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Totally true. The main thing this Spurs team lacks without Manu is the fire and desire (to quote Rick James).
Gooden brings some fire as well, which really helps. But Kori is right on - if Parker and Manu are in full-on attack mode at all times, it will keep opponents on their heels. Parker has proven this year that he can cripple defenses all by himself.
In many ways he's more dangerous than Chris Paul. Paul doesn't always go to the hole - he'll dribble around for 23 seconds, but he's not attacking the rim. The Tony Parker we've seen lately isn't screwing around -- he's going to the hole. Teams have to deal with that. All the opposing bigs know that Parker is going to get past whoever is guarding him, so they have to have one eye on him at all times.
With Manu and Parker both on the court, you've got two attackers to worry about -- and oh by the way, you have Tim and two other 40+% three shooters behind the line at all times.
For opposing teams, it's your basic nightmare.
