"Shawn Marion is a proud basketball player who feels he is still in the prime of his career.

In respect of Sunday's Oscars, let's put this in Hollywood perspective. Marion does not feel like he is an 11.5-point, 6.5-rebound supporting actor.

Yet, that's what the numbers say this season, and it's why the Mavericks' small forward feels conflicted. Marion loves winning. And he's done everything this season to that end.

Marion's also sacrificed as much as any other Maverick, maybe more.

"You got to sacrifice certain things to get that ultimate goal, and that's a ring, the hardware," Marion said. "Once you get that hardware, nobody can say anything to you. That's what I want my legacy to be. I want that ring."

And that's why Marion doesn't grouse. He knows he could still approach the 20-and-10 beast he was with the Phoenix Suns. He's 31. He's in the middle of his career. Last season, he had the misfortune of playing for two teams – Toronto and Miami – that didn't help him build any value in his career.

Yet he still got paid by the Mavericks, to the tune of nearly $40 million total over this season and the next four.

The good news is that, as Mavericks continue to land on the injury report, Marion is getting more chances to contribute offensively. And over the last three games, he's delivered, averaging 15.7 points and shooting 22-of-33 from the field.

Against Sacramento on Friday, Marion had 12 points, seven rebounds, three steals, three assists and a block while only missing two shots. That is known as filling up the box score. It's something he knows he can still do. And it's a hardship dealing with the fact that he can't always do everything he's capable of.

"Oh yeah, definitely," he said. "But that's not what it's about here. It's about bringing what this team needs. When I first got here, everybody asked, 'What am I going to do?' I said I'm going to do everything they ask me to do. And that's what I'm doing."

A lot of what Marion is doing this season is under-appreciated because it's at the defensive end. He often gets asked to guard the opposition's primary scorer. That he's not called on very often offensively is tough, he said. "