Marks Gets Playoffs Focus
Tagged in: Kiwis Abroad, Tall Blacks
New Zealand NBA pioneer Sean Marks completed his most successful regular season on Thursday and now, with his New Orleans Hornets teammates, is eyeing significant NBA Playoffs minutes.
Marks had four points (2/2 FG) with four rebounds and a block in 15 minutes as the Hornets fell 105-98 in overtime to the San Antonio Spurs on the road in their regular season finale.
The Hornets have scuffed their way into the postseason, losing six of their last eight games to drop to seventh in the Western Conference at 49-33 and facing a best-of-seven quarterfinals series against the second-placed and Northwest Division champion Denver Nuggets (54-28).
The Hornets and Nuggets, who open the series with game one in Denver at 2.30pm Monday (NZ time), split their four-game season-series, each team picking up a win on the others’ home floor.
But right now, it’s 0-0.
“That’s the great things about the playoffs, it’s a whole new season,” Marks, 33, said from the Crescent City during a phone conference with New Zealand media on Friday morning.
“All the other games only matter for home court, who plays at home to start. That really gets forgotten now. Definitely anyone can come out of the West. The (Los Angeles) Lakers are the favourites though.”
The 2.08m (6ft 10in) former Tall Blacks centre has only seen three minutes of playoffs court time in his career, those coming for the Phoenix Suns in a game four win over the Spurs in last season’s 4-1 quarterfinals series loss.
Those minutes are likely to increase against the Nuggets, as he has regularly been the second or third player off Byron Scott’s bench.
“It is unchartered waters for me. It’s different from the role that I’ve had before as a practice player and basically a cheerleader,” said Marks, who won an NBA Championship with the Spurs in 2004-05.
“This time I have to be ready. It depends on the match-ups and it depends on what the coach wants to do. It could be 10 minutes or it could be five minutes. I just have to be ready.”
Marks, who averaged 14 minutes per game in the regular season, will likely have the role of backing-up starters Tyson Chandler and David West and defending the likes of former All-Star Kenyon Martin, Brazilian international Nene and Chris Andersen.
“Ultimately it’s going to be bringing energy off the bench. Whether it’s five or 10 minutes, I have to come in and play hard.
“And it’s going to be defensive rebounding. We’ve got guys that can shoot and score, we’ve got Chris Paul and David West and Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic. Denver is a big tough team and we’ve got to keep them off the boards and defend.”
The Nuggets also feature All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who averaged 22.8 points per game, the same as Hornets point guard Paul, and point guard Chauncey Billups, who came to the Mile High City in an early-season trade with Detroit for Allen Iverson.
In his ninth NBA season, Marks has posted career-highs in every statistical category except games started.
His 60 regular season games betters the 25 from the 2005-06 season with the Spurs, while he has played 838 minutes, more than double the next best with the Miami Heat in 2001-02, and scored 192 points, just under twice his previous best output of 96 points that same season.
Marks also recorded 187 rebounds – 62 offensive and 125 defensive – 33 blocks, 14 assists and seven steals. He shot 80-of-165 (48.5%) from the field, 2-of-10 (20%) on three-pointers, just his second and third triples of his career, and 30-of-44 (68.2%) from the free-throw line.
“We’re looking forward to the playoffs and being healthy for once,” Marks said.
“We’ve been pretty banged up all season but we’ve finally got everyone back. I wouldn’t say we’re all 100 percent because we’ve just finished playing 82 games. Everyone’s a little banged up and sore.”
In the final week of the regular season, Marks posted his third double-digit points total of the season with 10 points (5/7 FG) and two rebounds in 21 minutes in an 86-66 road loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. He also corralled a season-high nine boards in 19 minutes in a 111-103 road loss to the Golden State Warriors on April 4.
