McDonald: Parker Charges Full Steam Into Suns

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...n.389932e.html

NBA: Parker charges full steam into Suns
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News

Phoenix guard Raja Bell left San Antonio with a message for Tony Parker.
It could be considered a threat. It could be considered an invitation.

"If he wants to go in and play amongst those big dudes, they're going to put him on the ground," Bell said. "And if he can keep getting up and doing it, God bless him."

Two games into the Spurs' Western Conference first-round series with Phoenix, Parker has been beaten and battered like a punch-drunk boxer.

The Spurs point guard has taken a knee to the head from Amare Stoudemire, one of those aforementioned big dudes. He has been flattened by Shaquille O'Neal, rendered a welterweight gnat on the Diesel's windshield.

He has hit the ground on the way to the rim — a lot. Not that Parker needs much assistance in falling down.

"Tony falls down on his own a lot," the Spurs' Brent Barry said. "We talk about that in the locker room. There's probably no other player in the league who falls down as much as he does. It's the Frenchman in him, I guess."

If Parker continues to insist on getting up afterward, the Suns might need divine intervention to survive the rest of this series. Phoenix has trudged home for Friday's Game 3 in an 0-2 hole, in part because Parker has refused to back down to bullying.

Little more than two hours after O'Neal had road-graded him during a first-half drive Tuesday, Parker walked gingerly into the Spurs' postgame locker room. He had a limp, but also a smile.

His 32 points, many of them on hiccup-quick layups, helped deliver a 102-96 Spurs victory in Game 2.

"He was trying to play physical," Parker said of O'Neal. "But that's not going to stop me."

With Parker and Manu Ginobili leading the layup parade, the Spurs have outscored the Suns 128-88 in the paint in two games.

In Game 2, they outpaced the turbo-charged Suns 24-3 on fast-break points.

Much of that came courtesy of Parker, the Spurs' one-man fast break.

In that, Barry thought he saw familiar flashes of the Parker who carried the Spurs to a title last season, and was the MVP of the NBA Finals.

"His speed and the way he handled the ball reminded me a lot of how he looked in June," Barry said.

A year ago, when the Spurs and Suns met in the conference semifinals, it was the other MVP point guard in the series who was taking the beating.

By series' end, Steve Nash had been bloodied, thanks to the unscheduled meeting of his nose with Parker's head. He had been hip-checked into the scorer's table. Worse for any red-blooded male, he had also been kneed in the groin.

This year's rematch has been easier on Nash, but it has also been harder.

The Spurs were able to keep him under wraps for long stretches of Game 1. Nash had 11 points before exploding for 14 in two overtimes.

He finished Game 2 with 23 points and 10 assists, and was 10 of 15 from the field, but stood at the epicenter of the third-quarter meltdown that ultimately cost Phoenix the game.

Nash has been good in the series so far, but not too good. Here Parker gets credit for his defense, as does Bruce Bowen.

"We are trying to put different people on Steve so he doesn't get used to (the same person) guarding him," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I feel we did as well as any human being could do to just hang with him."

Bowen, the Spurs' defensive stopper, has yet to score a point in this series. But his presence has been felt, particularly in Game 2.

It was Bowen who hounded Nash during the Phoenix guard's turnover-plagued third quarter.

Though he would never consider it such, it was a statement moment for Bowen, who earlier in the day learned he had slipped to fourth in the voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Boston's Kevin Garnett won the award, making Bowen a bridesmaid again.

"Second, third, fourth — it doesn't matter," Popovich said. "There's the guy who wins it, and everybody else is a whole bunch of good defenders. (Bowen) is important to us, and that's what's meaningful to me."

Phoenix has no such answer for Parker. Unable to beat him, the Suns seem resigned to beat him up.

Where others see a threat, Parker sees an invitation.

"I'm going to be aggressive regardless," he said. "That's my mind-set right now. I'm trying to be in attack mode."

Attack mode... Me likey.

:lol Raja Bell.. you shitstick.

Tony is a MFing warrior.... I dont care what the CoM thinks, this dude takes just as much of a beating as Manu, if not more.

"Tony falls down on his own a lot," the Spurs' Brent Barry said.... " It's the Frenchman in him, I guess."

I'm not fluent in english but does Barry say that falling down by your own is a french speciality?

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Originally Posted by romain.star

"Tony falls down on his own a lot," the Spurs' Brent Barry said.... " It's the Frenchman in him, I guess."

I'm not fluent in english but does Barry say that falling down by your own is a french speciality?

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He's just kidding

hey i don't care ! that's cool if he's kidding ! but i just don't get it...

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Originally Posted by romain.star

hey i don't care ! that's cool if he's kidding ! but i just don't get it...

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Try googling "french jokes" when you have the time..

oh that's about the white flag or the cheese eating surrender monkeys? I heard about it yeah

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Originally Posted by raspsa

Try googling "french jokes" when you have the time..

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best one i've ever heard was by an announcer in one of the tennis grand slams a few years back when a french won it.
"This is the greatest French victory since.... well... the last great French victory."

