Kori Ellis
12-22-2004, 06:20 AM
As shot goes, so goes Parker
Web Posted: 12/22/2004 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA122204.1C.BKNspurs.magic.adv.2e2266b9.html
ORLANDO, Fla. — After the November nights when he looked incapable of throwing the ball in the river Seine, let alone burying a 25-footer with the clock running down and 19,000 fans looking on, Tony Parker preached patience.
You know me, he said. Just wait. I'll get better.
Parker has made good on his vow, in no small part because he's following his own advice. He's become more selective, forcing fewer 3-pointers while using his quickness to generate easier scoring opportunities. The results have not gone unnoticed.
Beginning with the Spurs' victory over Utah on Nov. 27, Parker has made 52.1 percent of his shots, an improvement of almost 20 percent shot over the first 13 games. On Saturday, he repeatedly slipped inside Golden State's defense on his way to 21 points, 17 coming in a 10 1/2-minute stretch in the second quarter. Not one of the 10 shots he made was outside seven feet.
"When Tony decides to shoot, that's probably a bad thing," Brent Barry said. "When he's penetrating and getting into the lane and being aggressive, where he's slithering in and doing some of the things that cause defenses to collapse on him, that's when he's at his best. When he settles for shots, I think that plays with him a little bit mentally.
"As long as he stays aggressive, that's better for all of us."
Parker admitted he was in too much of a rush at the beginning of the season. He missed 13 of 16 shots in the opener against Sacramento to begin a three-week- long clang-a-thon.
Too often, coach Gregg Popovich said, Parker settled for a 3-point shot "just to shoot a 3-pointer." The Spurs might have been more accepting except Parker, a streaky distance shooter, at best, wasn't making many. In the first 13 games, he went 4 of 29 behind the arc.
Popovich thought Parker was pressing to show he deserved his new $66 million contract extension. Parker disagreed , but gradually relaxed, just the same. The difference now, Popovich said, is Parker "isn't trying to improve anything. He's just playing."
"When you play bad, a lot of people are going to think about (the contract)," Parker said. "Maybe I try too hard, I don't know. But now I just want to forget about that."
Parker has done his best to erase any memory of his early struggles. He started arriving early to practice, and while more than a few Spurs do the same, the extra work wasn't modus operandi for Parker.
"In a weird way, I'm of the opinion if there's a coach there you can sometimes (cheat) your way through it," assistant coach Mike Budenholzer said. "But if you're going to do it by yourself, are you going to be lazy to yourself?"
Parker has hardly looked lethargic of late. Or limited by the groin strain he suffered against Cleveland on Dec. 11.
With Derek Fisher sidelined with an injury, Warriors coach Mike Montgomery put 6-foot-6 swingman Mickael Pietrus on Parker when he subbed Speedy Claxton to start Saturday's second quarter. Pietrus is Golden State's best defender as well as a friend of Parker's, but it mattered little. Parker repeatedly darted past him, scoring 11 consecutive points.
Said Montgomery: "There was too much Tony Parker tonight."
Not every team will be as giving as the Warriors. After watching Parker bolt to the basket one too many times Nov. 22, Memphis switched to a zone defense. Instead of moving the ball to an open teammate — which, in turn, also could have shifted the defense and opened a crease — Parker continued to attack. He committed seven turnovers, and the Spurs lost.
Popovich chewed on Parker afterward, saying, "He has a lot to learn."
The Spurs saw the other extreme four nights earlier in Philadelphia. Saying he wanted to better involve his teammates, Parker took only two shots and didn't score.
"That's been my battle since I've been here," Parker said, "trying to find a balance between scoring and passing."
He's showed progress, averaging 13.4. points and 7.8 assists in the past five games. Now mindful the Spurs have a handful of other capable scorers, Parker has tried to pick his spots when needed.
His confidence began to build after he made six of his nine shots in the victory over Utah. In a 70-second span late in the first half, he drove for a layup, flipped in a runner and hit an 18-foot jumper. Later, he walked over to the scorer's table and grinned at Lance Blanks, the Spurs' director of scouting and occasional TV analyst.
