Spurs Brazil
04-26-2008, 01:08 PM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/bharvey/stories/MYSA042608.01C.COL.BKNharvey.spurs.4253985.html
Buck Harvey: Star of today: Parker learned from the past
Web Posted: 04/26/2008 01:36 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
PHOENIX — Tony Parker always admits his mistakes, so I might as well do the same.
Yes, I predicted the Suns would win Friday night.
Yes, I also said this series would go seven games.
But back to Parker, and back to how he's acted since he arrived in San Antonio as a teenager. He's always admitted what he couldn't do, and he always brought up his failures, and it's something that has helped him as much as his quickness has.
Friday, in a powerful evening that said as much about his stature as a Finals MVP trophy did a year ago, Parker didn't have to admit to anything.
Players always like to say the right things, as do coaches. They write instructions and inspiring messages on locker-room grease boards, and the Suns had their own messages Friday night.
Among them was this declaration: "We Will Make Every Big Play!"
Yes, others can be wrong, too.
Parker may have said something foolish over the years, but it's hard to remember any false projections. He had confidence from the first day, but he quickly announced he'd never faced 7-foot defenders in France.
He would have to learn how to shoot over them. Thus came the floater, and it was on display at the end of the first half Friday.
Then, with the Suns within a dozen points, Parker went the length of the floor to score at the buzzer. Amare Stoudemire stood staring at the rim, as if confused by the pregame proclamation.
Who will make every big play?
For Parker, the addition of the floater was just part of it. He'd lost to Shaquille O'Neal's Lakers, and he'd seen why. Parker couldn't take advantage of O'Neal's failure to defend the pick and roll.
Mike Bibby did for Sacramento then, and Parker announced what he wanted to become. "I want to be Bibby," he said.
He's become more, but the Bibby angle was in play Friday night. Then he took advantage of O'Neal, making jumper after jumper in the enormous space the Suns provided.
Shaq and Steve Nash could be the worst pick-and-roll defensive combination in the NBA, and the Phoenix crowd had reason to boo. The Suns have given up 40 points to Tim Duncan and 41 to Parker in the span of three games, and just a few weeks ago the Spurs weren't breaking 80.
Parker had options from the first possession, and he would have others on his way to a dozen assists. Phoenix also never challenged him, never made him shoot before he wanted to, never showed him something that confused him.
It wasn't that way once before. Parker was once known for starting fast in playoff series, then disappearing. Again, he brought that up last week before anyone else could.
"We can't be satisfied," Parker said then. "Since I've been here, we've been in all kinds of situations. In 2004, we were up 2-0 against the Lakers and they came back."
Parker was admitting to everything, as if he wanted to confront his failures. What he didn't acknowledge, however, is that Phil Jackson threw a few things at him that caused him to trip.
Parker didn't care Friday about the details. He came out with his floater, with his jumper and with the realization everything had gone wrong before. When he put 19 points and seven assists on the Suns in the first half, an ESPN reporter asked him on the way to the locker room why he and the Spurs came out as they did.
Parker said, "We've been in this situation before."
Nothing changed. Gregg Popovich would say later, "We possibly played our best game of the year," and that was because Parker played better. And after he had scored more points than he ever has in the NBA, after he had sent the Spurs to a 3-0 lead in the series, he stayed on message.
"I learned from the past," he said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Buck Harvey: Star of today: Parker learned from the past
Web Posted: 04/26/2008 01:36 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
PHOENIX — Tony Parker always admits his mistakes, so I might as well do the same.
Yes, I predicted the Suns would win Friday night.
Yes, I also said this series would go seven games.
But back to Parker, and back to how he's acted since he arrived in San Antonio as a teenager. He's always admitted what he couldn't do, and he always brought up his failures, and it's something that has helped him as much as his quickness has.
Friday, in a powerful evening that said as much about his stature as a Finals MVP trophy did a year ago, Parker didn't have to admit to anything.
Players always like to say the right things, as do coaches. They write instructions and inspiring messages on locker-room grease boards, and the Suns had their own messages Friday night.
Among them was this declaration: "We Will Make Every Big Play!"
Yes, others can be wrong, too.
Parker may have said something foolish over the years, but it's hard to remember any false projections. He had confidence from the first day, but he quickly announced he'd never faced 7-foot defenders in France.
He would have to learn how to shoot over them. Thus came the floater, and it was on display at the end of the first half Friday.
Then, with the Suns within a dozen points, Parker went the length of the floor to score at the buzzer. Amare Stoudemire stood staring at the rim, as if confused by the pregame proclamation.
Who will make every big play?
For Parker, the addition of the floater was just part of it. He'd lost to Shaquille O'Neal's Lakers, and he'd seen why. Parker couldn't take advantage of O'Neal's failure to defend the pick and roll.
Mike Bibby did for Sacramento then, and Parker announced what he wanted to become. "I want to be Bibby," he said.
He's become more, but the Bibby angle was in play Friday night. Then he took advantage of O'Neal, making jumper after jumper in the enormous space the Suns provided.
Shaq and Steve Nash could be the worst pick-and-roll defensive combination in the NBA, and the Phoenix crowd had reason to boo. The Suns have given up 40 points to Tim Duncan and 41 to Parker in the span of three games, and just a few weeks ago the Spurs weren't breaking 80.
Parker had options from the first possession, and he would have others on his way to a dozen assists. Phoenix also never challenged him, never made him shoot before he wanted to, never showed him something that confused him.
It wasn't that way once before. Parker was once known for starting fast in playoff series, then disappearing. Again, he brought that up last week before anyone else could.
"We can't be satisfied," Parker said then. "Since I've been here, we've been in all kinds of situations. In 2004, we were up 2-0 against the Lakers and they came back."
Parker was admitting to everything, as if he wanted to confront his failures. What he didn't acknowledge, however, is that Phil Jackson threw a few things at him that caused him to trip.
Parker didn't care Friday about the details. He came out with his floater, with his jumper and with the realization everything had gone wrong before. When he put 19 points and seven assists on the Suns in the first half, an ESPN reporter asked him on the way to the locker room why he and the Spurs came out as they did.
Parker said, "We've been in this situation before."
Nothing changed. Gregg Popovich would say later, "We possibly played our best game of the year," and that was because Parker played better. And after he had scored more points than he ever has in the NBA, after he had sent the Spurs to a 3-0 lead in the series, he stayed on message.
"I learned from the past," he said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[email protected]