The Continued Blossoming of Tony Parker

[DPG21920]

Wow.

TP gets plenty of credit from most Spurs fans. He also receives a healthy amount of hate from the same fan base. He's even started to receive more media love although that only comes in spurts when you can't ignore what he's doing because it's the only game on. Players seem to really respect him and give him his due.

This isn't an underrated or overrated post. This is an appreciation post. At his age, with all he has accomplished, it's awe inspiring that he's still improving. Much like Duncan, who adds subtle but important wrinkles to his game to say elite, so has TP. Specifically, in this series. Compared to what we saw even last year, he is doing something different when facing immense pressure/defense: staying aggressive. He is the best decision maker in the NBA in my opinion and it is on full display vs Portland.

TP struggled this year overall because he was ailing and tired. With him seemingly healthy and focused, that wrinkle is most impressive to me. Given, POR is not MIA and don't have near the defenders/team defense capable of putting pressure on TP/Trapping, but how TP is handling the bigger defender switch that almost all teams deploy vs TP is fantastic. It's the single biggest reason IMO that SA's offense is crushing POR so badly. He simply blew up the biggest ace-in-the-hole blue print to slow TP. The fact he is still making an effort to go North/South as much as possible even when hounded in addition to his tireless work on that jump shot, have really given an already great offense an even better chance at advancing vs the OKC's of the world. Other teams have better overall defense and it will be tougher, but this new wrinkle from TP should bode well in the long run.

[DarrinS]

He's playing very good ball right now.

[barbacoataco]

I was watching some ESPN bs this morning and the talking heads agreed that lebron, Durant and Parker were the 3 best players in the league. That is pretty huge. I think the spurs fans are hard on Parker because they watch every game and see his shortcomings. Ok so he isn't Michael Jordan, and if you put the right defender on him he can be slowed. But that is true of every player in the nba not named James or Durant. He is a great player, a hof player. His ability to attack and collapse the defense is the key to the spurs offense. Even if the spurs lose to the thunder or heat, he is still a great player. Steve Nash was never good enough to single handedly win a championship, or any other number of great players.

[DPG21920]

It's more than that though. What MIA (and many teams have done) vs TP last year was make "The Switch". The "put our best and biggest/longest wing defender" on TP. He was content on picking up his dribble, making the pass, and letting the other guys do some work. It almost worked to the tune of a 5th title as well, but ultimately, the others did not come through.

This time, he's taking that defender and treating them the same way he does a PG that guards him. He's making the decision very early in the possession to move North and he's keeping that dribble alive a lot longer and it's paying off. It's a subtle change, but a great one that really helps in negating that strategy. Like I said, the drawing of the best wing defender should result in a mismatch else where so him stopping that dribble, drawing that attention and giving the ball up was a good decision in previous years, but it was tough on the offense. This (as you can see in the results so far) has really ramped up the Spurs offense.

[DarrinS]

He has a tendency to wear himself out sometimes, but it's hard to knock someone for that amount of effort. It's really up to Pop to make sure TP has something left in the tank at the end of games.

By the way, the amount of "hate" for TP is nothing compared to what some fans have for Manu, which has reached epic levels of stupidity.

[boutons_deux]

Doug Collins pointed out last night that Pop sitting Tony The Tired-er for 3 weeks was absolutely brilliant, seeing the return.

[DPG21920]

I was watching some ESPN bs this morning and the talking heads agreed that lebron, Durant and Parker were the 3 best players in the league. That is pretty huge. I think the spurs fans are hard on Parker because they watch every game and see his shortcomings. Ok so he isn't Michael Jordan, and if you put the right defender on him he can be slowed. But that is true of every player in the nba not named James or Durant. He is a great player, a hof player. His ability to attack and collapse the defense is the key to the spurs offense. Even if the spurs lose to the thunder or heat, he is still a great player. Steve Nash was never good enough to single handedly win a championship, or any other number of great players.

This underlined part of your post is exactly the change in TP's game I was referring to. It may not look like much, but it's an addition to his game. Much like Lebron understanding he needed to work on his post game because it could open his game up, TP after seeing what other teams do to defend him worked on this. He worked on keeping that dribble alive, making a North move very decisively and mentally he worked on being aggressive (which for some players, that is very difficult).