"What did I tell you?" Parker said. "It's coming back."
Web Posted: 12/22/2004 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA122204.1C.BKNspurs.magic.adv.2e2266b9.html
ORLANDO, Fla. — After the November nights when he looked incapable of throwing the ball in the river Seine, let alone burying a 25-footer with the clock running down and 19,000 fans looking on, Tony Parker preached patience.
You know me, he said. Just wait. I'll get better.
Parker has made good on his vow, in no small part because he's following his own advice. He's become more selective, forcing fewer 3-pointers while using his quickness to generate easier scoring opportunities. The results have not gone unnoticed.
Beginning with the Spurs' victory over Utah on Nov. 27, Parker has made 52.1 percent of his shots, an improvement of almost 20 percent shot over the first 13 games. On Saturday, he repeatedly slipped inside Golden State's defense on his way to 21 points, 17 coming in a 10 1/2-minute stretch in the second quarter. Not one of the 10 shots he made was outside seven feet.
"When Tony decides to shoot, that's probably a bad thing," Brent Barry said. "When he's penetrating and getting into the lane and being aggressive, where he's slithering in and doing some of the things that cause defenses to collapse on him, that's when he's at his best. When he settles for shots, I think that plays with him a little bit mentally.
"As long as he stays aggressive, that's better for all of us."
Parker admitted he was in too much of a rush at the beginning of the season. He missed 13 of 16 shots in the opener against Sacramento to begin a three-week- long clang-a-thon.
Too often, coach Gregg Popovich said, Parker settled for a 3-point shot "just to shoot a 3-pointer." The Spurs might have been more accepting except Parker, a streaky distance shooter, at best, wasn't making many. In the first 13 games, he went 4 of 29 behind the arc.
Popovich thought Parker was pressing to show he deserved his new $66 million contract extension. Parker disagreed , but gradually relaxed, just the same. The difference now, Popovich said, is Parker "isn't trying to improve anything. He's just playing."
"When you play bad, a lot of people are going to think about (the contract)," Parker said. "Maybe I try too hard, I don't know. But now I just want to forget about that."
Parker has done his best to erase any memory of his early struggles. He started arriving early to practice, and while more than a few Spurs do the same, the extra work wasn't modus operandi for Parker.
"In a weird way, I'm of the opinion if there's a coach there you can sometimes (cheat) your way through it," assistant coach Mike Budenholzer said. "But if you're going to do it by yourself, are you going to be lazy to yourself?"
Parker has hardly looked lethargic of late. Or limited by the groin strain he suffered against Cleveland on Dec. 11.
With Derek Fisher sidelined with an injury, Warriors coach Mike Montgomery put 6-foot-6 swingman Mickael Pietrus on Parker when he subbed Speedy Claxton to start Saturday's second quarter. Pietrus is Golden State's best defender as well as a friend of Parker's, but it mattered little. Parker repeatedly darted past him, scoring 11 consecutive points.
Said Montgomery: "There was too much Tony Parker tonight."
Not every team will be as giving as the Warriors. After watching Parker bolt to the basket one too many times Nov. 22, Memphis switched to a zone defense. Instead of moving the ball to an open teammate — which, in turn, also could have shifted the defense and opened a crease — Parker continued to attack. He committed seven turnovers, and the Spurs lost.
Popovich chewed on Parker afterward, saying, "He has a lot to learn."
The Spurs saw the other extreme four nights earlier in Philadelphia. Saying he wanted to better involve his teammates, Parker took only two shots and didn't score.
"That's been my battle since I've been here," Parker said, "trying to find a balance between scoring and passing."
He's showed progress, averaging 13.4. points and 7.8 assists in the past five games. Now mindful the Spurs have a handful of other capable scorers, Parker has tried to pick his spots when needed.
His confidence began to build after he made six of his nine shots in the victory over Utah. In a 70-second span late in the first half, he drove for a layup, flipped in a runner and hit an 18-foot jumper. Later, he walked over to the scorer's table and grinned at Lance Blanks, the Spurs' director of scouting and occasional TV analyst.
"What did I tell you?" Parker said. "It's coming back."