Spurs vs. Cavs Game 3 -- Grades

[timvp]

Tim Duncan
Duncan had his first off game of the Finals in the Spurs Game 3 victory. He was aggressive and the effort was there but the results weren't. He finished with 14 points and nine rebounds on 6-for-17 shooting from the field. His defense was decent but he could never really get into a flow on either end of the court tonight.
Grade: C+


Manu Ginobili
Ginobili was missing in action tonight. He was 0-for-7 from the floor and missed a late free throw that kept the Cavs in it. He basically went scoreless outside of the four free throw attempts he got at the end of the game when the Cavs were trying to foul. Defensively, Ginobili didn't make up for his lackluster offensive showing. The one positive is he did lead the team with five assists.
Grade: D


Tony Parker
The Cavs made stopping Parker there number one priority coming into Game 3. Parker had some moments of struggle, but overall Parker played well considering the defensive pressure he was under. He didn't overly force the issue much and played a very cerebral floor game. Parker ended up with 17 points, leading the team in scoring for the third consecutive game. Defensively, he had by far his best showing of the Finals, holding Daniel Gibson to 1-for-10 shooting.
Grade: A-


Bruce Bowen
This might have been a career defining game from Bowen. He played fantastic defense as he held LeBron James to 9-for-23 shooting from the field. Offensively, Bowen had 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. He also chipped in nine rebounds in 44 minutes of action. As an all around game in a series where he plays as big a role as anyone on the team, Bowen has never played better.
Grade: A+


Fabricio Oberto
Oberto had a productive 21 minutes with six points and four rebounds. He played tough, physical basketball and was giving it his all every second. He had a couple poor decisions in regards to shot selection, but other than that there isn't much to complain about. However, he does get part of the blame for the Spurs giving up 15 offensive rebounds.
Grade: B


Michael Finley
Finley finally had a decent Finals showing. He had seven points, including a big three in the fourth quarter. Defensively, he had one of his better games of the playoffs. He still has room to improve in this series but at least he's on the right track.
Grade: C+


Robert Horry
Horry didn't have quite the impact he had in Game 2, but it was still an pretty good overall performance. He had three points, five rebounds, two assists and no turnovers in 20 minutes. Horry didn't get many open looks, but did knock down the one shot he took.
Grade: B+


Jacque Vaughn
Vaughn didn't do too much in his nine minutes ... and that's a good thing. Vaughn entered the game, went 1-for-1 from the floor and committed no turnovers. His stats wouldn't blow anyone away, but for Jacque Vaughn it was exactly what his role is.
Grade: B+


Francisco Elson
Elson played six minutes quiet minutes where he had one point and one rebound. Nothing really to write back home to Holland about.
Grade: B


Brent Barry
Barry came up huge. He led the Spurs in plus/minus with a +13. He hit 3-of-4 shots from deep and was one of the few Spurs who had any zip to his game. Barry showed great heart and bounced back from some bad misses in Game 2 to have one of his better playoff games of his Spurs career.
Grade: A


Pop
Pop's defensive game plan has been superb all series. He dissected the Cavs offense and has them playing totally out of sorts. He's forcing the Cavs into situation they haven't been in all season. Offensively, he really didn't seem to have any answers for the Cavs defense. The rotations were pretty good and it was very smart of him to play Bowen extended minutes.
Grade: B+

[timvp]

First of all, I don't want to hear from the Manu apologists. He had an off game. Life goes on. Spurs up 3-0. All is good.

Second of all, I'm rooting for Duncan to be the MVP. Parker has had a nice series and Bowen has been fantastic but none of this happens without Duncan so he gets the MVP.

And thirdly, I'm damn proud of this team. They struggled throughout but showed great heart and gutted this victory out. Fantastic job and it's great to be a Spurs fan right now.

:smokin

[whottt]

Good stuff...although I think Duncan probably deserves a little better grade. He didn't have the fire he had in the first two games, but he still hit some timely shots, and he was still Duncan.

[Kori Ellis]

Second of all, I'm rooting for Duncan to be the MVP. Parker has had a nice series and Bowen has been fantastic but none of this happens without Duncan so he gets the MVP.


:tu

[timvp]

Now that I think of it, I'm thinking maybe Bowen for MVP. This guy has been great the last couple years and has nothing really to show for it. No DPOYs, no All-Star appearances.

I could live with Bowen getting MVP because it'd finally be some recognition for the guy who always does the dirty work.

No pun intended, of course.

