True or False: Tony Parker..

[HarlemHeat37]

Tony Parker will be the deciding factor between a lopsided 5 or so game series in the Spurs favor and a 7-game toss-up, tbh..

True or False?..

[DesignatedT]

True. Especially with Duncan getting all he can handle down low.

[stephen jackson]

well were fucked then.

[J_Paco]

True. Parker, and to a lesser extent Ginobili and Leonard, needs to have a monster, monster series for the Spurs to pull the victory. Parker needs to get his jumpshot going, hasn't been falling of late, and attack the paint with reckless abandon. He also can't allow Nash and Blake to torch him like he did on Sunday. It doesn't help that he's likely 60-70% healthy, but that shit doesn't matter anymore.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

true...if he goes mvparker again spurs sweep easy...if he plays like the way hes playing spurs in 6 imo

[lefty]

well were fucked then.
:lol

[freetiago]

Spurs perimeter players have no idea how to defend
Duncan is the only thing between Spurs being a top 3 defensive team and a bottom 5
Parker/Green will give their guy to much space even though theyre 0 threat to penetrate and Parker wont even be trying
Neal will somehow always be in the paint leaving open the other teams best 3 point shooter even though he averages 0.0 blocks for his career

if Lakers get hot from 3 then they win

[RD2191]

Start baynes and let splitter come off the bench.

[HarlemHeat37]

Spurs perimeter players have no idea how to defend
Duncan is the only thing between Spurs being a top 3 defensive team and a bottom 5
Parker/Green will give their guy to much space even though theyre 0 threat to penetrate and Parker wont even be trying
Neal will somehow always be in the paint leaving open the other teams best 3 point shooter even though he averages 0.0 blocks for his career

if Lakers get hot from 3 then they win

I agree, but the Lakers have arguably the worst perimeter group of players in NBA playoff history at the moment, tbh..

Regular season games with little time for preparation is a different animal than a playoff series with thorough research and strategizing, tbh..

[Robz4000]

True. I think Manu will be a huge factor too. Spurs can win easily if only one of them chokes and the other plays well.

[HarlemHeat37]

Lakers have been playing at a slow pace since Kobe went down, they don't have the horses for a speedy paced game..

Lakers have controlled the pace in every game against the Spurs this year, tbh..

Parker's performance and health will dictate the pace and success of the team IMO..

[siraulo23]

true, la would prolly dominate and win in 6 if tp is as hobbled as he has been the past 3 games he's played

i dont think tp is gonna be fully healthy till next season but im still hoping theres a chance,

to offset parker not being fully healthy manu has to play well, green, neal and kawhi has to shoot the ball well and td to be duncan

[hater]

due to injuries it's really hard to predict this round 1. If TP and Manu are still injured it would not surprise me to see Lakers win in 5 tbh. But if Manu and Parker are relatively healthy the opposite would not shock me.

So I will go somewhere aroudn the middle of the road and stay on the positive side and say Parker will have a decent series and Manu will contribute and Spurs should dispose of Lakers in 6 or less.

[ElNono]

Disagree. Covering the 3 point line will be key in this series.

Laker's inside game isn't that fearsome when you can hack a 35% FT shooter and put him to the line. Spurs would make a mistake packing the paint in this series.

[Brunodf]

I am expecting playoff Tony to show up...

[Spurs21Fan4Ever]

Mostly true, but don't forget about Leonard. Leonard can handle Artest and can be a handful on offense if he's healthy and plays his game.

[angelbelow]

Well.. true only because hes our number 1 option and a crucial piece of our system. Tony dominating will certain be the easiest way of taking care of the series.

The LA towers both had dominate games, Pau with a fancy triple double and Dwight beasting it up defensively, but they still barely beat a bad Rockets team.

[Mugen]

If Duncan can single cover Howard, it's a sweep tbh. Even if Parker is at 80-85%. I personally think TP has been coasting since seeing Kobe go down. Probably scared the shit out of him.

[Old School 44]

False. Kawhi going home for his coming out party. That will be the difference in the series.

