Nikos
04-21-2006, 11:57 PM
Yes the big three Duncan, Parker, and Manu.
Is Duncan going to remain healthy? Will he return to his 2001-2003 form, perhaps his 1999 playoff self where he displayed a seeminly endless array of low post moves. Will he play elite defense? Despite having an off year he still was an extremely productive player. Can he step up his game in the playoffs by a big margin? Does he have to? I think he has to pick his game for sure, definitely on both ends.
To put it mildly, Parker has been schizophrenic in each of his 4 playoff appearences. Last year was no exception either, he had probably a handful of excellent games, a couple solid defensive games where he was mediocre on offense, and several of subpar offensive games for his standards. He simply has to step up and become consistent this playoffs. No excuses. Personally I will be most upset if Parker doesn't at least come close to matching his regular season production (output AND efficiency, not just 2ptFG% which can be mis-leading). Consistency AND efficiency is an absolute must, especially as series progress towards Game's 3-7. Tony was no doubt the Spurs offensive MVP this season. He has to knock down the semi-open jumper consistently in the playoffs. No more inconsistency. He is too talented to revert to old habits. Hopefully this is time for Parker to stamp his claim as not only an NBA All Star, but a PLAYOFF NBA All-Star for a championship team. Now is the time to put up or shutup, I am confident he can make strides this playoffs. How much is up to him.
One bad thing about Ginobili's spectacular 2005 playoffs was that it is almost impossible to exceed or match. His efficiency and productivity for a second banana was flat out off the charts. He either hit a field goal or got fouled on virtually every play. Manu has a history for exceeding his regular season performance every playoffs statistically. He was pretty productive stats wise this season despite being injured, so matching his productivity with slightly increased minutes would be a pretty good effort. I guess in a sense it is easier to expect that Manu will good in the playoffs but not as GREAT as last year. It's understandable, but is it wishful thinking to expect him to play like an all-star in the playoffs? Can he UP his regular season game even if he isn't as good as the 2005 playoffs? Does he have to now with Tony being so good this season? Can he play a quit third fiddle and save his energy for the crunch time, so that the Spurs have 3 excellent offensive options? Will Manu come back down to earth this playoffs?
What do you expect and hope out of the big three? What do they need to give for this team to first beat Sacramento and hopefully put themselves in a good position to repeat?
Questions
Is Duncan going to remain healthy? Will he return to his 2001-2003 form, perhaps his 1999 playoff self where he displayed a seeminly endless array of low post moves. Will he play elite defense? Despite having an off year he still was an extremely productive player. Can he step up his game in the playoffs by a big margin? Does he have to? I think he has to pick his game for sure, definitely on both ends.
To put it mildly, Parker has been schizophrenic in each of his 4 playoff appearences. Last year was no exception either, he had probably a handful of excellent games, a couple solid defensive games where he was mediocre on offense, and several of subpar offensive games for his standards. He simply has to step up and become consistent this playoffs. No excuses. Personally I will be most upset if Parker doesn't at least come close to matching his regular season production (output AND efficiency, not just 2ptFG% which can be mis-leading). Consistency AND efficiency is an absolute must, especially as series progress towards Game's 3-7. Tony was no doubt the Spurs offensive MVP this season. He has to knock down the semi-open jumper consistently in the playoffs. No more inconsistency. He is too talented to revert to old habits. Hopefully this is time for Parker to stamp his claim as not only an NBA All Star, but a PLAYOFF NBA All-Star for a championship team. Now is the time to put up or shutup, I am confident he can make strides this playoffs. How much is up to him.
One bad thing about Ginobili's spectacular 2005 playoffs was that it is almost impossible to exceed or match. His efficiency and productivity for a second banana was flat out off the charts. He either hit a field goal or got fouled on virtually every play. Manu has a history for exceeding his regular season performance every playoffs statistically. He was pretty productive stats wise this season despite being injured, so matching his productivity with slightly increased minutes would be a pretty good effort. I guess in a sense it is easier to expect that Manu will good in the playoffs but not as GREAT as last year. It's understandable, but is it wishful thinking to expect him to play like an all-star in the playoffs? Can he UP his regular season game even if he isn't as good as the 2005 playoffs? Does he have to now with Tony being so good this season? Can he play a quit third fiddle and save his energy for the crunch time, so that the Spurs have 3 excellent offensive options? Will Manu come back down to earth this playoffs?
What do you expect and hope out of the big three? What do they need to give for this team to first beat Sacramento and hopefully put themselves in a good position to repeat?
Questions