[DarrinS]

Doug Collins pointed out last night that Pop sitting Tony The Tired-er for 3 weeks was absolutely brilliant, seeing the return.


It was a smart move. I think Tony was a bit burned out.

[DarrinS]

I'm really hoping we get the Clips because that OKC matchup has been pretty tough on TP.

[DPG21920]

I'm really hoping we get the Clips because that OKC matchup has been pretty tough on TP.

TP has owned CP3 historically. But, even though OKC has better horses to employ the usual strategy against TP, I think you will see with this addition to his game, that it will be more difficult for OKC than before. However, obviously, it's not apples to apples seeing that the Spurs have their own problems in having to guard Durant/Westbrook.

[vander]

I don't remember TP ever hitting those mid-range shots with the consistency he has against Portland. He needs to keep shooting like that for spurs to win it all, but I think he'll come back to reality, unfortunately

[quentin_compson]

I agree on Parker seemingly being able to handle bigger/longer defenders better than in the past. Hopefully, this is a trend that will continue.

[DarrinS]

TP has owned CP3 historically. But, even though OKC has better horses to employ the usual strategy against TP, I think you will see with this addition to his game, that it will be more difficult for OKC than before. However, obviously, it's not apples to apples seeing that the Spurs have their own problems in having to guard Durant/Westbrook.


If the Spurs can keep up this current assist to turnover ratio, they can beat either of those teams. I just think OKC can force more TO -- and when you have Westchimp and KD on breaks, foggetaboutit.

[DarrinS]

I don't remember TP ever hitting those mid-range shots with the consistency he has against Portland. He needs to keep shooting like that for spurs to win it all, but I think he'll come back to reality, unfortunately

In 07, he was living off those

[DPG21920]

I don't remember TP ever hitting those mid-range shots with the consistency he has against Portland. He needs to keep shooting like that for spurs to win it all, but I think he'll come back to reality, unfortunately

People are focusing just on the jumper which is obviously huge and I agree he won't hit at this clip always, but it's more than that. He's still, despite facing a lot of attention, getting into the paint. He's making near perfect reads on when to pull up and when to get into the paint. His ability to get in there while having that bigger defender is bad for business for these teams. The reason you make the switch is to prevent that. If TP can still do that, you now have mismatches all over the place usually and SA is now getting the same looks they were before. It makes it a losing strategy.

[DPG21920]

If the Spurs can keep up this current assist to turnover ratio, they can beat either of those teams. I just think OKC can force more TO -- and when you have Westchimp and KD on breaks, foggetaboutit.

No doubt. The fact TP can blow this strategy up better than before and the fact that POR can't force TO's is the reason why you are seeing 20 point beat downs. Like you said, OKC can force way more TO's, so the score won't be 20 point leads but it should help the Spurs to have a good shot at being in most games.

[DMC]

He's been effective against this team. He's the straw that stirs the drink, and my only complaint with him is that he's not always willing to stir the drink. When he hangs back and just settles for long contested 2pt shots or allows Manu or someone else to control the offense while he's on the court, or when he gets blinders and only sees Tim Duncan on the floor while other players are wide open, that's a problem. It's a problem that's going to rear it's head in a more competitive series where Tim doesn't have easy looks or open lanes, and where hands are stripping the ball from him. When Tony's shot starts to drift, and it will, or when he gets flattened while trying to force a switch in the paint, he's going to defer a bit more and do it earlier. That's when you start to see the hesitant look on his face.

What allows Tony to thrive is players like Kawhi having the ability to go coast to coast, rebound or block to spot up jumper or lay up. That lets other teams know Tony isn't the only person they need to watch on offense, and it forces Kawhi's man to stay with him instead of cheating off to help cover the paint. One wrong bounce and Leonard could be dunking at the opposite end before you can recover. Then you have Patty Mills who can come in and really change the entire tempo of the offense, making the other team work their asses off in transition. Since Portland has no real bench, they are dead tired by the time Tony returns and they slack off of him, round off their cuts and they go under screens.

So yeah, Tony has been great, but the rest of the team has to be in that Finals mode for him to have that space and freedom to execute, and he does.

[Malik Hairston]

He's had 1 dominant series after being mediocre(by his standards) all year, tbh, including a sub-par Mavs series..

