Mavericks guard Jason Terry is a creature of habit. He sleeps in the shorts of the opposing team the night before every game, always eats the same pregame meal and wears five pairs of socks pulled up to his knees on the court. Last season, Terry’s seventh in the N.B.A., he was the team’s leading scorer in the postseason as Dallas reached the N.B.A. finals. The Mavericks open this season Wednesday against San Antonio.

MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT (NYT)

WHY DO YOU WEAR FIVE PAIRS OF SOCKS AND A HEADBAND? My first P.E. teacher was Slick Watts, who used to play for the Seattle SuperSonics; he always wore the headband. The socks came from my father, who I saw wore them high in a yearbook picture. The five pairs is just a comfort thing.

DID YOU SEE YOUR FATHER A LOT AS A CHILD? Once or twice a month maybe. He was not around. Back in college he got back into my life, and now he lives with me in Dallas. The socks are definitely a tribute to him. We are real close right now.

WHY DO YOU EAT CHICKEN BEFORE EVERY GAME? The chicken went back to Arizona, when we won the championship. Mike Bibby and I ate chicken before every game and that stuck with us. He was much more of a grilled cheese guy, though.