ESPN

Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel opened the season by imploring his team to become an unselfish, ball-movement offense like the champion Dallas Mavericks.

PODCAST
Ben and Skin discuss the three most important figures for the Rangers, Mavs, and Cowboys. Who is the most vital to the ultimate success of each organization? Listen

But when he told his team Sunday prior to its Game 4 against the Miami Heat to pass like champions, he was probably talking more about the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs, winners of 18 in a row and headed back to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2008 after sweeping the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers, have put on a clinic this postseason in championship passing. No team is throwing the rock around with such exacting precision and spectacularly devastating results.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are combining for nearly 12 assists a game. Tim Duncan, Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson are combining for more than seven. And that still leaves five or so assists unaccounted for.

The Spurs' dynamic and often artistic offense -- the only one generating more than 100 points a game in the playoffs (102.5), better than three more points a game than their likely West finals opponent Oklahoma City Thunder -- has reminded just what the re-tooled Mavs lost in a year's time.

Dallas was the No. 1 passing team in the Western Conference last postseason and the best of the four 2011 conference finals teams, having averaged 20.1 assists a game. The Spurs are blowing that mark out of the water, averaging 24.1. They've assisted on 193 of 308 baskets (62.7 percent) in eight playoff games and they were even better in the just completed sweep of the Clips, assisting on nearly seven of every 10 buckets (107 of 154, 69.4 percent).

During this truncated regular season, the Mavs were rarely at full strength -- including the game's all-time second-leading assist man Jason Kidd missing multiple games three different times with back, calf and groin injuries -- and finished 15th in assists. And they regressed further in the four-game sweep at the hands of the Thunder.

The Mavs rank 15th among the 16 playoff teams in assists. Kidd averaged 6.0, but only Jason Terry (3.8) averaged more than 2.0 a game as the team averaged just 15.5 assists in the four games. OKC, not known as a high assist team led by high-scoring point guard Russell Westbrook, out-assisted the Mavs on average by two a game.

San Antonio, meanwhile, is whipping the ball around which such proficiency that no one else is even close. The Celtics rank second at 21.9 assists a game led by triple-double threat Rajon Rondo. The Spurs' two playoff victims averaged 6.25 fewer assists a game, and that includes perennial All-Star point guard Chris Paul.

Of course, players have to make baskets for assists to be racked up. And no one can match the Spurs in that category either. Even Mavs owner Mark Cuban prior to the start of the playoffs questioned whether the 3-ball-happy Spurs could live that way in the postseason. They can and have. San Antonio is killing it from the 3-point arc to the tune of 42.3 percent with six players shooting at least 43 percent from downtown. The Clips are the next best at 37.8.

Overall, San Antonio is shooting a whopping 49.1 percent with the resurgent Duncan hitting running hooks and jumpers from seemingly every angle for a team-best 54.0 percent.

The Mavs shot the 3-pointer fairly well in the first round (37.2 percent) but overall made just 40.4 percent of their shots, not terribly far off from their disappointing regular-season shooting of 44.3 percent that ranked 19th in the league.

DALLAS – When the Mavs opted not to offer Tyson Chandler and Co. long-term deals, this summer’s free-agency crop was expected to be headlined by a few superstars.

The landscape quickly changed when Chris Paul exercised his player option for next season after being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. It changed for the worse again when Dwight Howard surprisingly committed not to opt out of the final season of his contract with the Orlando Magic just before the trade deadline.

That leaves Deron Williams as the lone big fish. What happens if the Mavs don’t convince The Colony native to come home?

“You’ve got to have your A, B, C, D and E and so on, but you also understand that this is a global plate tectonic,” president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. “Things are moving and situations are fluid. You go into it with eyes wide open and hopefully you can come out of it with what you want.”

The Mavs want a player who can create offense on his own, a necessity to take pressure off of Dirk Nowitzki.

PODCAST
Mavs GM Donnie Nelson gives us an inside look at the team's summer plans as the franchise has financial flexibility for the first time in over a decade. Listen

A reunion with Steve Nash is a possibility. The Mavs declined to pay what it took to keep him in Dallas eight seasons ago because of concerns about durability, but he’s coming off a season in which he led the Western Conference in assists (10.7 per game) and shot a career-best 53.2 percent from the floor.

Everyone knows the chemistry with old pal Nowitzki would click. However, the Mavs would probably take a major step back defensively by adding a 38-year-old point guard who has always been considered a liability on that end of the floor.

Houston’s Goran Dragic, who made himself a ton of money as the fill-in starter for Kyle Lowry in the second half of the season, is a much younger option. Dragic, 26, Nash’s former backup, averaged 18.0 points and 8.4 assists while shooting 49.0 percent from the floor in 28 games as a starter this season.

Some other proven shot creators in the market: New Orleans’ Eric Gordon (restricted), Memphis’ O.J. Mayo (restricted), Minnesota’s Michael Beasley (restricted and off-court issues) and Boston’s Ray Allen (turns 37 in July).