:hat

[whottt]

Second of all, I'm rooting for Duncan to be the MVP. Parker has had a nice series and Bowen has been fantastic but none of this happens without Duncan so he gets the MVP.




None of it happens without Duncan...but this is exactly why singling individual play out for a team achievement is kind of screwed up..

You can also make a case that it doesn't happen without Parker or Bowen.


Honestly if you just look at matchups...the guy who is winning the toughest matchup in this series is Bruce Bowen.


But I have a feeling Parker is going to take this finals MVP....he's just getting his name mentioned too much...lots of sportscenter coverage. And it's a popularity contest as much as it is a best player contest.

[Kori Ellis]

Bowen will never get it. If he can't get DPOY, he's not going to get MVP.

I would love him to get it but at this point, I just want the Spurs to sweep the Cavs ass and "gas up the riverboats."

[Mark in Austin]

I think your grade for Bowen is too low...

[Mark in Austin]

But I have a feeling Parker is going to take this finals MVP....he's just getting his name mentioned too much...lots of sportscenter coverage. And it's a popularity contest as much as it is a best player contest.

I haven't been watching espn, but I've watched all the press interviews on NBA TV after each game, and it seems like the only press members bringing up the MVP issue is press from outside the US, be it Spain (last night), China or elsewhere.

[romain.star]

give them all an A+....

[timvp]

Duncan or Bowen for MVP. Parker has had a breakthrough playoffs in terms of thriving under pressure and doing more of the things that get playoff victories. It might not show up in his stats but Parker has grown tremendously this playoffs. I've been hard on him in the playoffs in the past but he's erased a lot of the doubt I had about him.

That said, I don't think he's MVP of this series. Not for anything specific he did wrong but if you are going to go for offense and defense, you go with Tim. Just how Manu was awesome offensively in 2005, Duncan made up for his sub par offense with great defense and great work on the boards.

Now if the voters want to give the award to Bowen, I think it'd be well deserved. His time is running out in the league and he deserves his props. He's done a masterful job on LeBron and stepped up tonight offensively.

[travis2]

First of all, I don't want to hear from the Manu apologists. He had an off game. Life goes on. Spurs up 3-0. All is good.

Second of all, I'm rooting for Duncan to be the MVP. Parker has had a nice series and Bowen has been fantastic but none of this happens without Duncan so he gets the MVP.

And thirdly, I'm damn proud of this team. They struggled throughout but showed great heart and gutted this victory out. Fantastic job and it's great to be a Spurs fan right now.

:smokin

you're just sucking up to the wife...;)

:lol

[milkyway21]

Pretty good grades:tu. Bruce is the MVP of game 3, IMO.


Michael Finley
Finley finally had a decent Finals showing. He had seven points, including a big three in the fourth quarter. Defensively, he had one of his better games of the playoffs. He still has room to improve in this series but at least he's on the right track.
Grade: C+plus 4 steals that kept the Spurs within a few pts against the Cavs while Duncan sat on the bench.
----------------
:worthy: those guys who made the 3s-Bowen,Horry,Barry, Finley, TP.

[whottt]

Seriously...

IMO, the bottom line on this series is that if Bruce isn't doing what he's doing against LeBron...this series is a whole helluva lot more difficult.

As I said at the beginning of this series...if Bruce can hold LeBron in the realm of mortals...the Spurs will sweep. I just didn't think there was a chance in hell he'd actually do it...I did not see him doing it...no ass covering, no excuses, I just didn't think it was going to be physically possible for him to do it...maybe one game, not three in a row....and not as stifling as the game 1 D was.

Well he's done it...and he's done it well.


That said...he hasn't got a chance in hell of winning the finals MVP...Bruce is neither popular(more like infamous), nor is he exciting to watch, nor is he an offensive player.

[whottt]

I haven't been watching espn, but I've watched all the press interviews on NBA TV after each game, and it seems like the only press members bringing up the MVP issue is press from outside the US, be it Spain (last night), China or elsewhere.



I am just talking about the ABC crew during the game, when cutting to commercials...Parker has been getting the most in game media coverage of any Spur in this series...and that three tonight is going to stay with people.

I think the only way Parker doesn't win the finals MVP is if he has a really bad game in elimination game and Duncan has one of his patented close out finals games...

[timvp]

Yeah seriously Bowen has no shot. I haven't even heard it mentioned that Bowen is even in the running.

I guess that means Duncan or bust. I think Parker is underrated and misunderstood by a majority of Spurs fans, but he doesn't deserve MVP. He can get a "shoulda been" MVP legend like Manu got in 2005.

