--Jason Kidd was there when Shawn Marion's NBA career was in its infancy. They're together again in Dallas, and Kidd can't help but think back to those early days in Phoenix. "He listened," Kidd said. "You can ask him about our first playoff series with Sacramento, and he had to guard Peja (Stojakovic). "Peja lit him up, but it was a lesson learned. What I loved about what he said at the end of that series is, 'That will never happen again.' So I knew I had his attention and that he wanted to get better and wasn't going to be satisfied. From there, he's had a great career."
The Mavericks are counting on Marion to pick up where he left off with the Suns and forget the last 1-1/2 seasons in Miami and Toronto.
--In an effort to upgrade the American Airlines Center experience, and maybe keep up with Jerry Jones across town, the Mavs unveiled the arena's new complete high-definition video and sound system.
The new system, installed this summer, features the first 1080p high-definition center scoreboard and the first multi-zone special effects audio system in a NBA or NHL arena. With the addition of the new center scoreboard and two stadium-sized video walls, the amount of digital video in the arena has increased by over 300 percent.
The makeovers spilled over to the uniforms. The team has introduced a new blue alternate uniform to replace the popular green alternates of recent seasons.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Well if they're asleep, they're going to wake up quick. Obviously with our style of play, we're going to be up and down, we're going to be running." -- Jason Terry, on the rest of the league overlooking the Mavs.
