On Tuesday, an off-day the Mavericks spent in Washington D.C., coach Rick Carlisle lavished praise on Shawn Marion and the contributions he made during the first half of the season. And rightfully so. Had Marion not joined the Mavs, it's hard to say where this team would be at the moment considering Josh Howard missed his 21st game Wednesday against the Wizards, and when he's played he hasn't been the same player we saw during last season's brief playoff stint.

Carlisle called Marion the team's best defender. Marion came through Wednesday night in the clutch against the Wizards. The Mavs blew a 14-point lead in the second half and then every time Dallas took an eight- or nine-point lead, Washington would whittle it back down to a couple. At 94-87 with about a minute to go, a win seemed secure. But, Washington hit consecutive 3-pointers and then Dirk Nowitzki was called for an offensive charge with 6.7 seconds to play.

The Wizards called timeout. Caron Butler got the inbounds pass and it became obvious quite quickly that he was going to challenge Marion one-on-one. Butler made a move inside, then pulled up for a jumper, but Marion was inside his shirt and blocked the shot to save the 94-93 win, a huge one considering a loss would have ruined all the good vibes taken away from Monday's win at Boston (it also prevented a season sweep by the Wizards).

Marion's fingerprints were all over this one. He had 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 12 rebounds, four on the offensive glass. Mavs fans were disappointed when the Orlando Magic matched the Mavs' free-agent offer for center Marcin Gortat, but in retrospect, Erick Dampier has given Dallas good minutes this season and the trade with Toronto Raptors for Marion has been the real deal.