az1965
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Gambo - Critical fans need to cut Marion some slack
May. 15, 2006 08:45 AM
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Love him or hate him, no professional athlete in this town creates more discussion about the caliber and consistency of his play than Shawn Marion come playoff time. At times he is the hero, others the goat. That was clearly evident this weekend when he willed the Suns to victory on Friday and was all but non-existent on Sunday. Depending on which day of the week it is in May, Suns fans would either consider Marion untouchable or be willing to deal him for a bag of balls.
Win or lose, it is time for this town to take a stand on the Matrix. Great players are under the microscope 24/7, and it's easy to forget that Marion is truly one of the greatest players to ever wear a Suns uniform and will someday have a spot in the Suns' Ring of Honor.
Marion may have his faults and there are games in which he struggles with his shot, but night in and night out, he brings everything he has to the court and leaves nothing behind. On Friday night Marion proved his worth. Just two days after one of his worst post-season performances (13 points and 6 rebounds), Marion responded by dominating the Los Angeles Clippers at both ends of the court. His 32-point, 19-rebound, 4-steal performance was a thing of beauty, and his defense on Sam Cassell took the veteran point guard completely out of the game. Cassell was more of a non-factor in Game 3 than Marion has been in any of the games he has struggled.
And when the Suns needed big baskets Friday night, it was Marion to the rescue. His three-pointer with 2:53 left tied the score at 85 and his three-point play with 49.2 seconds left put Phoenix up, 92-86.
How Marion can go from the best player on the court one night to barely noticeable the next is beyond comprehension. But it's not because of lack of effort. Marion plays hard every game, but on Sunday the results just weren't there (14 points, 10 rebounds). If any word could describe Marion in the playoffs, it is inconsistent. He has his good and bad games, and at times his shot looks like Rick Ankiel trying to find the strike zone. He has his deficiencies - he can't create his own shot. And maybe it is because of those inconsistencies that Marion is not considered a superstar in this league.
But his pluses far outweigh any minuses. Marion is a great defender, a great slasher, a great rebounder, a great dunker, a good three-point shooter and a great team player. He is also a non-complainer, content with his role and not one to whine over petty jealousy of other players. Marion has talked about getting more respect, and who could blame him when at least three times per year he hears his name in trade rumors.
After every poor post-season performance talk radio lines are lit with the Marion-to-the-Timberwolves-for-Kevin-Garnett rumors.
What fans need to realize is, the longer Marion stays in a Suns uniform the better. With Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas out of the lineup, Marion has had more pressure on him than ever to defend the bigs and rebound the basketball. He has done so without complaining and done a very good job.
It seems too easy to criticize Marion when the Suns don't play well. A team devastated by injuries, the Suns need every player clicking on all cylinders to be at their best and win playoff games. And when they aren't, it seems Marion's game is picked apart more than anyone else's. And that could be because Marion is so valuable to the Suns that when he's not on, the team can't overcome his struggles.
In the first-round against the Los Angeles Lakers, Marion was held in check early by the Lakers as he struggled with the length of both Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown. After a 19-point, 7-rebound effort in a Game 1 win, he shot 5-for-15 from the field and had just 13 points and 9 rebounds in the Game 2 loss. He had only 7 rebounds in the Game 3 loss. But as the series went longer Marion got better. And in the final four games he was back to being a key factor in helping the Suns advance. He had 20 points and 12 rebounds in Game 4; 21 points and 9 rebounds in Game 5; 20 points and 12 rebounds in Game 6 and chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Game 7 blowout.
Against the Clippers, Marion struggled - as did everyone else - in Game 2 as he missed four of his first five shots and finished with just 13 points and six rebounds. But Marion had a major impact on the Game 1 win with 20 points and 15 boards and the monster Game 3.
Those who would like to see Marion go say he disappears in the playoffs. But this season, he is averaging 19.2 points and 10.6 rebounds in the playoffs, similar numbers to what he averaged in the regular season (21.8 points, and 11.8 rebounds). In past playoff series, Marion has had to sacrifice his offensive game to concentrate on shutting down the opponents' top scorers - see Dirk Nowitzki. And on nights when he has to be a stopper he sometimes struggles with his offensive game.
So maybe it's time we cut Marion some slack. There is not a team in the league that wouldn't want him on their roster and he is one of the few players who is earning every penning of his contract.
So be careful what you wish for when you are in the trade-Marion corner. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Sometimes you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone. And if Marion was ever to leave, fans here would learn that rather quickly.
