Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion was in the locker room watching television and despite the fact that he just led his team to a blowout victory over Denver, the only accessory he was wearing to go along with his bathrobe is a scowl.
In one ear, Marion heard the sports news program trumpeting yet another of the nightly accomplishments of New York Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin. In the other ear, "The Matrix'' listened to a question from a visitor pondering the revelation that Marion – despite his high-profile 12-year pro career – has never once been selected All-NBA Defense first- or second-team.
"Yeah, yeah, I know that,'' Marion says while glancing back at the TV. "They don't really know what they're talking about, do they?"
Marion was being intentionally and coyly vague here. Is he disturbed by the television poofs because they are suddenly suffering from Linsanity and effusive with praise of the accomplishments of someone who has played at a high level for a week … and doing so rather than tipping their well-coiffed heads in the direction of this year's best player on the defending champion's roster? Is his scowl related to Lin, who represents yet another unique assignment that Marion will draw when Dallas meets the Knicks in New York in a Sunday lunchtime game on national television? Or is his scowl simply another expression of what he calls "the dog in me''?
"I'm just doing what I do every game," Marion says. "Y'all are just not paying attention to me."
There is indeed a lack of attention, career-wise, for Marion given that while he's made four All-Star teams in his career, he's never been recognized as one of the four best defensive forwards in the league in a given season.
"I don't know exactly, how they do the voting," Mavs defensive coordinator Monte Mathis says. "But it's certainly an oversight."
Adds Dirk Nowitzki: "He's been our most consistent and best player this season."
The 102-84 win over the Nuggets on Wednesday might serve as a resume-builder for Marion. He did everything in terms of conventional stats – in just 26 minutes he scored 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting, with 10 rebounds, six assists and an incredible plus/minus of plus 29. But it was much more than that. Denver is the No. 1 offensive team in the league, and Marion spearheaded a complete shutdown of the Nuggets attack. Denver scored just 39 points in the first half and was outscored 32-15 in the third quarter as Dallas flirted with 30-point leads throughout. And it happened again Friday in Philly, the Mavs winning 82-75 while limiting the Sixers to eight third-quarter points and with Marion limiting Jrue Holliday to 0-of-9 shooting, three points and just three assists.
"Dallas has turned into an incredibly good defensive team,'' Nuggets coach George Karl said.
There are a number of reasons for that, including the fine center play of the trio that's replaced Tyson Chandler, a Mavs champion last year and a $15-million-a-year Knick this season.
But Marion is the key person.
And using the 6-7 Swiss Army Knife to check point guards like Ricky Rubio, Chris Paul, Ty Lawson and, Sunday, Jeremy Lin, is the key strategy.
In recent memory, Marion was the guy who stopped LeBron James last spring to help Dallas to its NBA Finals success over Miami. He's also the guy who causes Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant to have his poorest NBA games against one particular team – Dallas. He does the same against the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who in his last 10 games against the Mavs have essentially been reduced to a 30-percent jumpshooter.
And now … Shawn Marion blankets point guards. Point guards like Jeremy Lin.
"His versatility on defense is what really sets him apart," said Mavs center Brendan Haywood. "Not too many guys guard a team's point guard and then go out there the next night and guard a guy like LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant. He does a great job against anybody. Not too many guys are willing to go to guard to point guards and then power forwards."
He swallowed up Rubio. He forced legendary Mavs-killer Paul into a season-high five turnovers. Against the Nuggets, he rendered Lawson – who's recently been an automatic 20-point guy – invisible. Lawson set a new season low with only three points, a season-low 12.5 field-goal percentage (12.5), and tied a season low with just two assists. Holiday? He might as well have remained in street clothes.
The Knicks feature two stars who've been guarded by Marion over their careers in Carmelo Anthony (planning to return from injury for Sunday) and Amare Stoudemire. But conventional wisdom says the Mavs might again do the unconventional and assign Marion to the point guard. That would be Jeremy Lin, who is scoring 24 points per game while helping New York to a 7-1 record in his time in charge.
"I'm a competitor," Marion says. "I'm built a different way. I have this inner dog in me that I feel like a lot of people don't have. I'm just going to bring it like that. That's how I come."
Mavs owner Mark Cuban has taken to campaigning for Marion to get a Defensive Player of the Year award, and every passing day seems to take another step towards further justification of just that. Such a selection would be quite a jump for a guy who's never even been named one of the league's top 1- defenders in a given season.
It was Friday in Philly, and the night was getting late and the locker-room talk was turning to the Knicks and Lin, Shawn Marion goes coy again when he was asked about his readiness for guarding the kid.
"For who?'' Marion says.
This is weird a chance for a well-known 12-year veteran to make a name for himself – and it will take a defensive enveloping of Jeremy Lin to do so … and maybe then the TV poofs will notice.
