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I'm glad we all can read and understand French!
C'est probablement le meilleur meneur de jeu de la NBA. Champion olympique à Pékin avec la sélection nationale américaine et leader des New Orleans Hornets, l'une des équipes les plus excitantes de la Ligue, Chris Paul (Photo Reuters) a terminé deuxième la saison dernière de l'élection du MVP derrière Kobe Bryant, mais devant LeBron James et Kevin Garnett. A 23 ans ! A Barcelone, nous avons rencontré ce garçon poli, intelligent et respectueux, qui vénère Tony Parker, dont il était fan avant de devenir l'un de ses meilleurs amis, et s'avoue «stupéfait» devant le talent de Ricky Rubio.
«Chris Paul, maintenant que vous faites partie du meilleur cinq majeur de la NBA, resentez-vous votre nouveau statut comme un poids ?
Pour être franc, je ne ressens pas la moindre pression. J'ai joué au basket toute ma vie, c'est ce que j'aime faire et je ne vois pas pourquoi ça changerait. Et puis j'évolue avec des joueurs All Stars comme David West et Peja Stojakovic. Il y aussi Tyson Chandler, Morris Peterson et d'autres... On se partage les tâches. Je n'ai pas besoin de mettre trente points par match dans cette équipe. C'est ce qui nous rend si imprévisibles : le danger vient de partout.
Les Hornets peuvent-ils viser le re NBA cette saison ?
C'est mon but. L'an passé, il nous a manque un pe peu d'expérience pour éliminer les San Antonio Spurs (vainqueurs au septième et dernier match de la demi-finale de la conférence Ouest, Ndlr). Aujourd'hui, nous avons des gars comme James Posey ( ré en 2006 avec Miami et 2008 avec Boston, Ndlr) ou Devin Brown, qui savent comment gagner un re. Nous avons un groupe très complet mais surtout, nous sommes tous amis. J'ai envie de jouer pour eux, de gagner le re pour eux aussi.
Quels seront vos rivaux ?
Toujours les mêmes : Boston, Los Angeles... Mais je surveillerai aussi les Portland TrailBlazers. Cette année, cette équipe va retrouver son vrai rang. Avec Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge plus Greg Oden et Rudy Fernandez, Portland me parait armé pour aller très loin. Attention a eux.
Qu'avez-vous à améliorer dans votre jeu ?
La régularité ! C'est comme cela que l'ont devient meilleur. C'est valable aussi pour mes partenaires : si on acquiert cette donnée fondamentale, tout ira bien. Il faut aussi que je fasse attention à ma santé. Depuis que je suis rookie (débutant), j'ai toujours mal aux jambes. Je dois faire des exercices spécifiques pour rester en forme. C'est comme ça...
Y a-t-il des joueurs européens qui vous impressionnent ?
Oui, Ricky Rubio (meneur de Badalone) ! Ce type est incroyable : à dix-sept ans, il a déjà fait une finale olympique en jouant un basket de rêve. Il faut qu'il fasse attention à lui, mais il est stupéfiant. Un tel talent si jeune... franchement, je n'ai jamais vu ça !
Et Tony Parker ?
(sourires) Ah lui, c'est mon ami ! Je l'ai encore eu hier au téléphone. Avec Tony, on s'appelle pratiquement tous les jours. Avant de partir à Berlin pour notre tournée européenne, nous avons joué à San Antonio. Apres le match, je suis resté toute la soirée avec Tony, chez lui, tranquille. TP, c'est le joueur que j'admire le plus. C'est vraiment mon modèle.»
I'm glad we all can read and understand French!
Some more conversation here:
http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106914
translation: TP, thats my man right there. Had him on the phone just yesterday. We phone eachother practically every day. Before we left for the European Tour, we played at San Antonio and after the game, we hung out together at his place. He's the player i admire most, he's an example for me.
My french is a little rusty but here's a translation. It's not word for word, that'd take too long.
Background on Chris Paul:
Chris Paul is probably the best Point Guard in the NBA. He's an Olympic Champion playing with the US in Beijing, the leader of the New Orleans Hornets, one of the the most exciting teams to watch in the NBA. He also finished second in the MVP voting last season behind Kobe Bryand, but was ahead of guys like LeBron James and Kevin Garnett.