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Originally Posted by m33p0

best one i've ever heard was by an announcer in one of the tennis grand slams a few years back when a french won it.
"This is the greatest French victory since.... well... the last great French victory."

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you gota be quite old dude cause the last french victory in a grand slam was in 1983 (Yannick Noah.. the father of Bulls Joakim Noah)

TP has just been awesome with his aggressiveness to attack the rim, he must stays fearless throughout this series at least!

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Originally Posted by m33p0

best one i've ever heard was by an announcer in one of the tennis grand slams a few years back when a french won it.
"This is the greatest French victory since.... well... the last great French victory."

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It was right before Waterloo.

TP has been awesome with his aggressiveness lately. I hope he continues to keep it up and hope he stays healthy with the way they've been knocking him down.

Layup drill.

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"He was trying to play physical," Parker said of O'Neal. "But that's not going to stop me."

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Take note Shaq. Knock him down and he gets right back up and comes at you again. Just like he did Tuesday. You can only hit him 6 times and then you slow fat ass is on the bench.

Tony has definitely impressed with his play so far. A few years ago, people began to question his grit of getting hit over and over and pretty much said you knock him down, he quits being aggressive. That is no longer the case.

He may be a Frenchman, but he's a tough little shit.

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Originally Posted by romain.star

you gota be quite old dude cause the last french victory in a grand slam was in 1983 (Yannick Noah.. the father of Bulls Joakim Noah)

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Wrong, unless you disregard women tennis. Mauresmo won a couple (wimbledon 98 and Australian open 2005 or 2006 ?). And I think Mary (pronounce Marie) Pierce won one as well. Don't be a macho.

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Originally Posted by Reggie Miller

Parker driving to the basket with a steam full of head!

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Originally Posted by ForeignFan

Wrong, unless you disregard women tennis. Mauresmo won a couple (wimbledon 98 and Australian open 2005 or 2006 ?). And I think Mary (pronounce Marie) Pierce won one as well. Don't be a macho.

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Mary won Austalian open
Lldodra and Santoro won double competition

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Originally Posted by romain.star

hey i don't care ! that's cool if he's kidding ! but i just don't get it...

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Try reading a history book sometime.

Tony Parker is my hero.

Think about how far he's come. In 2004 when the Lakers started knocking his ass on the ground, he got scared and started settling for jumpers. Not Tony Parker the champion though... he's going in there and you're not going to stop him.

It's hilarious that Shaq came into this series expecting to be an enforcer.

The way he talked, none of our players have ever been put on their butts before, and he was going to teach them not to drive in the paint by knocking them down.

What Shaq didn't realize is that -- far from being afraid of contact -- Manu and Parker seem to thrive on it. They know if that if you have to resort to physicality and fouling hard, then you have no clue how to contain them in the paint. They'll go at you again, get fouled again, and since they're great finishers, usually get an and-1 play out of it with a big surge of momentum.

Shaq attempts to be a bully, a physical force, and it backfires on him. What a shocker.

Perhaps if Shaq had a modest I.Q., he would have realized the futility of trying to take out Parker and Manu by roughing them up a long, long time ago.

I'm so glad for Tony, Tim, and Manu. There aren't many teams with as much collective guts (balls) on their entire roster as our big three have. They are just stone-cold kick-your-ass brilliant, and the only thing you can do to contain them just pisses them off more. The biggest play in this series after Game 1 might have been Parker getting up from that shoulder tackle by Shaq and promptly drilling two free throws right in his (career 55%) face. That sent a message: Fuck with us, and we still will dismantle you.

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"If he wants to go in and play amongst those big dudes, they're going to put him on the ground," Bell said. "And if he can keep getting up and doing it, God bless him."

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With talk like that, I expect some technicals and flagrants from the refs tomorrow.

yea that was a stupid statement for Bell to make. The refs are going to be keeping an eye out for cheap fould now. It should be just about time for one of the crawford boys to ref, we already had, javie, bavetta, and Salvatore, all of which the spurs usually struggle with. Either crawford apprciates physical plays but not cheap shots.

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Originally Posted by ForeignFan

Wrong, unless you disregard women tennis. Mauresmo won a couple (wimbledon 98 and Australian open 2005 or 2006 ?). And I think Mary (pronounce Marie) Pierce won one as well. Don't be a macho.

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I thought Mauresmo was a man :wtf:wtf

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Originally Posted by Lady M

Mary won Austalian open
Lldodra and Santoro won double competition

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Mary also won the french open in 2001 or 2002 i think

I hope he brings his J with him to PHX, I expect some serious zone



Spurs shooters need to get ready

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Originally Posted by Spurs Dynasty 21

I hope he brings his J with him to PHX, I expect some serious zone



Spurs shooters need to get ready

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you have no faith in spurs:nope:nope

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Originally Posted by Aggie Hoopsfan

Try reading a history book sometime.

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You mean History for Ignorant Redneck Dummies ? Because that's obviously what you've been reading.

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Originally Posted by Aggie Hoopsfan

Try reading a history book sometime.

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Asshole, I'm french and i'm teaching History so i know a bit more than you about my country History. You should stop watching Foxnews and open an History book instead.