[samikeyp]

Well done. :tu


And thirdly, I'm damn proud of this team. They struggled throughout but showed great heart and gutted this victory out. Fantastic job and it's great to be a Spurs fan right now.

Amen.

Gotta get one more!!

[romain.star]

Yeah seriously Bowen has no shot. I haven't even heard it mentioned that Bowen is even in the running.

I guess that means Duncan or bust. I think Parker is underrated and misunderstood by a majority of Spurs fans, but he doesn't deserve MVP. He can get a "shoulda been" MVP legend like Manu got in 2005.

tp is underrated and misunderstood because (beyond the fact that TP might be a bit more selfish than his team mates and that he is french :ihit ) there're many fans out there who believe that the spurs would be as successfull (if not more successfull) with any other decent point guard... whereas TD and Manu are seen as irreplaceable and unique players...

[kris]

I agree with the sentiments of Duncan being the whole reason anyone else is in this position. Same with Parker not doing anything wrong, just that Duncan is the MVP of the Spurs.

Bowen had a pretty good game against one Los Angeles Lakers team in 2003 (I think) where he scored something like 29 and the Spurs blew out the Lakers. I might take that game over this one because the Lakers were so much better than these .526 Cavs.

[picnroll]

Duncan is the true MVP but I can't believe Parker isn't going to be the sports writers choice, they want a different story. In a way if it carries over to an even more confident Parker next year that's okay.

[ArgSpursFan]

First of all, I don't want to hear from the Manu apologists. He had an off game. Life goes on. Spurs up 3-0. All is good.

He had the worst game of his life.belive me.I don´t really recall such an awfull game from him.It really hurted me watching him play yesterday,and watching his frustrating face too.It´s all good though,Manu will comeback stronger in game 4.
In other hands,what was very rear was the fact that the spurs won with manu scoring 3 pts.I would like to know when was the last time that happened.


Second of all, I'm rooting for Duncan to be the MVP. Parker has had a nice series and Bowen has been fantastic but none of this happens without Duncan so he gets the MVP.

Me too.He is the man.




And thirdly, I'm damn proud of this team. They struggled throughout but showed great heart and gutted this victory out. Fantastic job and it's great to be a Spurs fan right now.

damn right.

[SlovenianGuy]

The only grade I can not agree with is Brent Barry's A.

Why? Because of his two bad plays in two consecutive fastbreaks.

I still think Brent had a good game, but IMO he doesn't deserve more than B+.

[timvp]

HIt´s all good though,Manu will comeback stronger in game 4.

Exactly. No one holds Manu down for long.

[romain.star]

He had the worst game of his life.belive me.I don´t really recall such an awfull game from him.It really hurted me watching him play yesterday,and watching his frustrating face too.It´s all good though,Manu will comeback stronger in game 4.
In other hands,what was very rear was the fact that the spurs won with manu scoring 3 pts.I would like to know when was the last time that happened.



Me too.He is the man.





damn right.


amen to that... but still, you're one of the very few objective and relevant ManuFans here...

[spurster]

Bowen's grade should be docked for that stupid attempted foul at the end. That easily could have been 3 and 1.

[smeagol]

I think your grade for Bowen is too low...
. . . and your grade for Manu is too high.

[smeagol]

It was funny watching the Argie feed. One of Manu's brothers was a commentator and he was very harsh on his brother.

- "Who is that guy wearing the balck shirt with the #20?"

- When Manu missed his first FT: "Man, he can't even help from the line!"

- The commentators were asking the audience to call in order to be part of a lotto to win a signed Manu shirt. At the end of the game, Leandro Ginobili says "We decided to give away a Bruce Bowen signed shirt!"

And the other commentators kept making fun of Leandro telling him to cut it out or Manu would make him sleep on the lawn.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

What I'd like to see for MVP voting:

Bowen, Duncan, Tony

What it'll be:

Duncan, Tony, Bowen

On the grades, I have one gripe:


Finley finally had a decent Finals showing. He had seven points, including a big three in the fourth quarter. Defensively, he had one of his better games of the playoffs.

He was good defensively? He was a turnstile when guarding Pavlovic.

BTW, no apologies for Manu, he sucked last night.

[Spurminator]

I'd love to see Duncan pass Shaq in career Finals MVPs.

At this point I think it comes down to preference. I don't think there's much of an argument against either Duncan or Parker, and I'd be happy for either of them.


And while Bowen is my favorite Spur, I don't think he stands a chance.

[MadDog73]

The press votes for MVP, right?

Tony Parker is a lock.