The market for big men, which will be a big need if the Mavs use the amnesty clause on Brendan Haywood, is headlined by Indiana’s Roy Hibbert (restricted), Denver’s JaVale McGee (restricted), Brooklyn’s Brook Lopez (restricted), New Orleans’ Chris Kaman, Houston’s Marcus Camby, Philadelphia’s Spencer Hawes and Chicago’s Omer Asik. The Mavs might also explore taking a minimum-salary flyer on Greg Oden in hopes of resuscitating the former No. 1 overall pick’s career after it has been derailed by knee injuries.

“There’s a lot of good players out there,” Nelson said. “Whether it’s A, B, C, D, E, F, or keep the powder dry, which is always an option. Just because we have it doesn’t mean we have to spend it.”

Is putting a subpar supporting cast around Nowitzki for another year of the twilight of his prime really an option? Isn’t there a sense of urgency to maximize the chances of winning another championship while the best player in franchise history is still a superstar?

“Listen, how many years have we made it in the playoffs in a row?” Nelson said. “We don’t plan on putting out anything less than a championship-caliber team. That’s me and Mark’s history and that’s our commitment to our fans and this city.”

They’ve got their work cut out for them this summer, especially if they swing and miss on Williams.

UPDATED: 9 a.m., Friday.

The Dallas Mavericks clinched a playoff berth Thursday with New Orleans' win over Houston. Now attention turns strictly to seeding and matchups.

With the Mavs (35-28) -- back in action tonight for their home finale against the Golden State Warriors -- and Denver Nuggets (34-28) in a virtual dead heat in the Western Conference standings and both teams now two games ahead of the trailing Utah Jazz (33-30) and Phoenix Suns (33-30) in the loss column, the jockeying between the two is coming down to the sixth and seventh seeds.

Which would the Mavs prefer? As the seventh seed the Mavs know their travel will be light to play the No. 2 seed. They'd start the playoffs either north of the Red River at the Oklahoma City Thunder or on the River Walk at the San Antonio Spurs. The sixth seed will face the No. 3 seed and likely head to Los Angeles to face Kobe Bryant's Lakers. Chris Paul's Clippers lost Thursday at Phoenix, a hit to their chances of moving up and Memphis remains a long shot.

"It doesn’t matter at all," Jason Terry said of which seed the Mavs finish. "We've just got to get in. One more game and we solidify one of those three spots and and we’ll see what happens. It’s going to be a helluva playoffs. If I'm a fan I'm sitting here waiting. I can’t wait for the next week and a half to be up."

Jet can just about forget about the eighth seed. The Mavs hold the tiebreaker on the Nuggets, Jazz and Suns.

So which team, the Mavs or Nuggets, hold the upper hand to finish in sixth? Well, it depends just as much on how those two teams approach their final games after playoff berths are locked up as it does on their opponents' approach.

For instance, the Mavs could face a Chicago Bulls team Saturday night intent on finishing with the best record in the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks on Thursday could still be dueling with the Boston Celtics and/or Orlando Magic for the No. 4 seed and homecourt in the first round.

Here's the breakdown of schedules for the Mavs and Nuggets:

Mavs (winning percentage of opponents: .573)
Fri: vs. Golden State (22-39)
Sat: at Chicago (47-15)
April 26: at Atlanta (37-25)

Nuggets (winning percentage of opponents:.554)
Sat: at Phoenix (32-30)
Sun: vs. Orlando (36-26)
Wed: at Oklahoma City (45-17)
April 26: at Minnesota (25-38)

We take a look at the games that impact the West playoff picture each morning for the rest of the regular season.

Mavs' spot in the standings: The Mavs are back in the sixth seed, a half game ahead of the Nuggets and in possession of the tiebreaker. Dallas is two games ahead of the Jazz and two and a half games ahead of the Suns and Rockets.

WEDNESDAY'S GAMES
Mavs 117, Rockets 110: Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter of the Mavs’ critical comeback win.

Clippers 104, Nuggets 98: Chris Paul had 21 points and eight assists as the Clippers won their fifth straight to pull within a half game of the Lakers for the third seed.

Grizzlies 103, Hornets 91: Rudy Gay scored 26 points as the Grizzlies clinched their second consecutive playoff berth.

Lakers 99, Warriors 87: Andrew Bynum had 31 points and Pau Gasol had a 22-11-11 triple-double.

Spurs 127, Kings 102: The first-place Spurs rolled to another rout while Tim Duncan rested.

Jazz 112, Trail Blazers 91: Ex-Maverick Devin Harris hit a career-high six 3-pointers during a 27-point performance to help keep Utah’s playoff hopes alive.

Thunder 109, Suns 97: Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner James Harden scored a career-high 40 points for Oklahoma City.

