WALTHAM , Mass. -- Jason Terry did his best to downplay it after the Boston Celtics practiced on Tuesday, but there's no denying that, on some level, Wednesday's matchup with the Dallas Mavericks will mean just a little bit more to him than the average game.

Terry spent eight years in Dallas, but the Mavericks didn't make a full-court press to keep his services when he became a free agent last summer. As All-Stars Deron Williams and Dwight Howard held their gaze, the Mavs seemed pretty content to let Terry walk. And when Celtics coach Doc Rivers called him as soon as the clock struck midnight of the free agency period, it was pretty clear that Boston would be Terry's next destination.

Terry likely anticipated the Dallas-related questions that were thrown his way by reporters, and he did his best to keep the emphasis on his current team.

"Right now, we're just concerned about us and stringing together some games," Terry said. "We've won one, lost one, won one. We've got to put together three, four, five games in a row. So that's where our focus is right now. Dallas just happens to be the next opponent, and hopefully we can put together a string. That'll be two in a row for us.

"They've got the same team name, but it's not the same team," Terry continued. "Obviously that was last year, we didn't have the same team or we'd probably still be there. It's a totally different ballclub. Dirk [Nowitzki's] not even in uniform, Shawn Marion might not be out there, so those are the guys I won a championship with and they're not there.

"Definitely a different team, but same name. [Coach Rick] Carlisle is there, he'll be on the sideline, so that'll be emotional for me. I'll go up, give him a good hug. I miss him, he's definitely a good friend, one of the greatest coaches I've ever played for. But anything other than that, maybe if Tyson Chandler was over there, if Jason Kidd was over there, then it would be something extra special. But, honestly, it's really not."

For more on Terry's first matchup against his former team, click here.