"Tough stoppin' Tony" Toronto SUn

[biba]

Tough stoppin' Tony

By MIKE GANTER Sat, December 29, 2007
http://torontosun.com/Sports/Basketball/2007/12/29/4744565-sun.html

Short of "tripping him up", Sam Mitchell has no idea how you stop a guy like San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker.

Mitchell clearly is impressed with Eva Longoria's other half and could not believe that the recently released NBA all-star voting update has Parker ninth in the Western Conference among guards.

"If he's the ninth best point guard in the NBA then there's something wrong," Mitchell said.

In Mitchell's opinion, not only is Parker not ninth best, he's probably first or second.

"This guy has led NBA scoring in the paint the past couple of years, a 6-foot-2 guard. He's tough. We're going to try some things and hopefully we have some success, but are you going to totally stop him? No, but at some point you have to hope he misses some shots."

Mitchell believes a straw poll of NBA coaches would likely have Steve Nash at the top and Parker right behind him.

"In some instances if you look at the age and what he does, I would not be surprised if some coaches wouldn't take Parker first because he's probably a better defender," Mitchell said.

"I'm pretty sure Steve would win, but I'm also sure it wouldn't be 90%-10%," Mitchell said. "Tony Parker is a beast. He's a key part of what they do."

[m33p0]

there's one all star vote for our boy.

[timmy21_4rings]

there's one all star vote for our boy.

Western Conference reserves are voted by Western Conference Coaches.

[romain.star]

Western Conference reserves are voted by Western Conference Coaches.


most of them think the same

[m33p0]

Western Conference reserves are voted by Western Conference Coaches.

argh.... you're right.


there's one would-be all star vote for our boy.
fixed.

[peskypesky]

as much as I like Tony, he still seems too inconsistent to me. steve nash brings it every freakin' night. i've never seen him play a mediocre game. i've never seen him play a game where he didn't have that maniacal look in his eye, where he's not totally focused on winning, no matter what the odds. if his shot is off, he's going to make up for it with 12 assists. tony is still too much of a one-trick pony. his outside shot is still so-so and it looks like he'll never be a great passer. so if his shot is off, he doesn't have much to offer on the floor.

sure, he's still one of the top 5 pg's in the West. but no way is he the 2nd best guard in the West. gtfo.

[foodie2]

as much as I like Tony, he still seems too inconsistent to me. steve nash brings it every freakin' night. i've never seen him play a mediocre game. i've never seen him play a game where he didn't have that maniacal look in his eye, where he's not totally focused on winning, no matter what the odds. if his shot is off, he's going to make up for it with 12 assists. tony is still too much of a one-trick pony. his outside shot is still so-so and it looks like he'll never be a great passer. so if his shot is off, he doesn't have much to offer on the floor.

sure, he's still one of the top 5 pg's in the West. but no way is he the 2nd best guard in the West. gtfo.


Tony may be a one-trick pony, but Nash is only effective on one end of the court.

[peskypesky]

Tony may be a one-trick pony, but Nash is only effective on one end of the court.

True.

[timvp]

steve nash brings it every freakin' night. i've never seen him play a mediocre game. :lol Seriously? You've never seen Steve Nash play a mediocre game?

[biba]

Dominateur, Tony Parker n'a pas encore conquis le public américain

LE MONDE | 29.12.07 |
SAN ANTONIO (Texas) ENVOYÉ SPÉCIAL

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3242,36-994468,0.html?xtor=RSS-3208

"Cette année, Tony a l'air fatigué et ça, ce sont les effets du mariage, cela t'épuise !" Assis au bord du parquet des San Antonio Spurs, Brent Barry, le coéquipier de Tony Parker, plaisante tout en jetant un regard rieur en direction de l'actrice Eva Longoria, vedette de la série à succès "Desperate Housewives" et épouse du joueur français en train de marcher le long du terrain.

" Plus sérieusement, cette saison, il est plus en confiance sur le terrain, renchérit Barry. Il y a des périodes pendant les matches où il comprend qu'il peut totalement dominer. Les défenses adverses essayent de mettre en place un plan pour l'arrêter, mais il n'y a vraiment rien à faire. Il ne reste alors plus aux coaches adverses qu'à prier pour qu'il soit dans un mauvais jour." Vendredi 28 décembre, face aux Toronto Raptors, le meneur des Spurs a justement été victime d'un jour sans. Auteur de 7 pertes de balles inhabituelles et de seulement 15 points, Tony Parker n'a pu empêcher son équipe de concéder sa seconde défaite à domicile de la saison (83-73).