TODAY’S GAMES
Rockets at Hornets
Clippers at Suns

If the playoffs started today: Mavs vs. Lakers

Mavericks guard Jason Kidd was one of six NBA players selected by a five-member panel of former players as divisional winners for the 2011-12 NBA Sportsmanship Award.

The NBA Sportsmanship Award, designed to honor a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court, is voted on by NBA players. The NBA will announce the winner after the regular season.

The other regional winners are Cleveland’s Antawn Jamison, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul, Miami’s Shane Battier, Minnesota’s Luke Ridnour and New York’s Jeremy Lin.

Former NBA players Greg Anthony, John Crotty, Antonio Davis, Eddie Johnson and Kenny Smith selected the six divisional winners from a pool of 30 team nominees. Each team nominated one of its players for this award.

The annual award reflects the ideals of sportsmanship -- ethical behavior, fair play and integrity -- in amateur and professional basketball, a key focus of the league’s NBA Cares program efforts.

ALL-TIME NBA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD WINNERS
Inaugural: Joe Dumars (1996)
1996-97: Terrell Brandon, Cleveland
1997-98: Avery Johnson, San Antonio
1998-99: Hersey Hawkins, Seattle
1999-00: Eric Snow, Philadelphia
2000-01: David Robinson, San Antonio
2001-02: Steve Smith, San Antonio
2002-03: Ray Allen, Seattle
2003-04: P.J. Brown, New Orleans
2004-05: Grant Hill, Orlando
2005-06: Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers
2006-07: Luol Deng, Chicago
2007-08: Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns
2008-09: Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets
2009-10: Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns
2010-11: Stephen Curry, Golden State

We take a look at the games that impact the West playoff picture each morning for the rest of the regular season.

Mavs' spot in the standings: With Utah losing at Memphis and Phoenix getting blasted at San Antonio, any fears of the Mavs becoming the first defending champ since the dismantled 1999 Chicago Bulls to sit out the postseason are nearly laid to rest. It would take a major meltdown in the final six games. It is also becoming increasingly likely that Dallas will not finish higher than No. 6.

SATURDAY'S GAMES
Clippers 112, Warriors 104: The Clips stays on the heels of their Staples Center co-tenant for the No. 3 seed as Chris Paul goes off for 28 points and 13 assists.

Thunder 115, Timberwolves 110: OKC gets a late scare, but Kevin Durant scored 43 points and Russell Westbrook had 35 to keep a grip on the No. 1 seed.

Grizzlies 103, Jazz 98: Four Grizzlies score at least 17 points as they keep the pressure on the Clippers for the No. 4 seed and homecourt advantage in the first round.

Spurs 105, Suns 91: San Antonio jumped all over the tired Suns and Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry made the call to play Steve Nash less than six minutes.

TODAY’S GAMES
Mavs at Lakers
Grizzlies at Hornets
Rockets at Nuggets

If the playoffs started today: Mavs vs. Lakers

The Dallas Mavericks' rebounding woes continued Friday night at Orlando even though the rally from 15 points down focused attention in other, more pleasing areas.

The Magic outrebounded the Mavs by 10 overall and doubled them on the offensive glass. Dallas managed just two second-chance points for the entire game. Those types of numbers don't typically lead to wins.

Center Brendan Haywood's return after missing seven games with a sprained right knee was certainly a welcome boost for the defending champs, but they'll need more than three rebounds in 26 minutes from him, which is what Haywood managed against Dwight Howard.

"It was a tough game coming back against Dwight," Haywood said Monday morning on an appearance . "It doesn’t get any easier tonight because I’m going to be guarding Blake. I’m not 100 percent yet, but I’m working to get there."

Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers only rank 20th in the league in average number of rebounds gathered in a game (41.6), but they rank sixth in differential (plus-2.18), well ahead of the 23rd-ranked Mavs (minus-1.54).

The stakes are high in this one. The Clippers sit in the No. 4 spot in the West standings, which grants homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They enter tonight's game 1 1/2 games ahead of the fifth-seeded Mavs.

Records: Clippers (31-21); Mavericks (30-23)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: American Airlines Center

TV: FSSW

Radio: ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: The Lob. That's what the Clippers do best and if the lobs are coming at a high rate it spells bad news for the Mavs. The key is to keep turnovers to a minimum and emphasize transition defense.

Key matchup: Chris Paul vs. Delonte West
These are the type of matchups where the Mavs thoroughly missed West when he was out for some six weeks with the fractured right ring finger. Without him, Shawn Marion had the task of guarding smaller, quicker point guards and it physically took a toll on his body, forcing him out three games with a sore left knee. The big question that remains is if coach Rick Carlisle will move West into the starting lineup at shooting guard in place Vince Carter to set up the matchup from the opening tip.

Injuries: Clippers -- G Mo Williams (sprained left big toe) is out; G Chauncey Billups (torn left Achilles) is out. Mavs -- None.