And, he's only 23!
We met this very polite, smart and humble player, who adores Tony Parker and was a fan of Tony's before becoming his best friend. Also, he's "stunned" by what he's seen of Ricky Rubio.
Interviewer: "Now that you are one of the best 5 teams in the NBA, do you feel additional pressure"
CP3: To be honest, I don't feel the pressure. Basketball's my life, what I do or don't do won't change that. And I play with All-Stars like David West and Peja. We also got Tyson Chandler and Mo Pete and a great team....we'll be all sharing the responsibility. That's what makes us unpredictable, any of our guys can be a threat on the court.
Interviewer: "Will the Hornets win the le this year?"
CP3: That's my goal. Last year, we didn't have enough experience to eliminate the San Antonio Spurs (Spurs won in Game 7 over the Hornet in the WC Semi-Finals). Now, we have guys like James Posey ( les with Miami in 2006 and with Boston in 2008) and Devin Brown who know how to win a le. Our team is very compe ive but we're all friends. I want to play and win a le for them too.
Interviewer: Who are your main Rivals?
CP3: The same as always. Celtics, Lakers...I'm even watching the Blazers. The Blazers are coming back into the mix this year. With Roy, Aldridge, Oden, Rudy, the Blazers look ready to go very deep. I'm keeping an eye on them.
Interviewer: How have you improved your game?
CP3: Practice! That's how I've become better. This also applies to my team, if we all practice our fundamentals regularly, everything will be fine. I also have to pay attention to my health. Since I'm a rookie (jokingly), I still get sore legs so I do specific exercises to stay in shape.
Interviewer: Which players impress you?
CP3: Ricky Rubio! This kid is awesome and he's only 17 years old. He's already living his dream by playing in the Olympic Finals. So much talent at such a young age, honestly, I've never seen anybody like that.
Interviewer: What about Tony Parker?
CP3: Hahah, Tony's my homeboy. I talk to Tony almost every day on the phone. Before leaving to Berlin for our European tour, we played in San Antonio. After we were done, I spent a quiet night at Tony's place.
"TP, c'est le joueur que j'admire le plus. C'est vraiment mon modèle."
Tony Parker's the player I admire the most...he's really my role model.
/END
That's a cool article, I guess CP3 really does admire Tony (as reported in a different thread)
tranquille doesn't exactly mean quiet in that sentence: More like they were chillin' it.
It's neat how many players Tony seems to be friends with. I think this bodes well for him taking over as leader of the team after Timmy.
Or bolting to a bigger market city.
I can't see TP sticking around after TD retires. I can't see anyone sticking around after TD retires.
Nice interview. Thanks for the translation!
ducks just got a bonner
I feel like Parker has at least one close friend on every team in the league....which is funny cuz Duncan and Ginobili are probably the opposite. I remember Manu saying he doesn't believe in making close friends with your compe ors or whatever....
I take it either Eva wasn't home, or the guest room is far from the Master Bedroom.Interviewer: What about Tony Parker?
CP3: Hahah, Tony's my homeboy. I talk to Tony almost every day on the phone. Before leaving to Berlin for our European tour, we played in San Antonio. After we were done, I spent a quiet night at Tony's place.
When he figures out how to get rid of it, he should call RC Buford.
^
well he made CLOSE friend with kobe, bring back the thread imo.
Aren't they good friends as well? Did CP stay with Tony & Eva during the playoffs?
Very cool the mutual admiration society b/t 2 talented individuals.
He did not mention the Spurs in his list of the main rival teams!
What an idiot!Interviewer: Who are your main Rivals?
CP3: The same as always. Celtics, Lakers...I'm even watching the Blazers. The Blazers are coming back into the mix this year. With Roy, Aldridge, Oden, Rudy, the Blazers look ready to go very deep. I'm keeping an eye on them.
, they played 2 Texas teams (Spurs and Mavs) in last year's playoffs.Just look at the heated games between them and the Rockets. Just about every game vs the Rockets was close and involved some kind of altercation.
FTW even though I like bonner
lawl
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