Point 1: Tim Duncan will surpass Magic Johnson in Finals MVPs if he wins another. I don't think the press wants this to happen, I do think it influences them (or else Tim would have another regular season MVP by now).

Point 2: Tony Parker is getting all the love. He is seen (rightly or wrongly) as the main reason the Spurs are winning.

Caveat: There could be a co-MVP award for Parker and Duncan. That would be very unlikely, but I personally wouldn't have a problem with it.

[Supergirl]

Yeah, I knew if the Cavs kept sagging off Barry he'd eventually start knocking down those shots. He made them pay last night.

[SAGambler]

If the Spurs eliminate the Cavs Thursday, and Tony has a big scoring game, I think he will probably be the Finals MVP. If not, then it will be Duncan for his effort on both ends. Right now, I see it as a tossup, with Thursday being the tie breaker.

I don't see a problem with either of them getting it. They have both been a driving force on this team throughout the playoffs.

It's just too damn bad they don't have a Finals Defensive Player award, because there is no doubt who would win that. And it would sure be nice to see Bruce recognized nationally for something. He has meant so much to the success of this team. And we all know age is someday going to catch up with him, just like it does with everyone. He can't have many years left.

[ALVAREZ6]

Manu deserves an F. He played terribly last night.

[deepsouth]

First of all, I don't want to hear from the Manu apologists. He had an off game. Life goes on. Spurs up 3-0. All is good.
:smokin

Ok, Manu had one of his worst games yesterday night.
But, how do you people explain that even so he had the second higher Spur's +/- of the night (after B. Barry)?

Confirm
http://www.popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20070612&game=SASCLE

[2centsworth]

Best grading this year. So far, Bowen deserves MVP!!!

I also bumped Manu from an F to a D+ because of the free throws he could have easily missed with the night he was having.

[ShoogarBear]

And thirdly, I'm damn proud of this team. They struggled throughout but showed great heart and gutted this victory out. Fantastic job and it's great to be a Spurs fan right now.Eh, actually they played just as bad as Utah game 3, but the difference is that Cleveland reallyreallyreally sucks.

I have never watched a Spurs game before where I felt so confident that no matter how bad they played, the opponent was going to play worse. There was never any doubt in my mind that Cleveland couldn't win that game, because if they could, they would have been up by 15 going into the fourth.

There is a huge argument for Bruce winning the MVP, since the only shot the Cavs had was if LeBron went nuts, and Bowen established from the opening minutes of Game One that that was not going to happen.

But Bowen winning MVP would be like an offensive lineman winning Super Bowl MVP. Ain't gonna happen.

[T Park]

Yeah Ginobili might've earned a E.

Barry is very legit with an A.

He was fantastic last night, getting his hands in the passing lanes, hustling to balls. Bagging huge threes.

Bowen and Barry got Co MVPs for me last night.


BTW Im on the BOWEN FOR MVP bandwagon too :tu

[johnpaulwall21]

Parker will win MVP BOOK IT.................. :bang

[smeagol]

I agree with Shoog. There wasn't a moment last night were I doubted the W was coming our way.

[vanvannen]

Duncan should win MVP, no question.
I think TP has been huge for the Spurs so far, but if they give it to him, they really don't get Spurs basketball.

[wildbill2u]

I think Finley probably was in the b-/b range. After all, we don't really expect too much from him and his points were crucial and timely.

i can't think of any bad mistake either. So let's puff his score up a little and give him some love.

[nkdlunch]

It was funny watching the Argie feed. One of Manu's brothers was a commentator and he was very harsh on his brother.

- "Who is that guy wearing the balck shirt with the #20?"

- When Manu missed his first FT: "Man, he can't even help from the line!"

- The commentators were asking the audience to call in order to be part of a lotto to win a signed Manu shirt. At the end of the game, Leandro Ginobili says "We decided to give away a Bruce Bowen signed shirt!"

And the other commentators kept making fun of Leandro telling him to cut it out or Manu would make him sleep on the lawn.

where can I listen to this feed online?

[ShoogarBear]

They should get Leandro and Jon Barry to do a game together.

[Extra Stout]

I agree with Shoog. There wasn't a moment last night were I doubted the W was coming our way.
True. Cleveland is terrific on defense, but their offense is just pathetic for an NBA team. Shutting them down is straightforward. For all of LeBron's skills, if you can make him into a jump shooter, he fails, and Cleveland then essentially cannot score.

That they were able to flourish as much as they did against Detroit is a testament to the gross incompetence of Flip Saunders as a defensive coach.