Up next: Memphis Grizzlies at Mavs, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

After playing just three games last week, it's back to the unforgiving grindstone for the Dallas Mavericks, who embark on what could be a monumental week with four intriguing games, three at home and three against two teams the Mavs are sandwiched between.

By the time this slate ends Saturday night at Memphis, Dallas will have nine games remaining. Opportunity is abundant ahead of them in the West standings, but peril also lurks below.

The question is, which way will the Mavs, precariously perched at No. 5, go?

"We got a huge week here,” coach Rick Carlisle said. "We’ve got to pick our game up and we’ve got to be good at home. There’s a lot to be decided. This week is going to go a long way toward a lot of those scenarios. The Clippers have been a quality, high-level team all year. Like everybody, they’ve had their ups and downs. But they’re a tough matchup for us."

With two days off after their stirring, 15-point turnabout at Orlando that officially ushered Delonte West back into the mix, will the Mavs be able to carry momentum into tonight's game against the curious Los Angeles Clippers? Vinny Del Negro remains the head coach. Since the stories of internal grumbling hit, L.A., the No. 4 seed and 1 1/2 games ahead of the Mavs, has won five in a row.

The equally mysterious Memphis Grizzlies, a team that has Zach Randolph back but has won just four of its last 10 and has been awful on the road, are next up Wednesday. The No. 6-seeded Grizz begin the week a spot behind the Mavs in the standings, but actually with one fewer loss.

However, this is a doozy of a week for Memphis and tough timing for this matchup because it's the last of a dreaded back-to-back-to-back that starts at Oklahoma City on Monday then back to Memphis on Tuesday for Golden State and then on to Dallas (and it doesn't get better for the Grizzlies for Saturday's rematch in Memphis, see below).

The Mavs on Friday get the woebegone Trail Blazers, who come into Dallas having fired their coach and shuffled their deck, and with a 7-19 road record heading into the week.

These three home games mark half of what's left on the home schedule, meaning if the Mavs don't take care of business -- and they're just 19-8 at the AAC -- then playoff seeding and perhaps even just making the postseason will have to be secured on the road -- where they're a head-scratching 11-15.

With that, here's a look at this big week ahead:

Today: vs. Los Angeles Clippers (31-21), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The Clips have lost 10 in a row in Dallas, including a 96-92 decision on Feb. 13. That was one of just four games the Mavs have won when trailing after three quarters. Caron Butler narrowly missed a go-ahead 3-pointer with five seconds left after Jason Kidd made an uncharacteristic turnover. The Clippers' string of five consecutive wins all came at home. They haven't played on the road since March 22 and haven't won the road since March 9, but it was a big one, 120-109 at San Antonio. The best news for Dallas is that West is back in the rotation and should give Shawn Marion a break from chasing around Chris Paul. L.A., just 11-13 on the road, didn't play Sunday after sweeping a back-to-back Friday and Saturday.

Wednesday: vs. Memphis Grizzlies (28-22), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: Zach is back but he isn't quite yet all that. The Memphis big man has played nine games since tearing the MCL in his right knee on Jan. 1. He put up 25 points and nine rebounds in his return against Toronto, but since he's averaged 11.1 points and 7.3 rebounds while the team has gone just 4-5. Still, no one is going to want this bunch in the first round. The Grizz won easily in Memphis at the end of February and make their one and only appearance in Dallas this season. They've won three in a row in this series and seven of 11. Their size with Randolph and skilled center Marc Gasol are not only a problem on the defensive end, but Memphis can use both massive bodies to blanket Dirk Nowitzki.

Friday: vs. Portland Trail Blazers (25-28), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The last time the Blazers rolled through town, native son LaMarcus Aldridge was a freshly minted All-Star, Nate McMillan still had a job and Portland was still considered by some to be a title contender. Dallas won that Feb. 11 meeting in double overtime with a boost from West coming in cold for the second overtime as coach Carlisle pulled Kidd in the name of minute management. Who knows what to expect from the Blazers, who are just three games out of a playoff spot, this time around? They're 5-5 in their last 10 and took the Clippers to the buzzer before falling Friday night. One thing the Mavs can't do is sleep on this team or else it will be an angry flight to Memphis.

Saturday: at Memphis Grizzlies (28-22), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The standings could look much different by the time this game is played (see above) with the weeks these two teams have. And if you think the Grizzlies will be more rested for this one than they were in Wednesday's game in Dallas, don't be too sure. After playing Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday, Memphis is back at it Friday night -- at Miami.

DALLAS -- The NBA has issued the Defensive Player of the Year award since the 1982-83 season. In the 1988-89 season the league might as well have renamed it the Defensive Big Man of the Year award.

Five of the six first winners were guards as diminutive as 6-foot-3 Sidney Moncrief, who won the first two. But when 7-foot-4 Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton, the only big man to sneak in during those first six seasons, won it again in '89, it started a run in which a power forward or center won it in 21 of the next 23 seasons. A center has won it 17 times and in 13 of the last 15 seasons.

