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+1
Great Post
,I can see a pattern develop in the way Parker distributes his effort over a game compared to what he used to do the rest of his career.
The pattern used to be:
- Parker goes out of the gate at full speed, is very aggressive and tries to score a lot.
- He either ends up dominating the 1st quarter, in which case his confidence is good and the Spurs most likely end up with a win...
- ... or he goes flat (mostly because of the defense collapsing on him time and again), and when he tries to switch to passing everybody else is cold due to watching the Parker show, and the Spurs most likely end up with a loss.
- In both cases, Parker tends to get tired quickly, sits important parts of the 3rd (when the other team makes a run) and looks completely gassed in the 4th.
The current pattern seems to be completely different:
- Parker comes out of the gate like a boxer trying to seize up his opponent. He has a pass-first approach, involving everybody and setting the tone for the offensive sets, while also testing the waters in the paint, seeing if it's one of those nights when the defense is focusing on him or not, but not forcing anything. He does that for the rest of the half.
- Once the Spurs have established their numerous offensive weapons thanks to this approach, Parker tends to have more freedom and will typically take over the game in the 3rd or 4th (whenever the Spurs need a run), typically going for several baskets in a row coupled with a few assists, being involved in one way or another on every basket. The Spurs end up with a big lead. If you look at the game blog thread, there are usually comments like "TP doing his thing", "Parker entering god mode", "Parker taking over", etc.
- With this more restrained approach, Parker still has a lot of energy in the 4th, which makes him seem clutcher and clutcher, and enables him to kick it up a notch on D.
- Parker has a lot more assists, but roughly 2/3rd of the in the first half, and much fewer in the 2nd, as he's looking for his own shot more, and also because there's more ball movement in the 2nd half, whereas he creates more for his teammates directly in the 1st.
The old Parker was very good, but there were easy way to stop him and take him out of his comfort zone, which smart teams like the Lakers, or recently Memphis used to their advantage. I remember Paker being referred to as the "head of the snake" and coaches knowing that stopping him early was the key to beating the Spurs.
The new Parker is much improved, more patient and to be honest nearly unstoppable right now. He's much more of a threat even if he doesn't score, and is progressing from a one-man show to the proverbial teammate who "makes everybody better round him".
+1
Great Post
Great observation. Obviously, we have the better TP
I like the current pattern. It's preferable given the talent on this roster.
Tonight showcased Parker probing the game, and then bam!=.... He comes alive in the fourth for the knock out punch.
The great ones don't have to force the action and let the game come to them.
Bump. Even more true this year. TP being gassed in the 4th is a thing of the past.
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