Double duty for Parker
Web Posted: 05/27/2005 12:00 AM CDT

Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...2b33faefe.html

The Spurs' plan for these Western Conference finals, or more specifically, their hope, was to wear down Steve Nash. To have Tony Parker chase him through the 30-plus pick-and-rolls the Phoenix Suns run each game. To have Parker pressure him 75 feet.

To have Parker go back at Nash. Attack him. Make him play defense.

And maybe, at some point in the series, like say the fourth quarter of Game 7, the NBA's MVP would miss a shot. Throw away a pass. Slow his near-constant dribble.

If Nash still isn't tired? Then the Spurs pray their point guard can make the same claim.

"I just have to take my naps," Parker said, smiling, "and be ready to go."

Considering no player on either team has a more difficult assignment, Parker will need his rest. Not only have the Spurs asked him to shadow Nash — who, if he isn't careening down court, is usually playing hide-and-seek behind Suns center Amare Stoudemire — they need him for 20-something points so they can keep up with Phoenix's frenetic pace.

"Steve has played incredible; he really has," Tim Duncan said. "But in the midst of all that, Tony has been right on his butt through every pick-and-roll. Every pass (Nash) makes, every shot he makes, Tony is right there trying to play the percentages."

Or, as Spurs coach Gregg Popovich summarized, "He's doing the best job he can against the best player in the league this year."

Parker's job figures to grow that much tougher if Joe Johnson, Phoenix's usual starting shooting guard, is cleared to play Saturday. Johnson's playmaking skills are such that he can spell Nash at the point. Regardless of position, he would assume Nash's defensive responsibilities.

Johnson, Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said, is the team's "best weapon" against Parker. At 6-foot-7, he is more physical than Nash, who won't have to work as much guarding Bruce Bowen.

"I have to play the same way," Parker said when asked about Johnson's possible return. "I can't slow down."

He hasn't yet. No longer having to worry about the shot-blocking skills of Denver's Marcus Camby or the skull-rattling talents of Seattle's Danny Fortson, Parker has found the driving lanes much less congested against Phoenix. Through the series' first two games, he has averaged 26.5 points while shooting just under 60 percent.

Spurs coaches have been especially pleased with Parker's production because it has complemented Duncan and Manu Ginobili. The three have scored 157 of the team's 232 points.

Parker's play in previous series fluctuated if either of the Spurs' other two stars had a hot hand. He became too focused, Popovich said, on feeding Duncan and Ginobili at the expense of his own aggressiveness.

"Pop told me before this series, even if Manu and Timmy get off, I still have to produce and still have to be aggressive," Parker said. "It's a little bit easier because I know have to go back at Nash."

Nash, not surprisingly, has been relentless. He is averaging 29 points and 14 assists while making 25 of 44 shots. On Tuesday, he became the first player to have at least 25 points and 10 assists in four consecutive playoff games.

"You can never relax," Parker said. "He's going to keep dribbling until he gets something. He gets like three or four pick-and-rolls, and he's never going to pick up his dribble."

Phoenix, according to the Spurs' count, ran close to 40 pick-and-rolls in Game 2. If Parker goes under the screen, he risks Nash stepping back and drilling a shot. If the Spurs have their big men jump the pick, Stoudemire, who has totaled 78 points in the two games, is quick enough to get to the rim before another defender arrives.

Nash and Stoudemire, Popovich said, have made Utah's famed pick-and-roll tandem of John Stockton and Karl Malone look like "Laurel and Hardy."

"Those two were the best in my opinion for a long time," Popovich said of the Jazz combo. "But these guys are scoring at will. We're supposed to be a pretty good defensive team, and they're carving us up."

The Spurs, who have been more focused on staying with Phoenix's shooters, tried to trap Nash in the fourth quarter only to have his passing pick apart the double team. Even when it appears Nash has over-penetrated, he's pivoted and pump-faked out of trouble before finding one of his teammates open behind the 3-point line.

"I don't know how he does it," Robert Horry said. "He must have eyes in the back of his head."

As a result, Parker has tried to keep Nash in front of him. He spent much of Tuesday's third quarter pressuring him the length of the court. Nash, who had played 46 of the game's 48 minutes, missed eight of his 13 shots in the second half.

Was he tired?

The Spurs can hope.