The lone small forward ever to be named Defensive Player of the Year was the formerly named Ron Artest on Rick Carlisle's 2003-04 Indiana Pacers.

Is a second one lurking?

The Dallas Mavericks certainly think so. Owner Mark Cuban has trumpeted the tireless work of 6-foot-7 veteran Shawn Marion for more than a month. Carlisle has not been far behind. On Friday night, with Marion missing his third and final game with a sore left knee likely caused to a large degree by his maxed-out defensive responsibilities, Carlisle said Marion is "probably the Defensive Player of the Year this year."

On Monday, Carlisle upped the ante: "I think he’s a frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year because of his versatility and because of his impact on our team. We lose [Tyson] Chandler and we’re still the No. 1 defensive team in the Western Conference on points per possession. That doesn’t happen without Marion and what he’s doing guarding multiple positions."

The operative word is "multiple." Marion has always been the man to defend top opposing wings like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. This season, particularly when guard Delonte West was lost to a fractured finger on Feb. 15, Marion became Mr. Everything to a defense that had already lost its heart and soul from the championship team in Chandler -- the third-place finisher in last season's DPOY voting -- and plugged in newcomers and somehow just kept on ticking.

"We’re the No. 1 defensive team in the Western Conference largely because of how he’s guarded guys individually," Carlisle said. "He always has the best player, and a lot of times he’ll have a guy like [Ty] Lawson or like [Goran] Dragic, who’s a key guy not only scoring, but getting other guys involved. He’s just been phenomenal."

During the stretch from West's injury to the All-Star break, the 33-year-old Marion was tasked with chasing, in order: Lawson, Ricky Rubio, 6-foot-11 power forward and All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, Chris Paul, Lawson again, Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams, Jeremy Lin, Paul Pierce and finally Kobe Bryant.

And throughout this physically demanding shortended season, Marion's assignments read like an NBA who's who list, from Deron Williams and Steve Nash to Paul Millsap and Michael Beasley; from Manu Ginobili and Russell Westbrook to Caron Butler and Carmelo Anthony.

Of all those offensive weapons, advanced analytics, which make it possible to break down matchups possession by possession, tell us that Marion's opponents have shot 34 percent against him.

Take Kobe as just one example. In two games, Marion held the league's leading scorer to an average of 14.5 points on less than 28 percent shooting. In last Wednesday's game against the Lakers in which Marion's knee kept him out, Kobe hit for 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting (61.1 percent).

On Monday, Marion mostly deflected credit while processing his coach's praise.

"That speaks a lot about me and my teammates because it’s not just one person out there, it’s all of us collectively," Marion said. "So, hey, I’m just doing what I got to do to help the team the best way I can."

Marion's performance this season might be the closest thing to former Seattle guard Gary Payton, the only other non-big man to win the award in 1995-96. Payton, like Marion, could seemingly bounce from defending either guard position to either forward position without flinching. Remarkably, Marion's presence has made the Mavs' five-man unit -- and all-30-somethings -- that includes Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki and Brendan Haywood the No. 1 defensive lineup in the league.

Of course, it's easy to understand why power forwards, and particularly centers, have dominated this award. Blocked shots and rebounding and team scoring averages are in your face to see and tally up and measure against other players and teams. While clearly centers can be great defenders -- and there's a long list of them -- so much of a center's job comes in the form of help defense and not the grinding, every possession work of a mano-a-mano, on-ball defensive stopper such as Marion.

"It is what it is," Marion said. "It’s sad sometimes that people don’t really sit back and really look at what you’re doing sometimes. But it is what it is. I just got to continue to do what I got to do."

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard leads the NBA in rebounds (14.8 per game) and is tied for second in total blocked shots with 108, numbers that dwarf Marion's 6.9 rebounds and 26 blocked shots, and the Magic rank fourth in the NBA in scoring defense. A massive, 6-foot-11 specimen who patrols the paint with humbling ferocity, Howard is a leading candidate to win the award for a fourth consecutive season. Only Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo lay claim to four trophies, but neither did it four years in a row.

Marion has never even been selected to an all-defensive team, although he probably should have been at some point during his eight full seasons playing on those high-powered Phoenix Suns squads.

"At the time where I was doing it before, we scored so many damn points, didn’t nobody care," Marion said. "They wanted to focus on something else."

Marion's defensive run with Dallas really started last season and began to gain recognition during the playoffs when he bounced from Gerald Wallace, Brandon Roy and Aldridge to Kobe to Westbrook and Durant and finally to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

So maybe if Marion's capable of continuing this level of 'D' for another 16 games, just maybe the focus will turn to a small forward doing one big defensive job.

"It’s what it’s about," Marion said of being in the DPOY conversation. "Everybody’s got personal goals that you want to accomplish throughout your career and legacies that you want to leave behind. I think that would definitely be a great piece to it."

DALLAS -- If anyone needs the All-Star break, it's Shawn Marion. Badly. The man is exhausted.