There's also the bitter taste of Parker's awful games 6 and 7 of the Finals, tbh, shitting the bed in the 2 biggest games of the season..

I'm far from a Tony Parker hater, but he still has a lot to prove, and it's an insult to his ability to give him credit for anything this season, so far IMO..as I said in my series preview, Parker was built to destroy a team like Portland..they have had problems against PGs all year and they were 28th in defending the pick&roll..Tony was built to kill them, and thankfully, he has carried the Spurs in this series..

However, it's all meaningless if he can't play well against OKC and Miami, tbh..otherwise, he's just another great PG that gets shut down when he's matched up against a long defender..

[apalisoc_9]

Portland is a series where he was bound to dominate..I mentioned this before the series started. He should have dominated the Mav series as well, but he didn't...

The problem with Parker he can only dominate with scoring, he's either off, have blinders on and passes the ball to timmy only and a whole bunch of other problems that could spell trouble against OKC and Miami.

Tony is not Blossoming, he's just dominating against a team that's allowing him to dominate..( Not putting Batum on him)

Parker had a mediocre time when Batum started guarding him in the third.

He's a great player, but he's not a top 8 player and should not be depended on to carry a team.

[SpurSwag]

Tony doesn't get anywhere near the proper respect he should, even when he's off he's constantly attacking or trying his hardest. I've never understood this Enrique idea about him, there's no doubt he is a superstar so there are times where he feels he needs to take over. I will never complain with him shooting 2 or 3 straight wide open jumpers, that's his game and he needs to take them. I feel like he generally doesn't take really contested jumpers anyway

[DPG21920]

Sure - but all that matters is the playoffs. Everyone knew the drill in the regular season. But since game 7 and all 3 games vs POR he's played pretty much perfectly. He played well last year even against MIA against the best MIA has looked IMO, and it almost led to a title.

He will have a tougher time vs OKC/LAC as I have already said, but the fact he is doing a few things different vs the same old strategy bodes well.

[DPG21920]

Portland is a series where he was bound to dominate..I mentioned this before the series started. He should have dominated the Mav series as well, but he didn't...

The problem with Parker he can only dominate with scoring, he's either off, have blinders on and passes the ball to timmy only and a whole bunch of other problems that could spell trouble against OKC and Miami.

Tony is not Blossoming, he's just dominating against a team that's allowing him to dominate..

Wrong IMO. This thread was not about this series - it was called the "continued blossoming". TP blossomed last year to the tune of almost a title. He's destroying a good match up in POR. All you can do is look at what matters and in only the second series of the playoffs he is playing perfect ball. Many guys get good matchups and don't do what TP has done (especially on defense as well) so far vs POR.

He should dominate this series as mentioned and he is doing so in spectacular fashion at the moment.

[100%duncan]

It's more than that though. What MIA (and many teams have done) vs TP last year was make "The Switch". The "put our best and biggest/longest wing defender" on TP. He was content on picking up his dribble, making the pass, and letting the other guys do some work. It almost worked to the tune of a 5th title as well, but ultimately, the others did not come through.

This time, he's taking that defender and treating them the same way he does a PG that guards him. He's making the decision very early in the possession to move North and he's keeping that dribble alive a lot longer and it's paying off. It's a subtle change, but a great one that really helps in negating that strategy. Like I said, the drawing of the best wing defender should result in a mismatch else where so him stopping that dribble, drawing that attention and giving the ball up was a good decision in previous years, but it was tough on the offense. This (as you can see in the results so far) has really ramped up the Spurs offense.

Are you fully confident TP can score at will against Bron/Sefolosha/Battier? Although TP has really improved and has been MVParker the last 4 games can he keep this up? Because if not then we're screwed.

[apalisoc_9]

Wrong IMO. This thread was not about this series - it was called the "continued blossoming". TP blossomed last year to the tune of almost a title. He's destroying a good match up in POR. All you can do is look at what matters and in only the second series of the playoffs he is playing perfect ball. Many guys get good matchups and don't do what TP has done (especially on defense as well) so far vs POR.

He should dominate this series as mentioned and he is doing so in spectacular fashion at the moment.

