Kori Ellis
05-29-2005, 01:25 AM
Parker steels himself against Suns
Web Posted: 05/29/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052905.3S.BKNspurs.parker.2be18f3b5.html
The Phoenix Suns were in full rally mode, having sliced a 20-point Spurs lead in half, with time enough to erase the rest of the advantage in the final 2 minutes, 30 seconds of Game 3 of the NBA's Western Conference finals.
Spurs point guard Tony Parker had just missed his favorite shot, a tear-drop runner, at one end of the court and followed up by fouling Phoenix' Amare Stoudemire at the other end.
Parker scowled his way to the press table and slammed his right palm hard on the cushioned surface that covers the table that houses statistics monitors and reporters' laptop computers. He took a seat atop the table, and, had he been a cartoon character, steam would have been spewing from his ears.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich walked up to Parker, put his arm around him, and whispered a few words in his ear, whereupon Parker walked back on the court and helped the Spurs close out a victory that gave them a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
"I don't like to miss tear drops," Parker said. "That's why I was mad. Pop just told me to stay in the game."
Popovich doesn't have to shout such advice to Parker nearly as often these days. It is proof that the point guard has matured to the point he won't shrink from the challenge of having the Suns' best defender, Joe Johnson, assigned to shut him down.
Johnson played in the series for the first time since suffering a broken orbital bone around his left eye against Dallas. Much was made before the game of Johnson's ability to keep Parker from getting into the lane to create shots for himself and his teammates. Parker proved there had been no reason to fret.
"I'm going to attack him the same way as Steve (Nash)," Parker said of Johnson, who is 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, compared to Parker's 6-2 and 180. "I have to be in attack mode and make sure I stay involved in the offense. If it's Steve or Joe, it doesn't matter. I have to make sure I don't rush anything, but keep being in the attack mode."
Attack Parker did. By game's end he had scored 18 points, all but two of which resulted from drives to the basket that produced either layins, tear drops or trips to the foul line.
"I was playing him a little too close in the first half, and he got some easy buckets," said Johnson, who played with a specially fitted mask protecting his face. "In the second half, I backed off a little bit."
Johnson's presence was supposed to relieve league MVP Steve Nash of some of the burden of chasing Parker all over the court. The theory was Nash would have more energy to beat Parker at the offensive end with Johnson back. But Parker did a better job defending Nash on Saturday than he had in Games 1 and 2. Nash finished the game with only three assists and missed 10 of his 18 shots.
"He's a really tough-minded individual," Popovich said of Parker. "He's a good competitor and can handle critiques. You know, you tell him to go do this or that (and) he doesn't take anything personally. He just wants to get better."
Web Posted: 05/29/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052905.3S.BKNspurs.parker.2be18f3b5.html
The Phoenix Suns were in full rally mode, having sliced a 20-point Spurs lead in half, with time enough to erase the rest of the advantage in the final 2 minutes, 30 seconds of Game 3 of the NBA's Western Conference finals.
Spurs point guard Tony Parker had just missed his favorite shot, a tear-drop runner, at one end of the court and followed up by fouling Phoenix' Amare Stoudemire at the other end.
Parker scowled his way to the press table and slammed his right palm hard on the cushioned surface that covers the table that houses statistics monitors and reporters' laptop computers. He took a seat atop the table, and, had he been a cartoon character, steam would have been spewing from his ears.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich walked up to Parker, put his arm around him, and whispered a few words in his ear, whereupon Parker walked back on the court and helped the Spurs close out a victory that gave them a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
"I don't like to miss tear drops," Parker said. "That's why I was mad. Pop just told me to stay in the game."
Popovich doesn't have to shout such advice to Parker nearly as often these days. It is proof that the point guard has matured to the point he won't shrink from the challenge of having the Suns' best defender, Joe Johnson, assigned to shut him down.
Johnson played in the series for the first time since suffering a broken orbital bone around his left eye against Dallas. Much was made before the game of Johnson's ability to keep Parker from getting into the lane to create shots for himself and his teammates. Parker proved there had been no reason to fret.
"I'm going to attack him the same way as Steve (Nash)," Parker said of Johnson, who is 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, compared to Parker's 6-2 and 180. "I have to be in attack mode and make sure I stay involved in the offense. If it's Steve or Joe, it doesn't matter. I have to make sure I don't rush anything, but keep being in the attack mode."
Attack Parker did. By game's end he had scored 18 points, all but two of which resulted from drives to the basket that produced either layins, tear drops or trips to the foul line.
"I was playing him a little too close in the first half, and he got some easy buckets," said Johnson, who played with a specially fitted mask protecting his face. "In the second half, I backed off a little bit."
Johnson's presence was supposed to relieve league MVP Steve Nash of some of the burden of chasing Parker all over the court. The theory was Nash would have more energy to beat Parker at the offensive end with Johnson back. But Parker did a better job defending Nash on Saturday than he had in Games 1 and 2. Nash finished the game with only three assists and missed 10 of his 18 shots.
"He's a really tough-minded individual," Popovich said of Parker. "He's a good competitor and can handle critiques. You know, you tell him to go do this or that (and) he doesn't take anything personally. He just wants to get better."