After successfully chasing Kobe Bryant for 37 minutes Wednesday night, the latest in a mammoth, eight-game defensive grinder, Marion, the lone Dallas Maverick to play in all 34 games prior to the All-Star break and the indisputable first-half MVP, is deserving of and desperately in need of a recharge.

"Honestly, It’s been really, really, really bad for me," Marion said after the Lakers' 96-91 win in which Marion pressured Bryant into more turnovers (seven) than he made baskets (four). "It hit me in Philly (last Friday); I was tired, I was beat up. It’s not easy trying to fight off and contain these little fast guys and guys who get all these shots up, and I ain’t 27 no more, 25 years old no more. I’m going to do what I can to sustain it and make sure I put ourselves in a position to guard them better."

Since Jason Kidd's return to the lineup at Minnesota on Feb. 10, and because coach Rick Carlisle chose to continue to start Vince Carter at shooting guard instead of re-inserting feisty defender Delonte West, Marion has been charged with not only defending the league's top wing players, but manning up on quicker point guards that Kidd and Carter simply can't keep up with.

West fractured his finger on Feb. 15 and Roddy Beaubois has been away from the team for a week, losses that have exacerbated the backcourt mismatches. The 6-foot-7 Marion is easily the only small forward in the league that can claim a two-week stretch defending Ricky Rubio, Chris Paul, Ty Lawson, Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams, Jeremy Lin, Paul Pierce (in lieu of suspended Rajon Rondo) and then finally Kobe.

Those assignments have boosted his minutes and put a strain on his offense. He's logged between 36 and 38 hard, two-way minutes in three of the last four games, and has averaged 33.5 minutes over his last eight. Marion, 33, caught two breaks with blowouts over two depleted teams, Denver and Boston. Those are the only two games in the last eight in which he's played fewer than 30 minutes.

His offensive game paid the price Wednesday when the Mavs could have used more. He missed 10-of-13 shots and had eight points, yet still corralled eight boards, six offensive. It was the third time he scored in single figures during the eight-game stretch. By the time Marion finished fighting through muscled-up Lakers screens, the last thing he wanted to focus on was the nine games in 12 nights Dallas will play starting Tuesday.

"It’s tough, it’s very tough," Carlisle said, who reflected back on his playing days with the Celtics. "This was always one of the things Kevin McHale always used to joke about and complain about is that [Larry] Bird would be on one end hitting shots on a guy and talking trash to him and then McHale would have to guard that guy on the other end. And when you shoulder the kind of defensive responsibilities that we’re asking Shawn to shoulder, it’s going to take a toll on your offense and every night somebody’s got one of those perimeter players, it doesn't matter who it is."

Marion played "really exceptional" defense, as Carlisle described it, on Bryant, who has scored 29 total points in two games against Marion and the Mavs, equaling his league-leading season average. Marion stripped him in a late-shot clock situation in the third quarter that led to a Dirk Nowitzki 3-pointer. He forced a travel in the fourth by suffocating Byrant along the sideline and then he forced a bad pass.

Bryant finished the game 4-of-15 from the field with 15 points and is 11-of-37 in the two meetings. Yet, the Mavs haven't managed enough offense to win either.

Carlisle has tough decisions to make before the Mavs return to practice on Monday. West's injury complicates things and might hamstring Carlisle from making changes, but the coach has to wonder how much more he can ask of Marion defensively on a nightly basis. When West returns, Carlisle might have no choice but start West and bring Carter off the bench so that West can start games against most opposing point guards.

"The way it’s been going, he’s going to be on that guy," Carlisle said of Marion. "I’d like to give him a break sometimes, but on a night like tonight when we’re down and we’ve got no [Lamar] Odom, we’ve got no Beaubois, we’ve got no West...getting ourselves whole is a lot of what this is going to be about."

Except West won't be ready when the Mavs begin another monster stretch on Tuesday. And Marion, for better or worse, will assume the brunt of it.

DALLAS -- What a strange season it has been for the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers' trade for Chris Paul was quashed by the league and subsequently Lamar Odom was traded to Dallas, where he's yet to really fit in.

The Lakers have found little offensive rhythm under new coach Mike Brown, they're awful on the road and Kobe Bryant is blasting management's wait-and-see trade approach with Pau Gasol.

The Mavs let half of their title team walk, get annihilated in their first two games, see Dirk Nowitzki sit out four games to get in better conditioning and strengthen his knee after an awful start, play 10 games without Jason Kidd, yet bounce back from everything to become one of the top defensive teams in the league.

So as the these two teams play their final game before the All-Star break, how strange is it that the Mavs have just one fewer loss than L.A., yet by most accounts would be said to have overachieved while the Lakers are deemed to have underachieved?

Records: Lakers (19-13); Mavs (21-12)

When: 8:30 p.m.