He didn't blossom last year tbh :lol...He was the focal Point of a much improved spurs team ( Better shooters, Great defenders etc) of course he's going to look like he blossomed..The guy has always been a Stud, but it wasn't until Pop made an effort to make him the focal point of the offense..That's when he started to look really good in the RS and to a lesser extent the playoff.

He's just being Tony parker..He hasn't really changed much aside from the fact that the offense looks to him more than Manu and timmy so it's easy to see him have a great season when you get a bunch of other guys that are really good at doing what they're doing.

He's dominating this series, but where was he against Miami last year? Dallas this year? Golden state Last year?

He was somewhat OK, but his success is largely dependent on what the opposing team gives him...He;s not a top 8 player in the league...It's just him getting attention from the change in the system.

[smeagol]

Spurs Fans should be sucking TP's dick every chance they get . . . instead, some assholes rip him off whenever he has a bad game (which is not that often, these days).

As I said before, some of you asshoels should be shipped to Charlotte so you can bitch about a team that really deserves the bitching . . .

[100%duncan]

He didn't blossom last year tbh :lol...He was the focal Point of a much improved spurs team ( Better shooters, Great defenders etc) of course he's going to look like he blossomed..The guy has always been a Stud, but it wasn't until Pop made an effort to make him the focal point of the offense..That's when he started to look really good in the RS and to a lesser extent the playoff.

He's just being Tony parker..He hasn't really changed much aside from the fact that the offense looks to him more than Manu and timmy so it's easy to see him have a great season when you get a bunch of other guys that are really good at doing what they're doing.

He's dominating this series, but where was he against Miami last year? Dallas this year? Golden state Last year?

He was somewhat OK, but his success is largely dependent on what the opposing team gives him...He;s not a top 8 player in the league...It's just him getting attention from the change in the system.

Give me 8 players you'd take before Parker.

[DesignatedT]

Gotta give Pop some credit too with how he handled his physically and mentally tired star all season. Best coach by far :tu

[apalisoc_9]

1. Lebron
2. KD.
3. Blake
4. CP0
5. Duncan ( the best spur this year in the RS)..I wouldn't take him in the long run obviously
6. Dwight
7. Goran Dragic was miles ahead better this year
8. LMA

[DPG21920]

Are you fully confident TP can score at will against Bron/Sefolosha/Battier? Although TP has really improved and has been MVParker the last 4 games can he keep this up? Because if not then we're screwed.

I confident he can handle the other teams go to move of switch a big defender onto TP better than he ever has before. He doesn't have to keep up the level of POR play for the Spurs to win. Spurs are crushing a Western Conference Semi-Finals team by 20 a game :lol. It's just unreal.

He won't be as good as he is now because other teams have better team defense and individuals to throw at TP, but with his improvements in handling that move, it will help. Spurs almost won a title last year where he handled that move worse than he is handling it now is my point.

I have to chuckle some at people saying TP has something to prove. Anything he theoretically had to prove, he proved last year as the clear cut leader of the Spurs (hat tip to Duncan turning back the clock as well) and almost delivering a title. It's silly to me to say he has something to prove. My observation was not a series prediction either - it was an observation about one aspect (albeit an important one since so many teams deploy this strategy) and how TP has adjusted.

[DPG21920]

He didn't blossom last year tbh :lol...He was the focal Point of a much improved spurs team ( Better shooters, Great defenders etc) of course he's going to look like he blossomed..The guy has always been a Stud, but it wasn't until Pop made an effort to make him the focal point of the offense..That's when he started to look really good in the RS and to a lesser extent the playoff.

He's just being Tony parker..He hasn't really changed much aside from the fact that the offense looks to him more than Manu and timmy so it's easy to see him have a great season when you get a bunch of other guys that are really good at doing what they're doing.

He's dominating this series, but where was he against Miami last year? Dallas this year? Golden state Last year?

He was somewhat OK, but his success is largely dependent on what the opposing team gives him...He;s not a top 8 player in the league...It's just him getting attention from the change in the system.

:lol lesser extent the playoffs. With TP as the focal point and blossoming, the Spurs got the closest to a title they have been since 2007 and in reality should have won. I don't know what else you can do. I know you aren't being serious, but many think like you in reality so it's a good discussion to have.