[Obstructed_View]

I think Finley probably was in the b-/b range. After all, we don't really expect too much from him and his points were crucial and timely.

i can't think of any bad mistake either. So let's puff his score up a little and give him some love.
Finley's defense was pretty terrible. He missed rotations and Mike Greenberg blew past him three times in the first half. He was aggressive and fought through it, though.

[thousandth]

It was funny watching the Argie feed. One of Manu's brothers was a commentator and he was very harsh on his brother.

- "Who is that guy wearing the balck shirt with the #20?"

- When Manu missed his first FT: "Man, he can't even help from the line!"

- The commentators were asking the audience to call in order to be part of a lotto to win a signed Manu shirt. At the end of the game, Leandro Ginobili says "We decided to give away a Bruce Bowen signed shirt!"
And the other commentators kept making fun of Leandro telling him to cut it out or Manu would make him sleep on the lawn.

:lol :lol ahahahahahaha :lol What did he say?? :lol :lol very funny :lol :lol
Bowen for MVP :clap

The only one I disagree whit is Horry's and Oberto's grades.

Horry did'nt a good stuff in the game 3. Not rebounds, defensive and scoring. But I love "Big Block Bob" always.

Oberto played hard and helped on James and Boobie Gibson on pick and rolls. He drew 3 and 4th Gooden´s fouls and it out of him. I think he needs to have some playing time in the game 4.

[danyel]

It was funny watching the Argie feed. One of Manu's brothers was a commentator and he was very harsh on his brother.

- "Who is that guy wearing the balck shirt with the #20?"

- When Manu missed his first FT: "Man, he can't even help from the line!"

- The commentators were asking the audience to call in order to be part of a lotto to win a signed Manu shirt. At the end of the game, Leandro Ginobili says "We decided to give away a Bruce Bowen signed shirt!"

And the other commentators kept making fun of Leandro telling him to cut it out or Manu would make him sleep on the lawn.

And when Barry made a 3 pointer he said he'd like to be known as Leandro Barry now...

[ForeignFan]

tp is underrated and misunderstood because (beyond the fact that TP might be a bit more selfish than his team mates and that he is french :ihit ) there're many fans out there who believe that the spurs would be as successfull (if not more successfull) with any other decent point guard... whereas TD and Manu are seen as irreplaceable and unique players...

BS. I think Tim will get MVP (parker more or less waived it in advance) but Tony has indeed been at least as "valuable" as Tim in this series.

[ForeignFan]

and what is your problem with the French anyway ?

[Budkin]

give them all an A+....

Um, no. Did you actually watch the game last night?

[romain.star]

Um, no. Did you actually watch the game last night?


i did... horrible game btw but when you're about to win your 3rd title in 5 years, everyone deserves an A+ (yes, even beno and jacques)

[ducks]

Spur Fans
Get A Fucking F

[timvp]

Ok, Manu had one of his worst games yesterday night.
But, how do you people explain that even so he had the second higher Spur's +/- of the night (after B. Barry)?

Confirm
http://www.popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20070612&game=SASCLE

He was pretty much riding the Barry wave last night. With Barry on the court, Manu was a +13. Without Barry on the court, Manu was a -6.

[timvp]

Eh, actually they played just as bad as Utah game 3

We must have watched different Utah Game 3's because the one I watched the Spurs were playing some of the worst defense of the season. The Spurs gave up almost as much points in the second half to the Jazz than the Cavs scored for the entire game.

The Cavs are hardly a juggernaut offensive team but the Spurs do deserve some credit for playing some of their best and most consistent defense of the season. Offensively they were pretty ugly last night but their D was rock solid.

[SpursWoman]

And when Barry made a 3 pointer he said he'd like to be known as Leandro Barry now...

:lol :lol :lol

[ChumpDumper]

I give spurfans an A- for their sunfan impressions in the game blog for three out of four quarters.

[gilmor]

What I'd like to see for MVP voting:

Bowen, Duncan, Tony

What it'll be:

Duncan, Tony, Bowen

On the grades, I have one gripe:



He was good defensively? He was a turnstile when guarding Pavlovic.

BTW, no apologies for Manu, he sucked last night.


How about a bet? I'd say Tony will get the Finals MVP..

[timvp]

I'm starting to warm up to the idea of Parker for Finals MVP.

1) He's played damn well this series. The Cavs defense is geared toward stopping him more than anyone on the Spurs. I rewatched Game 3 and the amount of pressure they threw at him was amazing. Brown has even played Big Z less than usual because Parker tears him up in pick and rolls. While the Cavs will sometimes single team Duncan, let Manu drive right and give shooters some open looks, they haven't given Parker an inch. Whatever Parker has done in this series is because he took it.