Where: American Airlines Center

TV: ESPN, FSSW

Radio: ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: Odom gets a second shot at his former team. Odom's not had a good week so far, starting at New York on Sunday and against Boston on Monday. Maybe he needs a dose of his old team to get things going. It would be great timing for Dallas, which is looking to head into the All-Star break by winning eight of nine games coming off that three-game losing skid at the start of the month. Odom had 10 points in the loss at L.A. last month for one of just his eight games this season scoring in double figures.

Key matchup: Dirk Nowitzki vs. Pau Gasol
These two 7-footers are always an intriguing matchup. Gasol is more post-up, Nowitzki more one-legged fallaway. Nowitzki ate him up during the playoff sweep. Gasol is wondering if he'll still be a Laker in a couple of weeks. Is there a hotter player than Nowitzki over the last few weeks? He's averaging 29.3 points in the last three games with 30 rebounds. Gasol has averaged 14.3 points in the last three games and has struggled a bit with his shot, going 15-of-37 from the field.

Injuries: Lakers - G Steve Blake (costochaondral fracture) is probable. Mavs - G Delonte West (fractured right ring finger) is out; G Rodrigue Beaubois (personal reasons) is out.

Up next: New Jersey Nets at Mavs, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday

Beto Duran, Bomani Jones and Michael Smith of First Take discuss Mark Cuban's continued criticism of the NBA about the Chris Paul trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.

DALLAS -- Teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder are like the shiny sports cars with the motor revving high, waiting for the light to turn to green. Man, they're fun to watch and the publicity never stops.

PODCAST
Mavs guard Vince Carter talks about why he chose Dallas over other teams, crediting cryotherapy in helping him feel strong and ready throughout this short, quick season and much more. Listen

The Dallas Mavericks, they're more like the old, reliable sedan. They don't turn many heads and might not put on quite the show, but more often than not it gets the job done. That was the case again Monday night as the little-talked-about defending champs went on a 9-1 run to extinguish another hot-shot contender.

The 96-92 victory, the Mavs' fourth in a row to move them to a season-best seven games over .500 -- and one more victory than the Clippers -- was another example that the Mavs are deep, experienced, smart and when crunch time inevitably comes around against their younger counterparts, they will welcome the situation, now and in the playoffs.

"We have an edge over whoever we play because of our experience, because of what we've went through," Mavs guard Jason Terry said. "I'll take us over anybody in the fourth quarter, tight ballgame, and I believe we'll come out winning more times than not, just again because of our leader Jason Kidd and because of the familiarity that we have with Shawn, myself and Dirk."

All three made plays that contributed to the fourth-quarter lockdown that allowed the Clippers to score 16 points and just eight during a seven-plus-minute stretch during the heart of the quarter. No, it wasn't perfect. Kidd, who had three assists, three rebounds and a steal in the final quarter, almost threw the game away with his ill-fated inbounds pass with less than 10 seconds to go and the lead just two. But, former Mavs forward Caron Butler, who had already buried five 3-pointers for a season-high 23 points, couldn't make it six with 2.9 to play.

But, the Clippers were in a desperation mode because even with the insanely talented Paul directing traffic, execution was flawed at the most pressurized moments of the game -- nine turnovers to five field goals in the fourth quarter with Blake Griffin bricking five free throws and going 1-of-2 in a Hack-a-Blake scenario.

If the Clippers and Thunder are indeed the greatest threat to dethrone the Mavs in the Western Conference, there is work to be done by both. Yes, the Mavs' 2-3 record against these two high-flying outfits might suggest otherwise, but remember, OKC needed a 27-foot Kevin Durant buzzer-beater to win up there in the third game of the season and then squeaked one out here more recently against a depleted Mavs roster that strangely felt more like a Dallas win.

The Clippers needed a buzzer-beater in L.A. without Paul and lost with him Monday. Paul finished with 16 points and nine assists, but he had one inconsequential 3 late in the game and had a bad turnover dribbling through the crowded paint with 4:23 to go, the Mavs up three and the Clippers entering a third minute of a five-minute scoreless drought.

"It's too early to say who you have an edge over," center Brendan Haywood said. "But, at the end of the day we know we're going to execute. We know where we're going to go and they have to figure it out."

And then there's this convenient fact as well: Rick Carlisle continues to coach these games while adhering to his plan to limit minutes. No starter played more than Nowitzki's 31:53. Jason Terry logged a team-high 31:57. And it was a game that simply looking at the box score might suggest a Mavericks loss.

Nowitzki was 5-of-15 from the floor, yet poured in 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter with just two field goals. Kidd had three points and four assists. Terry was 4-of-12 from the floor. But, there was Haywood with 10 first-quarter points and strong defense throughout on Griffin. Vince Carter nailed two more 3-pointers and finished with 10 points. Delonte West had 10 points. Lamar Odom received more Rick Carlisle love for becoming more and more engaged.

And, Marion, what more can be said about the small forward who at times defensively swallowed up the All-Star point guard and tossed in 16 points with three assists?