He is not going to dominate every series, but he is the best decision maker in the NBA and he is now improving how he handles his biggest weakness IMO which is the point of saying he continues to blossom. He struggled vs the Mavs but I think a lot of that was he was not feeling physically well. He got off to some blistering starts in the Mavs series then faded. I think he even improved from the Mavs series to this one with regards to mentality. The Mavs were asking TP to score a ton and he didn't feel comfortable doing that even though it was the optimal decision with how the Mavs were defending. He finally made the decision to say if teams are going to do that, I will continue to shoot over and over. That's huge.

[buujness]

Totally agree with OP. Even when Batum was on him, Parker got two good mid-range looks and blew past him with layup and-1. Not to mention that Tony was destroying Matthews (another good wing defender) and that's what forced the switch in the first place. Plus, as an added bonus, now that Batum's on Parker, that forces Matthews to guard Kawhi, which is another exploitable mismatch for Game 4.

However, as good as Tony has been on offense, he's been just as impressive on defense. He's been charged with guarding Lillard straight up for the most part and has limited Lillard to 1 made 3-point shot. He's taken an all-star PG and rendered him ineffective for 3 games.

Bravo to Tony Parker. :toast

[Mugen]

He's had a great series, props to TP and hope he continues it throughout the playoffs.

It doesn't hurt that Terry Stotts has apparently never seen him play and took him 2.5 blowout games to finally put Batum on Parker. Batum can't really guard TP for the points illustrated by DPG, but he's a much better option than slow ass Wes Matthews and Dame Nash tbh.

[exstatic]

He's had a great series, props to TP and hope he continues it throughout the playoffs.

It doesn't hurt that Terry Stotts has apparently never seen him play and took him 2.5 blowout games to finally put Batum on Parker. Batum can't really guard TP for the points illustrated by DPG, but he's a much better option than slow ass Wes Matthews and Dame Nash tbh.

Batum has played Parker at various times in all three games. The thing about putting one player on him is that you can effectively subtract that player from your offense. Parker will run his legs off if nothing else. Batum has been their best 3 point shooter. Did you notice that after they put him on Parker, he hit only one more 3 pointer, and it was that slop bank shot?

[gambit1990]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnVT3iOCEAAo-70.png:large



also: "When there is talk about the best point guards, sometimes they don't talk about me. But that's not my main motivation. They can talk about Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Deron Williams and Chris Paul. I still have the most rings."

[apalisoc_9]

:lol lesser extent the playoffs. With TP as the focal point and blossoming, the Spurs got the closest to a title they have been since 2007 and in reality should have won. I don't know what else you can do. I know you aren't being serious, but many think like you in reality so it's a good discussion to have.

He is not going to dominate every series, but he is the best decision maker in the NBA and he is now improving how he handles his biggest weakness IMO which is the point of saying he continues to blossom. He struggled vs the Mavs but I think a lot of that was he was not feeling physically well. He got off to some blistering starts in the Mavs series then faded. I think he even improved from the Mavs series to this one with regards to mentality. The Mavs were asking TP to score a ton and he didn't feel comfortable doing that even though it was the optimal decision with how the Mavs were defending. He finally made the decision to say if teams are going to do that, I will continue to shoot over and over. That's huge.

They also had the best supporting cast since like Forever..

[DPG21920]

They also had the best supporting cast since like Forever..

What's your point? The fact is when it comes to "talent" Spurs are very rarely ever mentioned as a top team. In fact, most people call the majority of the guys TP plays with either old (Tim/Manu), scrubs (Tiago, Danny Green, Patty Mills, Bonner) or overrated (Kawhi Leonard).

All championship caliber teams have good supporting casts - it doesn't make what the leaders of the team do any less amazing. TP has blossomed and almost got the team a title just last year (of course it was a team effort, but the point remains).

[DPG21920]

Again, this wasn't a huge celebration of TP thread or a prediction thread. It was a very specific observation about one key area of improvement that should bode well moving forward. Teams have always used that big defender switch as the go to move for slowing TP.

It's worked to varying degrees throughout his career culminating last year in a near title. Any improvement in that area, since it's a much used strategy will go a long way in getting the Spurs back to the finals. It's not the only thing needed obviously, but it's a big thing.