Ces moments de faiblesse sont rares chez celui qui a été élu "MVP" (meilleur joueur) de la dernière finale de la NBA, le championnat nord-américain de basket-ball. Pour sa septième saison en NBA, Tony Parker semble avoir encore élevé son niveau de jeu. Avec une production de plus de 20 points par match, pour la première fois de sa carrière, "TP" est, à 25 ans, le meilleur marqueur de son équipe, devant la star des Spurs, Tim Duncan.

" Désormais, je me sens libéré sur le terrain, déclare au Monde le Français. Quand je fais une erreur, je ne regarde plus en direction de Popovich (son entraîneur) et lui ne me crie plus dessus : notre relation a évolué." " Sa progression me procure énormément de satisfaction, précise Gregg Popovich. Je sais que j'ai joué un rôle dans son évolution en tant que joueur. Il y a un respect mutuel entre nous. Nous parlons de la vie en général, de choses qui pourraient lui être préjudiciables sur et en dehors du terrain."

Marqué par son échec lors du championnat d'Europe en septembre, où l'équipe de France n'a pris que la 8e place, blessé par les critiques, Tony Parker a décidé de bouder la sélection nationale jusqu'à l'Euro 2009. "Tous les joueurs veulent marquer le dernier tir ou inscrire le lancer franc qui vont faire gagner le match, mais cela n'arrive pas tout le temps, fait remarquer Popovich. Michael Jordan n'a pas inscrit tous les derniers shoots qu'il a tentés. On voit juste ceux qu'il a inscrits, mais il en a loupé énormément. Et Tony est en train de comprendre que si on donne tout ce qu'on a dans le ventre, cela peut marcher, mais cela peut également rater. Mais le plus important, c'est de continuer d'aller de l'avant et de ne pas penser aux échecs."

Attaquant la saison, le natif de Bruges a déployé une nouvelle arme de son arsenal. Depuis toujours redouté pour sa rapidité et sa facilité en pénétration, le chef d'orchestre des Spurs frappe également derrière la ligne des trois points. Une liberté offensive qui lui était encore interdite par son coach l'an dernier. "Il est plus relax maintenant, sa technique est meilleure, mais il peut encore s'améliorer, souligne Chip Engelland, l'entraîneur qui l'a aidé à reconstruire son tir en suspension. Il doit apprendre à être plus sélectif dans ses choix quand il tire à trois points. Et coach Popovich n'arrête pas de lui répéter qu'il doit prendre le bon tir à trois points. Cela doit devenir la cerise sur le gâteau."

San Antonio a beau parader dans le peloton de tête du championnat et les défenses adverses s'arracher les cheveux en tentant de l'arrêter, le public de la NBA tarde encore à véritablement apprécier le meneur français à sa juste valeur. " Au regard de son palmarès (trois titres NBA), il n'a pas l'attention et la reconnaissance qu'il mérite, se désole Popovich. Et je ne comprends pas pourquoi."

Hormis à San Antonio, il est rare de voir les jeunes fans arborer le maillot de Parker. Son mariage au mois de juillet dernier avec l'actrice Eva Longoria l'a pourtant consacré au sein de la presse people. " J'ai clairement changé de division depuis deux ans, admet-il. Avec Eva, c'est Hollywood. Heureusement qu'on vit à San Antonio, où les paparazzi ne viennent pas. Mais à Los Angeles, c'est chaud..."

Las, au moment de choisir leur joueur préféré, les jeunes fans lui préfèrent encore les Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, voire les nouvelles stars du championnat que sont les meneurs Chris Paul et Deron Williams. "Coach Popovich, qui est son boss, a énormément de respect pour lui et c'est le plus important, car il joue pour lui, assène l'entraîneur assistant, Chip Engelland. Il a le respect de ses coéquipiers dans les vestiaires et c'est cela qui compte."

