[Skywalker]

Nice thread, I was just reading an article and was wondering where I could post it.

Shawn Marion lives!
By Sekou Smith • March 8, 2010 • 11:02 AM

The former Suns' All-Star was delcared finished by some when he departed Phoenix and was no longer on the receiving end of all those flashy Steve Nash passes. But guess what, Shawn Marion has plenty left in the tank. And if things break right for he and the Mavericks, he could be competing for that title that they never did in Phoenix.

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS -- Shawn Marion was supposed to be finished.

The moment he left Steve Nash's side in Phoenix, his critics came out of nowhere to proclaim him career over.

There was no way he would put up All-Star numbers away from that fun-and-gun system Mike D'Antoni employed there, a system that seemed to boost the stock of any and every player lucky enough to play in it.

For a while (namely his time in Toronto and Miami), those early assessments seemed legitimate. Marion wasn't the same without Nash.

But it didn't last long. Marion has had a career rebirth, of sorts, in Dallas, where he's once again playing alongside a Hall of Fame point guard (Jason Kidd) and in an ensemble cast capable of winning a championship.

The mighty Mavs have won 11 straight games and go for No. 12 tonight at Minnesota.

And what Marion might have lacked in humility in Phoenix (remember he always fought against stereotype with the Suns, insisting that his production was the same before Nash and D'Antoni as it was after) he has made up for in understanding with the Mavericks.

Sure, Marion is no longer the double-double machine he was earlier in his career. But he's become an even more valuable, defensive-stalwart for Rick Carlisle's team than he was every given credit for being in Phoenix.

As Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News explains, Marion has wisely sacrificed individual glory for the ultimate prize:

"A lot of what Marion is doing this season is under-appreciated because it's at the defensive end. He often gets asked to guard the opposition's primary scorer. That he's not called on very often offensively is tough, he said.

"Especially if somebody's really going at you, and you don't get the chance to do the same," he said.

"I'm a competitor. I want to go back at them, too. And sometimes you don't get the chance to do that. But that's what you sacrifice. And you got to deal with it. When you get that W, all the other stuff means nothing."

That keeps him going. The Mavericks are growing in stature among the Western Conference elite. "We do have a chance," Marion said.

Jason Kidd is the leader of this team. And he knows how much Marion has given up. But Kidd and his teammates expect nothing else.

"You look at all championship teams, they had guys who sacrificed," Kidd said. "There's always guys who could do more stat-wise. But at a certain age, stats become secondary. Wins become the main factor in the equation. "Dirk [Nowitzki] could come out and shoot 30 times a night and just worry about his stats. But he accepts the double-team and makes the pass. If your best player is willing to sacrifice, everybody else has to.

"It can be tough. But there are going to be nights or a week or two that you're going to have to carry the team because you get on a roll, and we have to play through you. And so we all can say, 'Hey, we know you can do that. Thanks for carrying us for the week, and it may be somebody else's turn to go.' "

With Jason Terry out, the Mavericks need more from Marion. And it looks like he still has the ability to get it done."

He might not be the highlight machine he once was, but Shawn Marion lives!

http://my.nba.com/cms/112238/shawn_m...s=iref:nbahpt1