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05-20-2008, 01:40 AM
Spurs-Hornets: Parker's clutch shot squelches rally
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052008.7D.BKNspurs.parker.e4a2f3d.html
Web Posted: 05/20/2008 12:53 AM CDT
By Mike Monroe
[email protected]
NEW ORLEANS — The Spurs’ ticket to the Western Conference finals punched, a charter flight waiting at Louis Armstrong International Airport, Tony Parker slapped hands with friends and members of Spurs’ management in the tunnel at New Orleans Arena.
As he stepped into the walkway reserved in the immediate aftermath, Parker stopped and let out a yell that came from somewhere deep in his gut.
Then, Manu Ginobili swallowed Parker in a bear hug, and when Parker’s backcourt mate finally loosened his grip, Parker let loose with a second roar.
The point guard who was Most Valuable Player of the 2007 NBA Finals knew his 19-foot jump shot from the left quadrant with 50 seconds left in the Spurs’ 91-82 Game 7 victory may have been the biggest shot of his Spurs career.
A mighty roar seemed appropriate.
On a night when he focused most of his energy on chasing All-NBA first-team point guard Chris Paul and struggled at the offensive end as a result, it was his clutch shot that became one of the most memorable baskets of the Spurs’ first two rounds of the playoffs.
Parker had missed 6 of 9 second-half shots, and the Spurs were on the brink of a fourth-quarter collapse that might have ranked with the worst in club history had Parker’s shot not halted the Hornets’ momentum.
After opening the fourth period with a 15-point lead, the Spurs had watched New Orleans slice that margin to three points, at 83-80, when Jannero Pargo nailed a 3-pointer with 1:37 remaining.
Pargo missed a 3-pointer that could have tied the score with 1:05 left. Tim Duncan snagged the rebound, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich signaled a play from the sidelines.
Parker was actually the second option on the play, but he ended up with the ball, and Popovich was fine with that.
“I ran ‘wedge roll’ for Manu,” Popovich said, “because I wanted him to get to the free-throw line, or get the ball to Tony because he’s got some real big guts. He’ll miss five shots in a row, but at the end of a game, he’ll take a shot and make it. He’s done it before.
“He came off that pick and just knocked it down. That took it from three (points) to five. I told the team: Biggest shot of the game.”
Parker welcomed the chance to take what turned out to be the game-clincher.
“Pop called my number,” he said, “so I felt I had to make him happy.
“I just saw (Tyson) Chandler dropping down, like Phoenix was doing with Shaq (O’Neal). So I knew they were not going to let me penetrate.
“I knew if I just took my time — the last two shots I took I rushed it a little bit, and they went in and out — I could knock it down, and that’s what I did.”
Ginobili understood immediately the impact of Parker’s make, which slipped through the net with 50.1 seconds remaining.
“We got kind of lucky with Pargo’s three from the corner that could have tied the game,” he said. “But he missed, and Tony made a huge (19)-foot jumper. That gave us a five-point lead, and then the whole game changed.”
Parker agreed the shot ranks among the most important makes of his career.
“It’s right up there,” he said. “It’s always good to win a Game 7 on the road, and to have a big shot is good.”
Popovich went farther in quantifying the shot’s impact.
“It was huge,” the Spurs’ coach said.
I really like this article.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052008.7D.BKNspurs.parker.e4a2f3d.html
Web Posted: 05/20/2008 12:53 AM CDT
By Mike Monroe
[email protected]
NEW ORLEANS — The Spurs’ ticket to the Western Conference finals punched, a charter flight waiting at Louis Armstrong International Airport, Tony Parker slapped hands with friends and members of Spurs’ management in the tunnel at New Orleans Arena.
As he stepped into the walkway reserved in the immediate aftermath, Parker stopped and let out a yell that came from somewhere deep in his gut.
Then, Manu Ginobili swallowed Parker in a bear hug, and when Parker’s backcourt mate finally loosened his grip, Parker let loose with a second roar.
The point guard who was Most Valuable Player of the 2007 NBA Finals knew his 19-foot jump shot from the left quadrant with 50 seconds left in the Spurs’ 91-82 Game 7 victory may have been the biggest shot of his Spurs career.
A mighty roar seemed appropriate.
On a night when he focused most of his energy on chasing All-NBA first-team point guard Chris Paul and struggled at the offensive end as a result, it was his clutch shot that became one of the most memorable baskets of the Spurs’ first two rounds of the playoffs.
Parker had missed 6 of 9 second-half shots, and the Spurs were on the brink of a fourth-quarter collapse that might have ranked with the worst in club history had Parker’s shot not halted the Hornets’ momentum.
After opening the fourth period with a 15-point lead, the Spurs had watched New Orleans slice that margin to three points, at 83-80, when Jannero Pargo nailed a 3-pointer with 1:37 remaining.
Pargo missed a 3-pointer that could have tied the score with 1:05 left. Tim Duncan snagged the rebound, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich signaled a play from the sidelines.
Parker was actually the second option on the play, but he ended up with the ball, and Popovich was fine with that.
“I ran ‘wedge roll’ for Manu,” Popovich said, “because I wanted him to get to the free-throw line, or get the ball to Tony because he’s got some real big guts. He’ll miss five shots in a row, but at the end of a game, he’ll take a shot and make it. He’s done it before.
“He came off that pick and just knocked it down. That took it from three (points) to five. I told the team: Biggest shot of the game.”
Parker welcomed the chance to take what turned out to be the game-clincher.
“Pop called my number,” he said, “so I felt I had to make him happy.
“I just saw (Tyson) Chandler dropping down, like Phoenix was doing with Shaq (O’Neal). So I knew they were not going to let me penetrate.
“I knew if I just took my time — the last two shots I took I rushed it a little bit, and they went in and out — I could knock it down, and that’s what I did.”
Ginobili understood immediately the impact of Parker’s make, which slipped through the net with 50.1 seconds remaining.
“We got kind of lucky with Pargo’s three from the corner that could have tied the game,” he said. “But he missed, and Tony made a huge (19)-foot jumper. That gave us a five-point lead, and then the whole game changed.”
Parker agreed the shot ranks among the most important makes of his career.
“It’s right up there,” he said. “It’s always good to win a Game 7 on the road, and to have a big shot is good.”
Popovich went farther in quantifying the shot’s impact.
“It was huge,” the Spurs’ coach said.
I really like this article.