"Everybody's got to get a piece of the wealth, that makes us that much more dangerous," Marion said. "When it's just one guy, it's real hard for us. When it's everybody collectively, it's amazing to watch and it's hard to stop.

DALLAS – Good news, NBA officials: Mark Cuban has found another subject he’s deemed worthy of a crusade.

Cuban can’t believe small forward Shawn Marion, the swiss-army knife of the Dallas Mavericks’ defense, has never earned all-defense team recognition and is determined to do everything within his power to end that streak in the Matrix’s 13th NBA season.

Actually, Cuban won’t be satisfied unless Marion gets serious consideration as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

“It’s not a question if he’s first team,” Cuban said during his pregame stairmaster workout Monday evening. “The only question is, outside of the center position like a Dwight Howard, is he Defensive Player of the Year? I mean, it’s hard to overlook how Dwight Howard plays defensively, but beyond that, who’s better?

“Name one.”

While you’re thinking of an answer, consider the impact Marion made in the Mavericks’ 96-92 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, one of the league’s most explosive teams. And Marion’s 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting were an afterthought.

The 6-foot-7 Marion guarded three different positions during the game, most notably doing a tremendous job containing All-Star point guard Chris Paul, much like Marion did against rookie sensation Ricky Rubio in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves a few nights before.

Most of Paul’s 16 points and nine assists came when he wasn’t being guarded by Marion. In the final 5:13, Marion held Paul to one bucket -- a falling-away 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining -- and one assist.

Marion also created two critical turnovers in the final two minutes as a help defender. He played the passing lanes perfectly to pick off a Blake Griffin pass and swiped the ball from Kenyon Martin as he slashed to the hoop.

Add this night to the list of phenomenal defensive performances by Marion. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched the Mavs’ magical championship run, when Marion spearheaded excellent defensive efforts against the NBA’s three most dangerous scorers: the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Miami’s LeBron James.

“I’m a competitor,” Marion said. “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.”

It’s one thing to come like that against wing players. It’s something else to do while chasing the league’s premier pick-and-roll initiator all over the court, even with the Mavs’ bigs doing a commendable job showing on those pick-and-rolls. And Marion occasionally takes turns against high-scoring power forwards, too.

How many players can guard premier power forwards and point guards?

“Marion is the only guy who comes to mind,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, who has the freedom to start the offensively efficient geezer guard combo of Jason Kidd and Vince Carter because of Marion’s defensive versatility. “This is one of the unique weapons we have on our team.”

Added Dirk Nowitzki: “He’s our best defender. We stick him on 1, 2, 3, 4. He’s been phenomenal for us every since he got here. He’s still fast on his feet, he’s long, he’s strong, he’s got great, great hands on the ball. We stick him usually on the best player and he did a phenomenal job for us again tonight.”

Back to Cuban’s question: The wings widely considered better defenders than Marion include Bryant, James, Memphis’ Tony Allen and Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala. They got the spots on the first- and second- all-defense team last season.

Kobe has been a first-team selection nine times, including the last six seasons. LeBron has been voted a first-teamer the last few years.

“I’m just telling you what the reality is right now,” Cuban said. “There’s nobody who’s better defensively outside the center position than Shawn Marion.”

The Matrix backed up his billionaire owner’s bold talk against the Clippers.

How it happened: The Clippers got a taste of what some of the other Western Conference contenders experienced during the playoffs last season. They were on the business end of a Mavericks close-out.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 of his 22 points in the final 6:03, but defense was the primary reason the Mavs pulled out this win.

The Mavs held the Clippers to nine points and three field goals in the final six minutes. Shawn Marion spearheaded the phenomenal defensive effort.

Marion guarded Clippers star point guard Chris Paul (16 points, nine assists) for much of the game, including the final 5:13. Paul had only one basket -- a falling-away 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining -- and one assist in that final stretch.

Marion made two huge plays in the final two minutes as a help defender: a steal of a Blake Griffin pass and a block of a Kenyon Martin layup attempt.

The Mavs also benefited from a little luck in the last minute. A turnover led to an open transition 3-point attempt by Caron Butler. But the ex-Maverick, who received his championship ring in a touching pregame ceremony, missed the potential go-ahead shot with three seconds remaining.

What it means: The Mavs have started off one of the toughest stretches of their schedule, in terms of quality of competition, with four consecutive wins. The Clippers went 4-2 on their road trip.

Play of the game: Vince Carter offered a reminder that Griffin wasn’t the only dunk contest champion in the house, and Randy Foye was on the wrong end of the reminder. After catching the ball in the post and facing up, Carter went right to blow by Foye on the baseline, took off at the charge circle and threw down a sweet one-handed slam on the other side of the rim.

Stat of the night: This was the first time the Mavs have won a game they trailed after three quarters this season. The Mavs, who were only down two entering the fourth, were 0-9 in such games.