Big Three era. Eddie House sometimes exploded (*closes eyes and blissfully recalls House scoring 31 against Orlando in the 2009 playoffs, after which House said of being slapped by Rafer Alston, “That’s what happens when you start busting somebody’s ass.”*), Good Glen Davis could be awesome and Nate Robinson had rare moments of brilliance. But nobody could do it every night. Terry, since he transitioned to sixth man four years ago, always has.

JET isn’t going to knock on the door when he subs into a game. He’s going to huff, he’s going to puff, and he’s going to blow that mother-bleeper down.