[Capster]

Blah, Blah, Blah.....Tony Parker is a star player. Get over it! How will he match up to other Star Players as the series continues.....just wait and see. For now, his play is great! Thankful that he is playing well and a huge asset to the Spurs! I just wish he would pass the ball to other players on the team. But, he knows when he is HOT so he goes for it.
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRyqkj2g-FMCky2edmiVXH3iyiLMypurEBwIKQD1X4npoU9Y_tQ

[Malik Hairston]

Although I'm criticizing Parker for this season's play and last year's Finals, I still don't understand why there are criticisms of him not passing enough in these playoffs, tbh..

Both Dallas and Portland are asking Parker to beat them, particularly the Mavs series, where they essentially begged Tony to dominate by shutting down passing lanes and the spots of shooters(Beli and Danny)..Portland can't play defense, at all, and their coverage is allowing TP to shoot open mid-range Js all game..if he wants to shoot 20-25 attempts per game against soft defenses that are giving him open looks, he should take them all day..

Tony has actually chosen his spots very well in these playoffs, he's taking what the defense gives him..

It will be different against Miami and/or OKC, since they defend the pick&roll well and have the perimeter defenders to limit him, so we'll see how he picks his spots in those games..

[DPG21920]

He's taking care of the ball and still getting a healthy amount of assists (with an unreal assist to to ratio right now). On top of that, he's doing the bulk of the scoring and defending POR's best player :lol

But yes, OKC/LAC/MIA are much better defensive teams as a whole and with the players they can switch onto TP. I do think any improvement (which to me, despite the fact POR sucks at defending PnR, he has shown lately) will help against those teams.

[Malik Hairston]

Parker has been amazing against Portland, no denying that..

[ElNono]

been praising him on my MVParker thread since Game 7 of last series... the Spurs are tough to beat when he's playing like that...

[xmas1997]

Although I'm criticizing Parker for this season's play and last year's Finals, I still don't understand why there are criticisms of him not passing enough in these playoffs, tbh..

Both Dallas and Portland are asking Parker to beat them, particularly the Mavs series, where they essentially begged Tony to dominate by shutting down passing lanes and the spots of shooters(Beli and Danny)..Portland can't play defense, at all, and their coverage is allowing TP to shoot open mid-range Js all game..if he wants to shoot 20-25 attempts per game against soft defenses that are giving him open looks, he should take them all day..

Tony has actually chosen his spots very well in these playoffs, he's taking what the defense gives him..

It will be different against Miami and/or OKC, since they defend the pick&roll well and have the perimeter defenders to limit him, so we'll see how he picks his spots in those games..

TP basically is coming into his own, he takes what the opposing team gives him IMHO.
He seems to have many games where he dishes off after penetrating for high assists, and other games where he scores at will, and then even other games where his attack is pretty balanced.
So far he and Tiago are the co-MVPs of this series IMHO.

[DPG21920]

I do think though that TP keeping his dribble alive more and not just settling when he is trapped or the opposing team switches a bigger guy onto him is a big deal. As he keeps that dribble alive and makes more decisive moves North/South (that is the physical improvement) it really makes it tough and teams will not continue to let TP beat them which then opens things up.

The biggest improvement is mental though. The fact he seems to finally understand that if a team is giving you those looks and you need to shoot 25 times, he will do it. It's not natural to anyone on SA to shoot that much even if it's there. It's natural to give that ball up when trapped/swarmed over and over. However, with him keeping that dribble alive longer and moving North/South vs East/West it creates a ton of problems for that strategy. It will still work at times and obviously be tougher to do against OKC/LAC than POR, but if he can just do it more than usual in previous years you have to like SA's chances.

[DarrinS]

Thank this guy, tbh

http://grantland.com/features/the-shot-doctor/

[xmas1997]

I do think though that TP keeping his dribble alive more and not just settling when he is trapped or the opposing team switches a bigger guy onto him is a big deal. As he keeps that dribble alive and makes more decisive moves North/South (that is the physical improvement) it really makes it tough and teams will not continue to let TP beat them which then opens things up.

