Shootaround report: Marion set to return, Mavs prepare for aggressive Terry
Earl K. Sneed reports from Boston at the Dallas Mavericks' Wednesday shootaround, as four-time All-Star Shawn Marion returns to try to help the team contain ex-Mav Jason Terry and the Celtics.
Shootaround report: Mavericks (11-10) at Celtics (11-9)
Marion set to return, Mavs prepare for aggressive Terry
Facing off against ex-Mav Jason Terry and the Celtics at T.D. Garden in a nationally-televised matchup, the Mavericks (11-10) will get a boost as four-time All-Star Shawn Marion returns from a two-game absence with a strained right groin injury. That should bode well for the Mavs as they attempt to claim a fifth straight win over the Celtics (11-9) while also trying to extend their three-game winning streak.
“Feeling better. Feeling pretty good. I’m ready to go tonight,” Marion declared after the team’s morning shootaround.
“This will be a good game tonight,” he continued. “We’ve got to start this road trip on a positive. … I think I’ll be alright, especially when I get out here and warmed up. I’ve got these special compression pants on that’s supposed to keep everything real sniff and tucked, but I’m good to go.”
With Marion back in the lineup, however, the Mavs will now have to turn their attention to stopping Terry and the Celtics. And with the former Dallas gunslinger expected to be aggressive against his former team, the Mavs admit they’ll have to be on high alert in order to ruin Terry’s night while beginning a three-game road trip.
“[Terry] is a great shooter and you’ve got to make him play both ends of the floor,” Marion said of stopping his old teammate. “You know, when guys play both ends of the floor it’s that much harder. And then you’ve got to take away his easy shots. Try not to give him no warmup shots and that’s it.”
“I’ve played J.T. since I’ve been in the league, so nothing big to me,” leading scorer O.J. Mayo added. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to have a little chip on his shoulders, so we’ve got to expect that. He played some big-time years (for the Mavericks), won a championship, and I thought he was going to stay here the rest of his career. He’s a champion, put in a lot of work here, so it’s very understandable. But business is business and you never know, so I’m looking forward to playing hard tonight.”
Note: The Mavericks once again venture out away from home, beginning a three-game road trip Wednesday night in Boston against ex-Mav Jason Terry and the Celtics. It will be the first time the Mavs face the Celtics since Terry signed with Boston as a free agent this offseason. The game will air nationally on ESPN and locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7 p.m. CT.