2) Parker has held the opposite starting point guard to 2-for-20 shooting this series. Yeah, Hughes was hurt but he wasn't as hurt as he was against the Pistons and he scored nine points in both Game 5 and Game 6 of that series. Plus Parker has been a monster defender all playoffs, shutting down AI, Barbosa, Fisher and now whoever the Cavs put across him.

3) It'd be some sort of justice for all the crap Parker has taken over the years for his play in the Finals in 2003 and 2005. If you listen to most Spurs fans, you'd think Parker pulled a Hedo in both of those series. No one remembers that Parker played well for the first three games of the 2003 Finals -- including being the best player in the most important game of that series (Game 3). And everyone overlooks the defense Parker played in Game 7 when no one scored on him all game until like 10 seconds to go. Winning the 2007 Finals MVP would be justice for all the trash that has been thrown his way over the years about how he disappears or whatever Spurs fans liked to say about him.

4) If the Suns series was the "real" Finals, Parker's Game 1 performance might have been the biggest singular performance of the playoffs. Parker seemed the most ready out of any player to come in and win in that series. If Parker has just a very good game instead of a great game, the Spurs lose that game and probably the series. Plus Parker's defense against Barbosa I think is the most underrated part about this run. If Barbosa plays 75% as well as he did in the regular season or against the Lakers in the first round, the Suns win that series. Instead Parker dominated him and basically took him out of the series.

5) Going into last night's game, Parker was the team leader in plus/minus for the playoffs. That's rather impressive because Parker has never been a great plus/minus player. And in the few games this postseason that Parker has played poorly, he has hit big shots at the end of virtually all the games despite his struggles. That's the sign of growth in his game.



Bottomline is I'd vote for Bowen for Finals MVP but whoever wins it I'm happy.

[T Park]

3) It'd be some sort of justice for all the crap Parker has taken over the years for his play in the Finals in 2003 and 2005. If you listen to most Spurs fans, you'd think Parker pulled a Hedo in both of those series. No one remembers that Parker played well for the first three games of the 2003 Finals -- including being the best player in the most important game of that series (Game 3). And everyone overlooks the defense Parker played in Game 7 when no one scored on him all game until like 10 seconds to go. Winning the 2007 Finals MVP would be justice for all the trash that has been thrown his way over the years about how he disappears or whatever Spurs fans liked to say about him

coughicecoldbrewskicough

[Obstructed_View]

I can't imagine not being really happy for whoever won the MVP. There are so many reasons to be glad for whoever wins it.

[TampaDude]

Last night was a prime example of why the Spurs are such a good TEAM...when some of their players struggle, others step up and keep them in the game. :toast

[ducks]

I'm starting to warm up to the idea of Parker for Finals MVP.

1) He's played damn well this series. The Cavs defense is geared toward stopping him more than anyone on the Spurs. I rewatched Game 3 and the amount of pressure they threw at him was amazing. Brown has even played Big Z less than usual because Parker tears him up in pick and rolls. While the Cavs will sometimes single team Duncan, let Manu drive right and give shooters some open looks, they haven't given Parker an inch. Whatever Parker has done in this series is because he took it.

2) Parker has held the opposite starting point guard to 2-for-20 shooting this series. Yeah, Hughes was hurt but he wasn't as hurt as he was against the Pistons and he scored nine points in both Game 5 and Game 6 of that series. Plus Parker has been a monster defender all playoffs, shutting down AI, Barbosa, Fisher and now whoever the Cavs put across him.

3) It'd be some sort of justice for all the crap Parker has taken over the years for his play in the Finals in 2003 and 2005. If you listen to most Spurs fans, you'd think Parker pulled a Hedo in both of those series. No one remembers that Parker played well for the first three games of the 2003 Finals -- including being the best player in the most important game of that series (Game 3). And everyone overlooks the defense Parker played in Game 7 when no one scored on him all game until like 10 seconds to go. Winning the 2007 Finals MVP would be justice for all the trash that has been thrown his way over the years about how he disappears or whatever Spurs fans liked to say about him.

4) If the Suns series was the "real" Finals, Parker's Game 1 performance might have been the biggest singular performance of the playoffs. Parker seemed the most ready out of any player to come in and win in that series. If Parker has just a very good game instead of a great game, the Spurs lose that game and probably the series. Plus Parker's defense against Barbosa I think is the most underrated part about this run. If Barbosa plays 75% as well as he did in the regular season or against the Lakers in the first round, the Suns win that series. Instead Parker dominated him and basically took him out of the series.

