duncan228
05-10-2008, 11:50 PM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA051108.spursadvance.en.3972f80.html
Spurs: Parker, Paul play point-counterpoint
By Jeff McDonald
They've broken bread together, roomed together, and in the mother of all NBA bonding experiences once shared a game of pool with Michael Jordan together.
Long before they were playoff adversaries, Chris Paul and Tony Parker were friends.
So if this Western Conference semifinal series between the Spurs and New Orleans has at times borne the look of two old buddies engaged in a high-stakes game of one-on-one, well, that's because it is.
I'm having a lot of fun, said Parker, the Spurs' 25-year-old point guard. It's always good to play against one of the best players in the NBA, and he's definitely one of the best.
Bonded by basketball and the same shoe rep, the two point guards have known each other since Paul entered the league in 2005. It just so happens that each stands squarely in the other's playoff path.
In the midst of one of the more dominant postseason runs in NBA history, Paul has gotten the better of things so far, guiding the Hornets to 2-1 series lead they will tote into Game 4 tonight at the AT&T Center.
Parker, however, was instrumental in the Spurs' lone victory in the series, 110-99 in Game 3.
Playing can-you-top-this with Paul, a 23-year-old in his third NBA season, Parker scored 31 points and handed out 11 assists. His work helped negate another postseason masterpiece from Paul, who finished with 35 points and nine assists.
It was a far cry from the Parker of Game 2, who was a little too cautious, a little too unselfish and not quite productive enough.
I probably screwed him up, trying to get him to make perfect decisions or something, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. We know he's better when he's aggressive and trying to score.
As the Spurs look to claw even in the series, they are hoping to coax Parker to at least approximate Paul. That means piling points on top of assists.
We need him to score, said the Spurs' Manu Ginobili, who matched Parker with 31 points in Game 3. It's not just a matchup between Chris Paul and Tony Parker, but if Tony can score, it's easier for us.
Theirs is a meeting made in point-guard heaven. With apologies to Utah's Deron Williams, Paul and Parker have been the two best lead guards in this postseason.
Parker was the star of the Spurs' first-round series victory over Phoenix. The tour de force came in Game 3, when Parker set a career high with 41 points and matched a season high with 12 assists.
In New Orleans, they would call that pulling a Paul.
Playing in his first postseason, Paul has been something of a national revelation. He is averaging 25.6 points, 11.8 assists and has posted six double-doubles in eight games.
His decision-making is tremendous, Popovich said. And when he's got the individual skill that he has to go with it, it just makes him impossible.
Paul and Parker are opponents, contenders for the same throne, but they aren't enemies. They first met three years ago, over lunch in Oklahoma City during Paul's first NBA preseason.
Set up by a shared Nike agent, the two became fast friends.
In the years since, they've shared meals, vacations and memories. Paul was invited to the wedding event of last summer the Parker-Eva Longoria nuptials in Paris but could not attend.
The pair did meet up at this year's All-Star break, when Paul played in a celebrity billiards tournament with Jordan and brought Parker and his wife along for moral support.
After Game 1 of this series, Paul hosted Parker for dinner at his home in New Orleans. Parker is expected to return the favor before the festivities shift back to the Big Easy.
First, there is unfriendly business to attend to on the court.
Throughout the series, Parker and Paul have downplayed their one-on-one matchup, both correctly noting that basketball is best played five-on-five.
I think for me to help the team, I have to be aggressive, Parker said. I have to do both, score and pass the ball. I don't really look at it like I have to match him.
With the way Parker and Paul went at it in Game 3, however, it was difficult to tell.
One such moment came in the first quarter.
Paul hit a twisting, falling-down floater at one end. Parker answered with a two-on-one layup at the other. Time elapsed between baskets: six seconds.
No, this series isn't a game of one-on-one.
I don't really think like that, Parker said.
But it would be awfully entertaining if it were.
Spurs: Parker, Paul play point-counterpoint
By Jeff McDonald
They've broken bread together, roomed together, and in the mother of all NBA bonding experiences once shared a game of pool with Michael Jordan together.
Long before they were playoff adversaries, Chris Paul and Tony Parker were friends.
So if this Western Conference semifinal series between the Spurs and New Orleans has at times borne the look of two old buddies engaged in a high-stakes game of one-on-one, well, that's because it is.
I'm having a lot of fun, said Parker, the Spurs' 25-year-old point guard. It's always good to play against one of the best players in the NBA, and he's definitely one of the best.
Bonded by basketball and the same shoe rep, the two point guards have known each other since Paul entered the league in 2005. It just so happens that each stands squarely in the other's playoff path.
In the midst of one of the more dominant postseason runs in NBA history, Paul has gotten the better of things so far, guiding the Hornets to 2-1 series lead they will tote into Game 4 tonight at the AT&T Center.
Parker, however, was instrumental in the Spurs' lone victory in the series, 110-99 in Game 3.
Playing can-you-top-this with Paul, a 23-year-old in his third NBA season, Parker scored 31 points and handed out 11 assists. His work helped negate another postseason masterpiece from Paul, who finished with 35 points and nine assists.
It was a far cry from the Parker of Game 2, who was a little too cautious, a little too unselfish and not quite productive enough.
I probably screwed him up, trying to get him to make perfect decisions or something, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. We know he's better when he's aggressive and trying to score.
As the Spurs look to claw even in the series, they are hoping to coax Parker to at least approximate Paul. That means piling points on top of assists.
We need him to score, said the Spurs' Manu Ginobili, who matched Parker with 31 points in Game 3. It's not just a matchup between Chris Paul and Tony Parker, but if Tony can score, it's easier for us.
Theirs is a meeting made in point-guard heaven. With apologies to Utah's Deron Williams, Paul and Parker have been the two best lead guards in this postseason.
Parker was the star of the Spurs' first-round series victory over Phoenix. The tour de force came in Game 3, when Parker set a career high with 41 points and matched a season high with 12 assists.
In New Orleans, they would call that pulling a Paul.
Playing in his first postseason, Paul has been something of a national revelation. He is averaging 25.6 points, 11.8 assists and has posted six double-doubles in eight games.
His decision-making is tremendous, Popovich said. And when he's got the individual skill that he has to go with it, it just makes him impossible.
Paul and Parker are opponents, contenders for the same throne, but they aren't enemies. They first met three years ago, over lunch in Oklahoma City during Paul's first NBA preseason.
Set up by a shared Nike agent, the two became fast friends.
In the years since, they've shared meals, vacations and memories. Paul was invited to the wedding event of last summer the Parker-Eva Longoria nuptials in Paris but could not attend.
The pair did meet up at this year's All-Star break, when Paul played in a celebrity billiards tournament with Jordan and brought Parker and his wife along for moral support.
After Game 1 of this series, Paul hosted Parker for dinner at his home in New Orleans. Parker is expected to return the favor before the festivities shift back to the Big Easy.
First, there is unfriendly business to attend to on the court.
Throughout the series, Parker and Paul have downplayed their one-on-one matchup, both correctly noting that basketball is best played five-on-five.
I think for me to help the team, I have to be aggressive, Parker said. I have to do both, score and pass the ball. I don't really look at it like I have to match him.
With the way Parker and Paul went at it in Game 3, however, it was difficult to tell.
One such moment came in the first quarter.
Paul hit a twisting, falling-down floater at one end. Parker answered with a two-on-one layup at the other. Time elapsed between baskets: six seconds.
No, this series isn't a game of one-on-one.
I don't really think like that, Parker said.
But it would be awfully entertaining if it were.