Old nemesis Stephen Jackson back to haunt Mavericks

Shawn Marion was asked whether Charlotte’s Stephen
Jackson was the kind of player that he’d love to have as a teammate but
is pretty much a pain in the neck when you have to go against him.
 
“Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be
for every player?’’ he asked.
 
That’s true, but with Jackson, it seems a little more
pronounced.
 
No Maverick fan will forget the way Jackson terrorized Dirk
Nowitzki in the playoff series against Golden State in 2007. That was one of
Nowitzki’s few dark playoff moments, when Jackson was guarding him and
essentially using his nasty attitude to take Nowitzki out of his game.
 
To find the real essence of Jackson, we went to an inside
source, Tyson Chandler, who was a teammate of Jackson’s at Charlotte last
season, but also has gone against him many times.
 
“I love Jack,’’ Chandler said.
“He’s a great teammate. He can do some crazy things at times, but
as long as he’s with you, he’s for you. You just got to channel it
in the right direction. He’s an incredible player.’’
 
Chandler added that fans who believe Jackson carries his
attitude a bit too far should refer to the brawl in Indiana where he went into
the stands and ended up getting a long suspension for his role in that
regrettable situation.
 
“The perception of who he is has gotten twisted
because of the brawl,’’ Chandler said. “But really, that
almost shows who he is because he went up there for a teammate. He’ll
have your back and give anything for you.
 
“Obviously, that was over the edge, but if he’s
on your side, he’s on your side.’’
 
And when he’s not, he’s not, which the Mavericks
will be reminded of tonight.