The biggest improvement is mental though. The fact he seems to finally understand that if a team is giving you those looks and you need to shoot 25 times, he will do it. It's not natural to anyone on SA to shoot that much even if it's there. It's natural to give that ball up when trapped/swarmed over and over. However, with him keeping that dribble alive longer and moving North/South vs East/West it creates a ton of problems for that strategy. It will still work at times and obviously be tougher to do against OKC/LAC than POR, but if he can just do it more than usual in previous years you have to like SA's chances.

You make a valid point.
So far there is no one on either opposing teams, Mavs and Blazers who were/are able to cover him.
If they make it to the finals, he will probably have James guarding him again like last year.
Hopefully TP has learned how to, and will be able to, handle James this time around, provided both teams meet again.

[DPG21920]

Although I'm criticizing Parker for this season's play and last year's Finals, I still don't understand why there are criticisms of him not passing enough in these playoffs, tbh..

Both Dallas and Portland are asking Parker to beat them, particularly the Mavs series, where they essentially begged Tony to dominate by shutting down passing lanes and the spots of shooters(Beli and Danny)..Portland can't play defense, at all, and their coverage is allowing TP to shoot open mid-range Js all game..if he wants to shoot 20-25 attempts per game against soft defenses that are giving him open looks, he should take them all day..

Tony has actually chosen his spots very well in these playoffs, he's taking what the defense gives him..

It will be different against Miami and/or OKC, since they defend the pick&roll well and have the perimeter defenders to limit him, so we'll see how he picks his spots in those games..

This is the improvement I was alluding to though. Without looking up the data, it just seems that the Spurs are still scoring in the paint at a decent clip whereas before when teams deployed this strategy that went away. Basically, POR has tried to take that away from TP and it hasn't worked very well.

He's made the improvement on this strategy mentally (you saw that click in game 7 whereas before in that series he would start out strong and then just be fine sitting back) and physically.

[.G.]

Excellent thread.

[Brazil]

On top of keeping his dribble against long defender, IMO the most improvement he has made since last year is the use of the screens.

the fact tiago is playing great is awesome news for Parker because tiago is having pt and gives good screens everywhere.

as mentioned by dpg last year he would simply give up the ball and go to the corner. Nowadays he recognizes extremely well where the screens are gonna hurt his defenders. Dude keeps his dribble gives up the ball and starts his crazy runs all over the floor using multiple screens to take the ball back with a tired late defender on him he then makes the good choice: js, drive or pass the ball to an open mate.

using the screens is the area of most progress vs last year. Big difference between game 2 of mavs serie an now since game 7 is his health, a fatigued injured tp is not capable to do it.

we also overlook the fact he is quite old, not a lot of pg with his size and without a great 3 pts shots are capable to maintain their level of play at his age tbh. Again the amount of hate from spurs fan base is totally unexplainable at this point. Look at this thread and the dumb posts of apocalypse.

[BackHome]

I agree with ya Brazil he has not received the love he should be getting I can't imagine how terrible we would be without him. What I like about Tony is he is taking things personal he is playing with some "Nasty" playing with a chip on his shoulder and is dialed in.

[ducks]

Batum has played Parker at various times in all three games. The thing about putting one player on him is that you can effectively subtract that player from your offense. Parker will run his legs off if nothing else. Batum has been their best 3 point shooter. Did you notice that after they put him on Parker, he hit only one more 3 pointer, and it was that slop bank shot?batman also has been there best player by far
guarding tp and scoring is not going to work

[ducks]

oh and every chance pop gets he praises tp d

[Brazil]

oh and every chance pop gets he praises tp d

Being capable to stay with Lilly for long stretches is huge for spurs defense tbh

[DPG21920]

Being capable to stay with Lilly for long stretches is huge for spurs defense tbh

Yup. You see what it does for the Spurs defense when Tiago & TP can guard LA & Lolard one on one. It prevents having cross match ups and allows our best wing defenders in Danny/Kawhi to smother their role players more. They rely so much on their starting unit that if anyone of their starters has an off game, they will struggle to win most nights.

[EVAY]

I had attributed TP's greater success in this year's POs to improved screening by our bigs, and I continue to believe that that will be critical for him to get past Sefalosha and James if we get that far and if it is against those teams.

Having said that, I was not thinking at all about what you brought up,DP, regarding Parker improving his north/south moves. What you are saying makes a great deal of sense but it just hadn't sunk in on me. I will try to pay attention to that.