5) Going into last night's game, Parker was the team leader in plus/minus for the playoffs. That's rather impressive because Parker has never been a great plus/minus player. And in the few games this postseason that Parker has played poorly, he has hit big shots at the end of virtually all the games despite his struggles. That's the sign of growth in his game.



Bottomline is I'd vote for Bowen for Finals MVP but whoever wins it I'm happy.

if james can not win it why not parker :clap :clap

[ducks]

LATE-NIGHT STUDYING: Tony Parker learned all about championship basketball while most of his countrymen were sleeping.

The San Antonio point guard said Wednesday he used to wake up at 3 a.m. while growing up in France to watch the Chicago Bulls play in the NBA finals. That helped Parker, who made his NBA debut at 19, get a feel for the league long before he played in it.

"You learn a lot watching that," Parker said. "When I first came in the league, a lot of people were surprised by my knowledge about the history of the game. You can ask me any question and I'll try to answer it the right way because I watched a lot of tapes and a lot of games."

He often did it without permission. Asked if he had to get his parents' OK to stay up so late, Parker said: "I didn't tell them. I was sneaking and watching them."

Parker recalled that Michael Jordan was the NBA finals MVP when the Bulls won all of their six championships. Tim Duncan has been the MVP in all three San Antonio victories, but Parker is playing well enough that he may beat out Duncan for the award this time.

And if he does?

"That would be unbelievable," Parker said. "I still think Timmy is going to get it because he's our franchise and he's a superstar. But if they want to change, why not?

"I'm joking. But still, there's one more game, and if we win the championship, I'll be very happy with that. And if it happened, I'd be the first one to be very happy."

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

First of all, I don't want to hear from the Manu apologists. He had an off game. Life goes on. Spurs up 3-0. All is good.

Second of all, I'm rooting for Duncan to be the MVP. Parker has had a nice series and Bowen has been fantastic but none of this happens without Duncan so he gets the MVP.

And thirdly, I'm damn proud of this team. They struggled throughout but showed great heart and gutted this victory out. Fantastic job and it's great to be a Spurs fan right now.

:smokin

Amen, brutha.

The way this team gelled after the AS Break, turned up the D, intensity and execution on both ends as the playoffs have progressed, and the clinical fundamental dismantling they have laid on each team they've faced has been a sheer joy to watch.

People who call the Spurs "boring" don't love or understand basketball, they just root for a team. Sure, run'n'gun is fun, and executed well like the Suns play it, it is just as valid as the style we play, but from the perspective of a basketball purist, our basketball has been truly beautiful to watch for the last 2 months. Tough and uncompromising, composed and technically brilliant.

:blah :spin :fro :lol :toast

GO SPURS GO, I say!!! :lmao

[peskypesky]

No way Duncan gets just a C+ for 14pts, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks (that's just 1 rebound shy of a double double). Sure, he was in foul trouble, but that wasn't his fault. The refs are to blame for that. I know we all expect greatness from Tim on a nightly basis...but c'mon...he deserves a B.

Barry made some bone-headed plays, so I think you have to dock him down to an A- or B+.

And Pop? I think a B- for giving Manu so many minutes when he clearly had nothing to offer. I woulda given his minutes to the hot hand, Barry.

I agree with you on the rest.

[Strike]

Now that I think of it, I'm thinking maybe Bowen for MVP. This guy has been great the last couple years and has nothing really to show for it. No DPOYs, no All-Star appearances.

I could live with Bowen getting MVP because it'd finally be some recognition for the guy who always does the dirty work.

No pun intended, of course.

:hat

I'm thinking the same thing. Yes, Parker is leading the team in scoring, and Duncan is being Duncan in the finals. But Bowen has been phenominal on Lebron James.

And yes I understand that the Spurs play team defense and that Bowen has A LOT of help. But who else on the Spurs could even try to do what Bruce has done to James? Lebron has NEVER been in ANY kind of rhythm in the entire series. Not to mention Bowen played 44 minutes in game 3 and dude is HOW OLD? The dude is a fucking gamer and needs to be recognized as such.

Contribution is more than points on the board. And Bruce Bowen has, in my opinion, been the most valuable player in this finals series.

Will he get it? FUCK NO!!! Does he at least deserve consideration? FUCK YES!!!

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Yeah seriously Bowen has no shot. I haven't even heard it mentioned that Bowen is even in the running.

