Dancer Gallery Sixteen

Enter the RED ZONE

April 17: vs. Pacers

Chicks dig the long ball. And the HEAT hopes that’s just one incentive for Damon Jones to stay hot from beyond the arc.

His go-ahead three against the Chicago Bulls on April 5, not only gave Miami its first lead of the contest, but it also secured him a place in HEAT history. Jones, for a franchise record 204th time this season, raised his trademarked three fingers, breaking Tim Hardaway’s record for most 3-pointers made in a season that he set during the 1996-97 season.

“As a shooter, he’s obviously been as good as anybody,” Head Coach Stan Van Gundy said about Jones. “The number of makes he has at that high of a percentage, he has shot the ball great. He’s been as good as anybody we’ve ever had in a single season.”

Heading into April 14 contest against the Philadelphia 76ers, Jones ranks second in the NBA with 211 makes from downtown, smashing his previous career high of 98 made 3-pointers set last season with Milwaukee. He is also hitting on .432 percent of his attempts.

Jones is not only putting up career numbers from behind the arc, he is helping the HEAT to one of it best seasons in history.

In his first start of the season on December 6, Jones scored 21 points, going 7-for-11 from downtown, and dished out six assists to help the HEAT route the Jazz in Utah, 100-80.

Miami hasn’t lost a step since. The HEAT, who held an 11-7 record heading into Utah, were losers of four of its last seven contests. But with Jones in the lineup, Miami won a franchise-record 14 consecutive games.

It’s safe to say that Damon is having a career year, averaging 11.9 points per game, almost six points higher than his career average of 6.1 points per contest. Even though he is more aggressive offensively this season, Damon is taking care of the ball as well. His 3.5-to-1 assists-to-turnover ratio is fourth best in the NBA.

Damon Jones may have mastered the shot from 24-feet out, but the sharp-shooting Jones was once considered a long shot himself to make the NBA.

Jones spent three seasons at the University of Houston before becoming an early entry candidate for the 1997 NBA Draft after his junior season. But the former Cougar went undrafted. So the six-year pro took the road less travel to the NBA – and it all started in Yakima, Wash.

In 1997, Jones was drafted in the fourth round of the CBA draft by the Yakima Sunkings. The following year, he saw major success for the first time at the pro level when he helped lead the Black Hills Posse of the International Basketball Association to the championship game while earning Sixth Man of the Year honors. That summer, Jones moved to Jacksonville where he played for the Barracudas of the United States Basketball League. He had one last stop with the CBA’s Idaho Stampede before getting signed by the Orlando Magic later that season.

Over the next six years Jones’ NBA stops included New Jersey, Boston, Golden State, Dallas, Vancouver, Houston, Detroit, Sacramento and Milwaukee.

Since leaving the University of Houston, Jones’ journey to Miami has taken him nearly 28,600 miles, 14 cities, nine states, one province and two countries. And even though the sharp-shooting Jones epitomizes the term ‘journeyman,’ he’s always in high spirits and deeply appreciative of his opportunity to play in the NBA.

“I’m very blessed and very appreciative of the road that I’ve traveled to get to this point,” Jones said. “I’m not content, and I have a sense of urgency to play well and be consistent. We’ll see what happens.”

But Miami’s Jones for the 3-point shot doesn’t stop with Damon.

Eight of the NBA’s top 30 3-point shooters of all time have played for the HEAT.

Eddie Jones is currently closing in on former HEAT guard Terry Porter for 10th on the all-time 3-pointers made list. Steve Smith is 20th on the all-time list. Glen Rice, who played in South Florida from 1989-95, is third with 1,559 made threes. The HEAT’s all-time 3-point shooter, Tim Hardaway, trails Rice in fourth place. Former HEAT guards Dan Majerle, Wesley Person and Brent Barry, stands seventh, 21st and 25th, respectively.