I do understand that he is going to have a much tougher time against OKC and/or Miami if we play them. He has actually beaten Chris Paul almost every time he has faced him, so I wouldn't worry about him against LA, but I don't think the NBA is gonna allow that to happen.

If/when he gets past Sefalosha and/or James if we get either of those series, he will face better and more physical post defenders than he has to this point in the playoffs.

Biggest thing to me this year is that, regardless of how TP is playing, the rest of the team is a whole lot better than we were last year.

[will_spurs]

oh and every chance pop gets he praises tp d

Parker used to be a borderline defender in the Spurs system. It has changed a lot. Sadly it will be a few more years before Parker can shake off his reputation as a spotty defender. In the meanwhile PGs around the league are suffering...

[Brazil]

Parker used to be a borderline defender in the Spurs system. It has changed a lot. Sadly it will be a few more years before Parker can shake off his reputation as a spotty defender. In the meanwhile PGs around the league are suffering...

Parker has always been subpar defender during rs and more than decent during POs there is nothing new on the D end for Parker

[ElNono]

The legend of Speedy Claxton will live on, though... haters are going to hate, tbh...

[ducks]

speedy who?:downspin:

[DarrinS]

On Parker's D, he's usually just funneling his man towards help defenders, but he does a good job of that.

[100%duncan]

1. Lebron
2. KD.
3. Blake
4. CP0
5. Duncan ( the best spur this year in the RS)..I wouldn't take him in the long run obviously
6. Dwight
7. Goran Dragic was miles ahead better this year
8. LMA

Congrats for cementing your idiocy with this post.

[dg7md]

I remember back when Parker couldn't hit any jumpshot to save his life, and now, I always feel okay with Parker taking a midrange J and/or a really open 3. Chip developed Parker's game to being unstoppable from under the basket to the distant shots, it's really amazing how far he came along since 2003.

Parker has truly been one of a kind in this series and last year, it's rather amazing how he is still able to outrun most of the NBA and also outshoot them as well. We all think Parker is old but he's only 31... he's got a lot of quality years left.

[diego]

For me 2012 was the year that tony's jumper and passing game took the next step up towards his exceptional driving ability. Then sefalosha happened.

In my opinion its a matter of matchups and execution, the space isnt going to be there every time and for a little guy like Tony, that doesnt get the whistle of a cp3 or Westbrook, he needs good screens and floorspacing and even then that can mean depending on mid range jumpers- I dont care how open they are, its not the shot you want to depend on. A lot of things have to go right, but when they do its very impressive

It seems odd to point out an adjustment in Tony when he just hada poor series in this very respect, I dont think 4 games is enough to say he turned the corner, for starters the whole team has to execute at a high level and the matchups can change everything.

Hes proven hes a great player already just as much as Tim and manu. If the spurs ring this year it will be because the team executes and Tony delivers and that will boost him deservedly to another category, but so far Tony and the team in general hasnt shown me anything different than the past 2 years, cant know that till they face the teams that knocked us out, Miami and okc. I like our chances though.

[Old School 44]

I know some fans on here dislike Tony playing for the French NT but I think it's really helped his game, particularly this year with them winning it all and TP the MVP and unquestioned leader.

[DarrinS]

I know some fans on here dislike Tony playing for the French NT but I think it's really helped his game, particularly this year with them winning it all and TP the MVP and unquestioned leader.

Meh, just more mileage, tbh

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

What's funny is that there is not one person in this forum would could even compete with Baynes or even Daye on the BB court and yet they will criticize these guys skills.

As a fan, you can be critical, but be constructive. People use Manu and Parker as the scapegoats of last year finals. But maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Those guys played their hearts out, as they have been doing for over a decade in a Spurs uni.

Yes, I wish the Spurs could win every game and every championship. But sometimes the other team beats you, or in the Heat's case gets lucky. Good example is Auburn. There were 4 games last year they could have easily lost. My Co-worker is an SEC ref and he did the Auburn Spring game this year, and even the coaches said they got lucky last year to make it to the Nat'l title game. Sports plays out like that sometimes.

Just appreciate the fact the Spurs have had a winning season and playoff appearance in 24 or the last 25 seasons. Not one team can say that.