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May. 15, 2006 08:45 AM
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
Love him or hate him, no professional athlete in this town creates more discussion about the caliber and consistency of his play than Shawn Marion come playoff time. At times he is the hero, others the goat. That was clearly evident this weekend when he willed the Suns to victory on Friday and was all but non-existent on Sunday. Depending on which day of the week it is in May, Suns fans would either consider Marion untouchable or be willing to deal him for a bag of balls.
Win or lose, it is time for this town to take a stand on the Matrix. Great players are under the microscope 24/7, and it's easy to forget that Marion is truly one of the greatest players to ever wear a Suns uniform and will someday have a spot in the Suns' Ring of Honor.
Marion may have his faults and there are games in which he struggles with his shot, but night in and night out, he brings everything he has to the court and leaves nothing behind. On Friday night Marion proved his worth. Just two days after one of his worst post-season performances (13 points and 6 rebounds), Marion responded by dominating the Los Angeles Clippers at both ends of the court. His 32-point, 19-rebound, 4-steal performance was a thing of beauty, and his defense on Sam Cassell took the veteran point guard completely out of the game. Cassell was more of a non-factor in Game 3 than Marion has been in any of the games he has struggled.
And when the Suns needed big baskets Friday night, it was Marion to the rescue. His three-pointer with 2:53 left tied the score at 85 and his three-point play with 49.2 seconds left put Phoenix up, 92-86.
How Marion can go from the best player on the court one night to barely noticeable the next is beyond comprehension. But it's not because of lack of effort. Marion plays hard every game, but on Sunday the results just weren't there (14 points, 10 rebounds). If any word could describe Marion in the playoffs, it is inconsistent. He has his good and bad games, and at times his shot looks like Rick Ankiel trying to find the strike zone. He has his deficiencies - he can't create his own shot. And maybe it is because of those inconsistencies that Marion is not considered a superstar in this league.
But his pluses far outweigh any minuses. Marion is a great defender, a great slasher, a great rebounder, a great dunker, a good three-point shooter and a great team player. He is also a non-complainer, content with his role and not one to whine over petty jealousy of other players. Marion has talked about getting more respect, and who could blame him when at least three times per year he hears his name in trade rumors.
After every poor post-season performance talk radio lines are lit with the Marion-to-the-Timberwolves-for-Kevin-Garnett rumors.
What fans need to realize is, the longer Marion stays in a Suns uniform the better. With Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas out of the lineup, Marion has had more pressure on him than ever to defend the bigs and rebound the basketball. He has done so without complaining and done a very good job.
It seems too easy to criticize Marion when the Suns don't play well. A team devastated by injuries, the Suns need every player clicking on all cylinders to be at their best and win playoff games. And when they aren't, it seems Marion's game is picked apart more than anyone else's. And that could be because Marion is so valuable to the Suns that when he's not on, the team can't overcome his struggles.
In the first-round against the Los Angeles Lakers, Marion was held in check early by the Lakers as he struggled with the length of both Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown. After a 19-point, 7-rebound effort in a Game 1 win, he shot 5-for-15 from the field and had just 13 points and 9 rebounds in the Game 2 loss. He had only 7 rebounds in the Game 3 loss. But as the series went longer Marion got better. And in the final four games he was back to being a key factor in helping the Suns advance. He had 20 points and 12 rebounds in Game 4; 21 points and 9 rebounds in Game 5; 20 points and 12 rebounds in Game 6 and chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Game 7 blowout.
Against the Clippers, Marion struggled - as did everyone else - in Game 2 as he missed four of his first five shots and finished with just 13 points and six rebounds. But Marion had a major impact on the Game 1 win with 20 points and 15 boards and the monster Game 3.
Those who would like to see Marion go say he disappears in the playoffs. But this season, he is averaging 19.2 points and 10.6 rebounds in the playoffs, similar numbers to what he averaged in the regular season (21.8 points, and 11.8 rebounds). In past playoff series, Marion has had to sacrifice his offensive game to concentrate on shutting down the opponents' top scorers - see Dirk Nowitzki. And on nights when he has to be a stopper he sometimes struggles with his offensive game.
So maybe it's time we cut Marion some slack. There is not a team in the league that wouldn't want him on their roster and he is one of the few players who is earning every penning of his contract.
So be careful what you wish for when you are in the trade-Marion corner. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Sometimes you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone. And if Marion was ever to leave, fans here would learn that rather quickly.
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Seriously, though, cheese, you definitely do act like someone who hates Shawn Marion. Too bad.