[hommeaetage]

I am expecting playoff Tony to show up...

Which Tony? The one who got his lunch eaten by Mike Conley and Thabo Sefolosha, or the one who Killed the Suns in 08?

[TD 21]

Disagree. Covering the 3 point line will be key in this series.

Laker's inside game isn't that fearsome when you can hack a 35% FT shooter and put him to the line. Spurs would make a mistake packing the paint in this series.

I agree. They don't have a single wing who can create their own shot and depending on what Nash can give them, they may not have a single perimeter player period who can. Even though Howard can singlehandedly put teams in the penalty, the odds of their perimeter guys getting there at a high rate still aren't good. That means the only way they can generate enough points to win, is if the Spurs overreact to Howard/Gasol physically overwhelming them in the post and open up a plethora of wide open threes. I don't care how much damage they do, they need to make those two beat them almost singlehandedly.

As for the question, it would be overly simplistic to say Parker, so I'll say Parker and Splitter in tandem. Splitter has to stay out of foul trouble for the most part and not play Charmin soft or it's over, whether Parker plays at a high level or not.

[midnightpulp]

100% true.

Would've been an easy win last game against them if that little faggot didn't get flashbacks of '04.

[DAF86]

If healthy, Tony should dominate this series. Nobody can guard him on the Lakers and I haven't check the numbers but they must be among the worst teams on transition D.

[siraulo23]

Howard will shut down the paint so the spurs have to shoot the bal well from 3. Gasol will give the spurs trouble with his versatility and passing so shutting down 3 point shooters will be key. Leonard has always struggled vs artest. It's gonna be interesting to see which Leonard shows up. Rookie kawhi or is it going to be his coming out party

[siraulo23]

^ you just know pop is gonna keep sending double teams to howard and Gasol and leave the 3 pt shooters wide open

[ElNono]

The biggest concern with Tony is that he gets scared as hell when he gets his shot blocked once, and with Howard and Gasol there you know it's bound to happen.

He stops attacking, and his J just hasn't been there.

[spurraider21]

if he can hit mid range jumpers we have this in the bag. Since Tim and Tiago are both effective pick and roll players, just pull Dwight's man out. gg

[Brunodf]

Which Tony? The one who got his lunch eaten by Mike Conley and Thabo Sefolosha, or the one who Killed the Suns in 08?
The usual playoff Tony, not as good as the regular season Tony, but still a good player...

[EricB]

The playoff tony horseshit fabel continues to be passed around I see...

[KaiRMD1]

This series is over, the Spurs are done, sorry folks.

[crc21209]

Absolutely true. Although I do think that even a 80-85% Parker could still dominate an old Nash and Blake. And like Harlem has stated, the Lakers perimeter players are probably some of the worst defenders in the NBA. If Tony can get into the paint and finish or drop it off to a big in the post or Kawhi/Green/Neal/Manu on the outside, the Spurs could and should win this series in 5 games....

[Johnny RIngo]

Parker's been underwhelming against the Lakers all season but I think(or hope) the last game was an aberration. Can't imagine Parker playing that bad again or Blake playing that good

[Austin_Toros]

See 2012 WCF

[100%duncan]

True.

[mercos]

True. If Parker plays at even 75% of his peak, Spurs win easily. You know Duncan is going to bring it. You can't rely on role players to show up, if they do its a bonus. Strong performances from Parker and Duncan should be enough to beat the Lakers.

[peacemaker885]

True. Without Parker playing MVP level, we are not going anywhere.

[boutons_deux]

Parker's been underwhelming against the Lakers all season but I think(or hope) the last game was an aberration. Can't imagine Parker playing that bad again or Blake playing that good

blake this season: 42% on 3Gs.

[HarlemHeat37]

blake this season: 42% on 3Gs.

He was making 3s off the dribble and on high volume, which isn't accounted for in season total %..

[quentin_compson]

True as far as the Spurs' offense goes. The Lakers don't have the personnel on the perimter to slow down TP if he is anything close to 100%.

[Spurs Brazil]

True