duncan228
01-28-2009, 01:20 AM
Ski buddies share a run for the Spurs (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Ski_buddies_share_a_run_for_the_Spurs.html)
Buck Harvey
SALT LAKE CITY — Tony Parker stood in a dark tunnel by himself with a headset on. He was doing the postgame interview, and he was the appropriate guest.
He had led the Spurs in scoring Tuesday night, after all.
But hovering over the tunnel, perhaps loud enough to seep past the cushioned plastic of the headset, was an identifiable chant.
“Ole, Ole, Ole, Manu.”
It was a fitting snapshot, the South America influence in Utah not withstanding. Parker and Manu Ginobili have spent their careers sharing, taking turns while both on the cusp of All-Star status, and they were at it again Tuesday night.
Parker first, Ginobili late.
“That's the way it's been,” Ginobili said afterward.
Ginobili laughed about his Salt Lake fans, and he had an explanation for them, too. Ski instructors often come up from Argentina when the seasons reverse, and Ginobili says he likely will hear the same chant when he plays in Denver this winter.
“Cheap foreign labor,” he joked.
Parker and Ginobili don't qualify for that; if they put their money in a pot, they could buy a mountain. But they've acted as if they, too, are merely young ski bums sharing a good run together.
Some on the Spurs staff have wondered if coming from different countries saved them. They each had their continents to call their own.
Another guess: Both are smart enough to know how good they have it. Why let ego get in the way?
But Parker has a more specific theory. “I really believe nobody is selfish on our team, and it starts with Timmy (Duncan),” Parker said. “Nobody thinks about stats.”
Not thinking about stats was a good thing Tuesday. Duncan missed a half-dozen free throws, and Ginobili didn't make a basket until late in the fourth quarter.
“Me and Manu, I think, adopted Timmy's attitude,” Parker continued. “We share. For a lot of years in the fourth quarter, we've run a lot of plays for Manu. It doesn't matter who takes that last shot.”
Gregg Popovich explained Tuesday it's about free throws. Ginobili has always excelled at the line, so they go to him late.
But it's more than that, and an example came in the final seconds against the Jazz. Until then Ginobili had been awful; he would end with a half-dozen turnovers.
“I was fighting through it,” Ginobili said.
Coming off a similar afternoon in Los Angeles, Ginobili seemed to be fighting himself. But in the fourth quarter he also stripped a young Utah swingman, Ronnie Brewer, and he out-fought another for a loose ball.
That's Ginobili. And that's why, with just over 25 seconds left, Popovich still trusted Ginobili. With hotter shooters on the floor, such as Matt Bonner, the Spurs still went to Ginobili.
Naturally, he made both free throws.
Watching away from the ball, content knowing he had put the Spurs in position with a game-high 24 points, was Parker.
“You have to be the one who accepts it sometimes, too,” Parker said. “Some nights you have to take your turn.”
He says now, when people ask what's the matter with Ginobili, they should consider this. “When he plays with me and Timmy, sometimes it's hard to get a rhythm. But Manu doesn't say anything, and that's the key to our success. Waiting your turn.”
Parker thinks people don't talk about this. “If you take the history of the NBA, every time you have a lot of good players, they don't get along. We do.”
And the last time Parker played with a selfish player?
“The French national team,” he said, laughing. “Then I go back to earth … the way people really are.”
Now Parker and Ginobili head to Phoenix, and in a few days they will find out who will head there later for the All-Star game. Both wouldn't mind returning to something they've both been to before in different years.
But none of it was in play Tuesday. Then Parker threw in a 20-foot jumper with about 7 minutes left, giving him 24 points. At that point Ginobili had a total of three points.
From there Parker didn't score again, and Ginobili scored 10.
As if they were taking turns.
Buck Harvey
SALT LAKE CITY — Tony Parker stood in a dark tunnel by himself with a headset on. He was doing the postgame interview, and he was the appropriate guest.
He had led the Spurs in scoring Tuesday night, after all.
But hovering over the tunnel, perhaps loud enough to seep past the cushioned plastic of the headset, was an identifiable chant.
“Ole, Ole, Ole, Manu.”
It was a fitting snapshot, the South America influence in Utah not withstanding. Parker and Manu Ginobili have spent their careers sharing, taking turns while both on the cusp of All-Star status, and they were at it again Tuesday night.
Parker first, Ginobili late.
“That's the way it's been,” Ginobili said afterward.
Ginobili laughed about his Salt Lake fans, and he had an explanation for them, too. Ski instructors often come up from Argentina when the seasons reverse, and Ginobili says he likely will hear the same chant when he plays in Denver this winter.
“Cheap foreign labor,” he joked.
Parker and Ginobili don't qualify for that; if they put their money in a pot, they could buy a mountain. But they've acted as if they, too, are merely young ski bums sharing a good run together.
Some on the Spurs staff have wondered if coming from different countries saved them. They each had their continents to call their own.
Another guess: Both are smart enough to know how good they have it. Why let ego get in the way?
But Parker has a more specific theory. “I really believe nobody is selfish on our team, and it starts with Timmy (Duncan),” Parker said. “Nobody thinks about stats.”
Not thinking about stats was a good thing Tuesday. Duncan missed a half-dozen free throws, and Ginobili didn't make a basket until late in the fourth quarter.
“Me and Manu, I think, adopted Timmy's attitude,” Parker continued. “We share. For a lot of years in the fourth quarter, we've run a lot of plays for Manu. It doesn't matter who takes that last shot.”
Gregg Popovich explained Tuesday it's about free throws. Ginobili has always excelled at the line, so they go to him late.
But it's more than that, and an example came in the final seconds against the Jazz. Until then Ginobili had been awful; he would end with a half-dozen turnovers.
“I was fighting through it,” Ginobili said.
Coming off a similar afternoon in Los Angeles, Ginobili seemed to be fighting himself. But in the fourth quarter he also stripped a young Utah swingman, Ronnie Brewer, and he out-fought another for a loose ball.
That's Ginobili. And that's why, with just over 25 seconds left, Popovich still trusted Ginobili. With hotter shooters on the floor, such as Matt Bonner, the Spurs still went to Ginobili.
Naturally, he made both free throws.
Watching away from the ball, content knowing he had put the Spurs in position with a game-high 24 points, was Parker.
“You have to be the one who accepts it sometimes, too,” Parker said. “Some nights you have to take your turn.”
He says now, when people ask what's the matter with Ginobili, they should consider this. “When he plays with me and Timmy, sometimes it's hard to get a rhythm. But Manu doesn't say anything, and that's the key to our success. Waiting your turn.”
Parker thinks people don't talk about this. “If you take the history of the NBA, every time you have a lot of good players, they don't get along. We do.”
And the last time Parker played with a selfish player?
“The French national team,” he said, laughing. “Then I go back to earth … the way people really are.”
Now Parker and Ginobili head to Phoenix, and in a few days they will find out who will head there later for the All-Star game. Both wouldn't mind returning to something they've both been to before in different years.
But none of it was in play Tuesday. Then Parker threw in a 20-foot jumper with about 7 minutes left, giving him 24 points. At that point Ginobili had a total of three points.
From there Parker didn't score again, and Ginobili scored 10.
As if they were taking turns.