duncan228
05-02-2008, 10:30 PM
http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-37/120970627324190.xml&coll=1&thispage=1
SNAKE CHARMER?
Tony Parker calls Chris Paul 'the head of the snake,' and the Spurs' point guard knows he will have to be at his best against the Hornets'
By Dan McCarney
SAN ANTONIO -- Spurs point guard Tony Parker looked nothing like the 25-year-old he is Thursday as he limped across the floor of San Antonio's practice facility.
Worn down by an 82-game regular season and repeatedly battered during the Spurs' first-round victory over Phoenix, Parker described his condition as "a sore everything."
"It's hard to get up in the morning," said Parker, who did not practice Thursday. "The hot tub is my best friend right now."
Yet there will be no rest for the weary Parker, not with Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul beckoning in the second round. To hear the Spurs describe Paul, there's virtually nothing the MVP candidate can't do.
"Everything he does is difficult to handle," Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said.
Parker calls his counterpart "the head of the snake."
Teammate Robert Horry goes a step further, saying he's never played with or against a point guard better than Paul.
"He's playing like a beast right now," said Horry, now in his 16th season. "He's doing exactly what (Steve) Nash did when he won his MVPs, except he's playing defense."
If not completely healthy, Parker enters Saturday night's series opener at the New Orleans Arena in prime form.
He averaged 29.6 points against Phoenix in what probably was the best series of his playoff career. More impressive than the points was Parker's poise, a quality not lost on his head coach.
"He's my Avery now," said Popovich, referring to former Spurs point guard Avery Johnson. "He runs the show."
Whereas Paul was pegged as a future star before he was drafted, Parker's learning curve has been far steeper.
Drafted at 18, Parker was thrown into the starting lineup in the fifth game of his rookie season.
Rather than coddle Parker, Popovich took no mercy on the young Frenchman. Even the smallest mistakes were met with ear-splitting harangues. Mature as he was, Parker struggled to cope.
"Sometimes I wanted to cry," he said. "I was trying to do my best, and it was never enough."
Despite steady improvement, Parker's consistency often left much to be desired.
He was benched for key stretches of the 2003 Finals in favor of unheralded backup Speedy Claxton. He faded badly against the Lakers in the 2004 Western Conference semifinals as the Spurs blew a 2-0 lead.
His play against Detroit in the 2005 Finals was inconsistent at best, inconsequential at worst.
Parker's game has matured considerably since then, culminating with his selection as Finals MVP last year after San Antonio's four-game sweep of Cleveland. Now, Popovich pulls Parker aside not to chew him out but to seek input.
"It was just experience," Parker said. "I came into a very good team with championship expectations. It helped me grow up fast.
"The last two or three years, you can see the results of my hard work and people screaming at me. I feel like I can do whatever I want on the court because of the confidence I have with Pop."
Everything Parker has learned will be put to the test by Paul, the first player in 15 years and the seventh overall to average 20 points and 10 assists in a season.
Having played relatively well against New Orleans during the regular season, Parker figures his best chance is to put Paul on his heels.
"Against Dallas he didn't have to play much defense, so he was basically resting," said Parker, who averaged 19.5 points and 5.5 assists as the Hornets and Spurs split the season series 2-2. "He saved all his energy for offense, and he played unbelievable. My job is to try to get inside and make him work hard so he doesn't have the energy to make all those great passes."
If that isn't enough, Parker has the comfort of knowing that teammate Bruce Bowen, a perennial member of the NBA's All-Defensive team, is waiting in the wings.
"It's good to give him different looks so he won't get used to anything," Parker said.
SNAKE CHARMER?
Tony Parker calls Chris Paul 'the head of the snake,' and the Spurs' point guard knows he will have to be at his best against the Hornets'
By Dan McCarney
SAN ANTONIO -- Spurs point guard Tony Parker looked nothing like the 25-year-old he is Thursday as he limped across the floor of San Antonio's practice facility.
Worn down by an 82-game regular season and repeatedly battered during the Spurs' first-round victory over Phoenix, Parker described his condition as "a sore everything."
"It's hard to get up in the morning," said Parker, who did not practice Thursday. "The hot tub is my best friend right now."
Yet there will be no rest for the weary Parker, not with Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul beckoning in the second round. To hear the Spurs describe Paul, there's virtually nothing the MVP candidate can't do.
"Everything he does is difficult to handle," Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said.
Parker calls his counterpart "the head of the snake."
Teammate Robert Horry goes a step further, saying he's never played with or against a point guard better than Paul.
"He's playing like a beast right now," said Horry, now in his 16th season. "He's doing exactly what (Steve) Nash did when he won his MVPs, except he's playing defense."
If not completely healthy, Parker enters Saturday night's series opener at the New Orleans Arena in prime form.
He averaged 29.6 points against Phoenix in what probably was the best series of his playoff career. More impressive than the points was Parker's poise, a quality not lost on his head coach.
"He's my Avery now," said Popovich, referring to former Spurs point guard Avery Johnson. "He runs the show."
Whereas Paul was pegged as a future star before he was drafted, Parker's learning curve has been far steeper.
Drafted at 18, Parker was thrown into the starting lineup in the fifth game of his rookie season.
Rather than coddle Parker, Popovich took no mercy on the young Frenchman. Even the smallest mistakes were met with ear-splitting harangues. Mature as he was, Parker struggled to cope.
"Sometimes I wanted to cry," he said. "I was trying to do my best, and it was never enough."
Despite steady improvement, Parker's consistency often left much to be desired.
He was benched for key stretches of the 2003 Finals in favor of unheralded backup Speedy Claxton. He faded badly against the Lakers in the 2004 Western Conference semifinals as the Spurs blew a 2-0 lead.
His play against Detroit in the 2005 Finals was inconsistent at best, inconsequential at worst.
Parker's game has matured considerably since then, culminating with his selection as Finals MVP last year after San Antonio's four-game sweep of Cleveland. Now, Popovich pulls Parker aside not to chew him out but to seek input.
"It was just experience," Parker said. "I came into a very good team with championship expectations. It helped me grow up fast.
"The last two or three years, you can see the results of my hard work and people screaming at me. I feel like I can do whatever I want on the court because of the confidence I have with Pop."
Everything Parker has learned will be put to the test by Paul, the first player in 15 years and the seventh overall to average 20 points and 10 assists in a season.
Having played relatively well against New Orleans during the regular season, Parker figures his best chance is to put Paul on his heels.
"Against Dallas he didn't have to play much defense, so he was basically resting," said Parker, who averaged 19.5 points and 5.5 assists as the Hornets and Spurs split the season series 2-2. "He saved all his energy for offense, and he played unbelievable. My job is to try to get inside and make him work hard so he doesn't have the energy to make all those great passes."
If that isn't enough, Parker has the comfort of knowing that teammate Bruce Bowen, a perennial member of the NBA's All-Defensive team, is waiting in the wings.
"It's good to give him different looks so he won't get used to anything," Parker said.