We're not sure if this is apocryphal (some go-to line that he heard years ago, and is passing along now), or for realsies and completely and utterly true. Whatever the case, the idea that Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry would break all the brooms in his house on the eve of his team's attempt to stave off playoff elimination by 4-0 sweep (get it?) by the Oklahoma City Thunder sounds right up Jason Terry's alley. His goofball, endearing, super-superstitious alley.

From the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram's Dwain Price (who strangely has me blocked on Twitter; not following me is one thing, I totally get that because I'm weird, but I don't think I've ever sent a word — much less a cross word — his way), via SB Nation:

That's not "a little superstition," Jason. That's a pretty big one. A potentially unhygienic one, as well. To say nothing of the very real possibility that you're going to have to sadly and humbly shop for a whole litany of brooms for your presumably very large Dallas-area house once the 99 percent statistical odds that the Thunder take this series eventually follows through.

Dallas' odds to take Game 4 on Saturday night are well in their favor. It's hard for any team, even a championship-worthy team like the Thunder, to beat another healthy NBA team four times in a row. To do it against the defending champs, even if the champs aren't as chomp-y (much less champ-y) as they were this time last year? That's even harder. Dallas is playing at home, the team played OKC to nearly a draw two times in Oklahoma City in the first two games of this series, and the group has major amounts of pride.

If not major amounts of brooms. Again, we don't know if Terry actually "broke every broom in the house," that might just be something you say; but considering JET's long history of superstitious quirks (eating chicken fingers before every game he's played since his time at the University of Arizona, his high socks, his headband), we wouldn't put it past Jason.

(We should also note that Jason is somewhat of an NBA rarity in this realm. As our Eric Freeman put it, "Jason Terry is really the most superstitious dude in the league by far, which means he'd be about average among baseball players.")

We're allowed to root, in these pages. And while I personally am not hoping every single Thunder jumper rims out on Saturday evening, I'm still not ready to say goodbye to the defending champs just yet. Sure, no NBA team has come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series, and only the 2003 Portland Trail Blazers took these (sort of; only Dirk Nowitzki remains) Mavericks to a seventh game after falling behind with that deficit in a first round series, but we love watching this team, and Terry. Even if they've had a disappointing year.

Just don't break any brooms in anticipation, Mavs fans. You don't make what Jason makes, and we're pretty sure breaking brooms might not make a difference.

"Pretty sure." Not completely sure. We'll find out on Saturday night.