http://tinyurl.com/28dp8lu Shawn Marion was standing in front of several hundred children at Edward Titche Elementary School with a message to deliver. "It's getting harder and harder to succeed in life," Marion said. "But y'all got a great start. And if you keep working hard, you'll make it." He was speaking to kids who had won the Mavericks' Reading Challenge. But he could have just as easily been talking about the team and the 11-game winning streak that has everybody walking on clouds. All it really means is the Mavericks have run out to a really nice start this season and the hard part has only just begun. Utah's visit to American Airlines Center today contributes to that difficulty, even though the Jazz had to play Orlando late Friday night in Salt Lake City. Marion has established himself this season as part of the Mavericks' three-way power pack at forward. Along with starters Dirk Nowitzki and Caron Butler, Marion splits up the playing time and all of them are averaging between 27 and 36 minutes. Added together, they eat up just under 94 minutes per game, which is two fewer than are available at the two forward slots. The setup is working. One superstar and two former All-Stars parlaying their abilities to give the Mavericks as stout a forward trio as any. "We've got a good thing going with our forwards," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Recently, it's been a different guy finishing every night. It's a little unpredictable for them, but they're rolling with it. And we're winning. So that's what's important." They feel the same way. If Dallas were 4-18 instead of 18-4, it might be different. But it's been a thing of beauty to watch the three of them mix their diverse abilities into a dominant front line. Marion almost always comes in for Nowitzki in the middle of the first quarter, which means he has to play power forward at 6-7. "I'm guarding most of those big guys," Marion said. "Power forward is one of the dominant positions in the league. It's a challenge, but it's cool. The fact that Butler and Marion play so differently is a plus for the Mavericks, since defenses have to prepare for a completely different looks based on who's on the court. "I'm more of a jump shooter and Shawn's more of a slasher," Butler said. "It throws them off and that's a good thing." Does the overall depth and diversity of the Mavericks make them one of the league's toughest matchups? "You have to say that," Butler said. "We're definitely deep. Guys are defining their roles more as the season goes on and getting accustomed to their roles, so it's going to be scary." In need of tougher fouls: Carlisle knows the Utah game will be one of the most physical of the homestand, especially since the Mavericks won in Salt Lake City last week. One thing the coach wants corrected is the soft approach he noticed on fouls against New Jersey on Thursday. "There were seven or eight instances where we touch-fouled them to either put them at the line or give them the 'and-one' opportunity," Carlisle said. "We've got to get that remedied for tomorrow because that's going to be an extremely physical game. "We're not trying to hurt anybody. But you want to make sure the guy has to go earn points at the free throw line and not be able to waltz up there and add a third point." Briefly: Marion and Rolando Blackman joined DISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa at Titche to congratulate the students on their reading campaign. "It's more than fun," Marion said. "You've got a school that read more than 800,000 minutes. That's a lot of reading. They're doing a great job." ... Also on Friday, Brendan Haywood presented a $25,000 check to Alley's House, a Dallas organization close to his heart dedicated to helping teen mothers and their children. "My mother raised me as a single parent and she worked twice as hard to make sure I always had the things I needed," said Haywood. --

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