I guess that means Duncan or bust. I think Parker is underrated and misunderstood by a majority of Spurs fans, but he doesn't deserve MVP. He can get a "shoulda been" MVP legend like Manu got in 2005.

Yup, that's the way I think it will go.

As for Parker, his defence has vastly improved this year, as has his jumper, FT shooting and distribution of the ball. He has taken the step into the elite class of PGs in the league... Kidd, Davis, Deron Williams and Parker - there were no better PGs in the league this year than those guys.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

If Tony has a good game tomorrow, he'll have earned the Finals MVP just as much as Tim.

The idea of Bowen, Tony, winning it over Tim, doesn't really bother me. Though 4 Finals MVPs over Shaq, makes me pull for Tim.

And Bruce winning it, would be cool for the unsung hero aspect...though realistically, he won't get it.

Tony winning it will hopefully put an end to the whole Tony hating gripes pulling up his performances in the past, and all the bitterness.

[peskypesky]

I still give the MVP to Duncan, but I wouldn't mind if Tony shared it with him. The only way you pick Parker over Duncan is if you only consider scoring. How about rebounds, assists, blocks and defense? Believe me, it's not just Bowen who's shutting down Lebron. If you watch closely, you'll see that Duncan's ALWAYS looming...intimidating anyone who tries to take it to the rim, and altering their shots when they do get past him.

Duncan's dominating on both ends of the court, so he should at least be co-MVP.

[Tommy G.]

LeBrick has been the spurs best player
3 games
64 pts
22of 60=36.6%
17turnovers, Thats right, 17
Bowen is MVP

[Fabricio Oberto]

Im the MVP.
End of discussion.

[carina_gino20]

It was funny watching the Argie feed. One of Manu's brothers was a commentator and he was very harsh on his brother.

- "Who is that guy wearing the balck shirt with the #20?"

- When Manu missed his first FT: "Man, he can't even help from the line!"

- The commentators were asking the audience to call in order to be part of a lotto to win a signed Manu shirt. At the end of the game, Leandro Ginobili says "We decided to give away a Bruce Bowen signed shirt!"

And the other commentators kept making fun of Leandro telling him to cut it out or Manu would make him sleep on the lawn.

:lmao Well, Manu deserved it. He played really horrible last night. When he was finally fouled, I thought, "Okay, he's gonna get this." And then he misses the first. :lol

Anyway, an MVP for Bruce would be awesome and a major slap in the face to all the Ray Allens, etc. An MVP for Tony would be a sweet icing on his already unbelievable summer. But I still hope for Timmy so that he can surpass Shaq and will only be behind MJ on number of Finals MVPs.

[polandprzem]

Well as I saw Timmy also getting much of interest from Clevelands defense. Double teams and triple teams - that was the priority for Mike Brown going into this Finals. He had to do something with Parker which he did. Parker plays great series, but I think we can all look up the stats. Timmy leads in rebs blocks and I think he is even with TP.
And Tony makes some mistakes, like driving to the basket and losing the ball. I know that;s the risk you can take :)

[Obstructed_View]

If there's a Spur who hasn't made mistakes in this series, give his ass the MVP. Good luck finding him.

[ATXSPUR]

lol somebody has been posting these on buckeyeplanet.com

[ShoogarBear]

LATE-NIGHT STUDYING: Tony Parker learned all about championship basketball while most of his countrymen were sleeping.

The San Antonio point guard said Wednesday he used to wake up at 3 a.m. while growing up in France to watch the Chicago Bulls play in the NBA finals. That helped Parker, who made his NBA debut at 19, get a feel for the league long before he played in it.

"You learn a lot watching that," Parker said. "When I first came in the league, a lot of people were surprised by my knowledge about the history of the game. You can ask me any question and I'll try to answer it the right way because I watched a lot of tapes and a lot of games."

He often did it without permission. Asked if he had to get his parents' OK to stay up so late, Parker said: "I didn't tell them. I was sneaking and watching them."

Parker recalled that Michael Jordan was the NBA finals MVP when the Bulls won all of their six championships. Tim Duncan has been the MVP in all three San Antonio victories, but Parker is playing well enough that he may beat out Duncan for the award this time.

And if he does?

"That would be unbelievable," Parker said. "I still think Timmy is going to get it because he's our franchise and he's a superstar. But if they want to change, why not?

"I'm joking. But still, there's one more game, and if we win the championship, I'll be very happy with that. And if it happened, I'd be the first one to be very happy."You would think with all that late-night watching somewhere along the line Parker would have learned that point guards are supposed to pass.:pctoss

[/hissySpurfan]