Pascal Giberné

[biba]

Dominator, Tony Parker has not yet won the American public

"This year, Tony looks tired and that it is the effects of marriage, it kills you !" Sitting at the edge of the parquet of the San Antonio Spurs, Brent Barry, teammate of Tony Parker, while joking with a look toward actress Eva Longoria, star of the hit series "Desperate Housewives" and wife of french player in the process of walking along the ground.

"More seriously, this season, he is more confident in the field, adds Barry. There are periods during matches where he understands that he can totally dominate. Opposing defenses are trying to develop a plan to stop him , but there is really nothing to do. There are more then the opposing coaches to pray for him to be in a bad day. " Friday, December 28, facing the Toronto Raptors, the leader of the Spurs has rightly been the victim of a bad day. Author of 7 turnovers and only 15 points, Tony Parker was unable to prevent his team to concede his second home defeat of the season (83-73).

These moments of weakness are rare in those who had been elected "MVP" (best player) of the last NBA finals. For its seventh season in the NBA, Tony Parker still seems to have raised his level of play. With more than 20 points per game for the first time in his career, "TP" is, at 25, the best scorer of his team, in front of the star of the Spurs, Tim Duncan.

"Now I feel liberated on the ground, said to Le Monde the French. When I make a mistake, I do not look anymore towards Popovich (his coach) and he doesn't shout on me anymore: our relationship has changed." "His progress gives me a lot of satisfaction," says Gregg Popovich. I know I played a part in his development as a player. There is a mutual respect between us. We are talking about life in general, about things that could be detrimental both on and off the field. "

Influenced by his failure at the European Championships in September, where the French team took only the 8th place, hurt by the criticism, Tony Parker has decided to eschew the national selection until Euro 2009. "All players want to mark the last shot or enter the free throw going to win the match, but this does not happen all the time, said Popovich. Michael Jordan did not put in all the latest shoots he tempted. We remember those which entered, but he missed greatly. And Tony is in the process to understand that if we give everything we have, this can work, but it can also miss. But the most important thing is to continue to move forward and not to think to the failures. "

This season, the native of Bruges has deployed a new weapon to its arsenal. Historically feared for its speed and ease in penetration, the conductor of the Spurs also hits behind the three-point line. A freedom in offense he was still forbidden by his coach last year. "He is more relaxed now, his technique is better, but it could be greater, stresses Chip Engelland, the coach who has helped him rebuild his shot in suspension. He must learn to be more selective in its choice when it gets the three points shot. And coach Popovich keeps repeating that he must take the proper three points shooting. This must become the icing on the cake. "

Though San Antonio is a leader of the championship and the opposing defenses pull their hair trying to stop him, the NBA fans don't truly appreciate the french leader at its fair value. "Given his record (three NBA titles), he lacks the attention and recognition he deserves, deplores Popovich. And I do not understand why."

Except in San Antonio, it is rare to see young fans wearing the Parker's jersey. His marriage last July with actress Eva Longoria has devoted him in the people press. "I have clearly changed division the past two years," he says. With Eva, it's Hollywood. Fortunately we live in San Antonio, where the paparazzi do not come. But in Los Angeles, it's hot. .. "

Alas, when it comes to choosing their favourite player, young fans still prefer Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and even the new stars of the championship that are point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams. "Coach Popovich, who is his boss, has a great deal of respect for him and that's the most important thing, because he plays for him, insists assistant coach, Chip Engelland. He has the respect of his teammates in the locker room and that is what counts. "

Pascal Giberné

[vicphoenix]

Tony may be a one-trick pony, but Nash is only effective on one end of the court.

While Parker has a hall of fame center to back him up should the opposing guard get by him. Nash doesn't have great defensive players around him like Parker does.

[m33p0]

While Parker has a hall of fame power forward to back him up should the opposing guard get by him. Nash doesn't have great defensive players around him like Parker does.
(fixed.)
so its tim duncan's fault now that nash can't guard?

[remingtonbo2001]

:lol Seriously? You've never seen Steve Nash play a mediocre game?

Could someone pull up the 2003 WCF.

And since we're on the subject.

Didn't Avery TORCH Stevie during the 98' Playoffs. Is this me or my imagination?

[romain.star]

Could someone pull up the 2003 WCF.

And since we're on the subject.

Didn't Avery TORCH Stevie during the 98' Playoffs. Is this me or my imagination?

indeed... but to be honest, Nash wasn't the same player back in the late 90'