Ludden: Spurs follow Tony Parker's lead; take 2-0 edge over Thunder in West finals

[Uriel]

Another brilliant article by our favorite former Express-News columnist.

SAN ANTONIO – The news arrived at Gregg Popovich's doorstep in the dead of another brutal South Texas summer. The San Antonio Spurs had been bounced out of the first round of the playoffs by the Memphis Grizzlies, Tony Parker had headed home to France to start his vacation, and suddenly there was a report coming across the Atlantic that the Spurs' point guard was proclaiming their dynasty days officially over. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were getting old, Parker said.

"We will always have a good team," the French media reported Parker as saying, "but we can no longer say that we're playing for a championship."

Naturally, this didn't play well at 21 Spurs Lane. "I thought the same thing Pop said," Ginobili recalled. " 'Shut up!' "

Ginobili says this with a laugh. Parker quickly denied the report, saying his true comments had been lost in translation, and, besides, who cares now? All that matters is what Parker did next: When the NBA lockout ended, he arrived more committed, more focused, more driven, than ever.

Parker has carried the Spurs through this magical season and he carried them again Tuesday night. His 34 points and eight assists came amid a dazzling display of shot-making that staggered the Oklahoma City Thunder and delivered the Spurs their 20th consecutive victory and a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. For much of the 120-111 victory, he ran the Spurs' offense to near-perfection as San Antonio carved up the Thunder with quick, crisp passing.

"When you have Coach Pop screaming at you every day," Parker said, "it will make you pass the ball."

Parker didn't arrive here overnight. He's weathered Popovich's scolding for years and emerged stronger for it. The tug-of-war between point guard and coach has played out over the seasons, and the growing pains Parker and Popovich endured are not unlike those that now test the Thunder's Russell Westbrook and Scott Brooks.

Oklahoma City's point guard and coach are forever on trial, and they will be judged by how this season ends. Heading home for the next two games, the Thunder can still make this a series. If they don't? If they fall in these West finals the way they fell in last year's when the Dallas Mavericks beat them in five games, then the Thunder will ask themselves how much progress they've made.

For Brooks, his negotiating leverage is dictated by each win and loss in these playoffs. His contract ends after this season, and his representative and the team have yet to find a middle ground on a new deal. If the Thunder lose this series, team officials will have to decide how much money and time to commit to Brooks while waiting to learn whether he's capable of guiding them to a championship.

The Thunder have few reservations about Westbrook. He played a strong game, totaling 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds without a single turnover. He hounded Parker as best he could, crowding him despite the Spurs running him through screen after screen. And yet with each loss the Thunder suffer, Westbrook's performance is often measured by his shot count (24) compared to that of Kevin Durant (17). If the Thunder win, he's praised for his aggressiveness. If they lose, critics often blame his selfishness.

Parker knows the drill. He's heard the same criticism over the years from outside and within the Spurs' locker room.

"It's always been a battle my whole career when you're a scoring point guard," Parker said. "Pop wants you to score then he wants you to pass. You go back and forth. It's always been the biggest room for me to improve is to find that happy middle between scoring and passing, and find that good balance."

Parker arrived to the Spurs fresh-faced and 19 years old. Popovich already had one championship under his belt and a system in place. He's also coached with an edge Brooks will never have: He's his own boss.

Early in his career, Parker once dared to shake off a play call from his coach. Popovich called a timeout and blasted Parker before he could even reach the bench. "You know I'm crazy!" Popovich yelled. "Do that again, and I'll play Steve Kerr 95 minutes a night if I have to!"

Popovich's tough love continued. In the Spurs' 2003 championship run, he often used Parker's backup, Speedy Claxton, to close games. For a couple seasons afterward, Parker would still sometimes find himself on the bench or standing in the corner of the court as Ginobili initiated the offense in crunch time.

"At times he can get frustrated with Pop getting on him and stuff like that," said Spurs forward Boris Diaw, one of Parker's closest friends from their childhood days. "But he knows it's for his own good. He's been here for [11] years. He knows that whatever Pop is telling him is not personal, it's going to make him better, it's going to make the team better."

Parker's toughness grew, and after the Spurs gave him assistant coach Chip Engelland, one of the sport's great shot doctors, his game went from good to great. Throughout all the years, Parker's had to prove himself in ways that Duncan and Ginobili never did. A couple weeks after the 2003 le, the Spurs brought Jason Kidd to town in hopes of making him their new point guard.

"I know I'm the best point guard for this team," Parker complained. "I can lead this team."

The doubts persisted through two more les and a Finals MVP award. A few seasons ago, the Spurs called the New Orleans Hornets about a possible deal for Chris Paul. Nearly every summer since, Parker's name has risen in trade conversations, even if the talks rarely scratched the surface. Yet for all the concern that Parker lusted for a bigger market and grander stage, it was he who initiated contract extension talks early last season at the expense of his free agency.

The Spurs used to joke the franchise was forever in synergy because Ginobili always said the right thing, Parker usually said the wrong thing and Duncan rarely said anything. So when Parker's comments last summer made their way from France to San Antonio, the Spurs again had reason to roll their eyes. Wasn't this just Tony being Tony?

At the start of the season, Popovich had one request of Parker. He'd seen how aggressive Parker had played for France during last summer's European championships. He wanted Parker to play the same way for the Spurs.

Parker accepted and met the challenge, delivering the greatest season of his career. "He's got the whole package," Ginobili says.

Parker and Popovich will still bark at each other, and they did again Tuesday night after the Thunder clawed back into the game. But on this night, in this season, Parker sits no more. The ball found its way into his hands in the closing moments, and he darted through the Thunder for one final twisting layup.

After all these years, Parker's leading the Spurs just as he always said he could. After all these years, it's his team, his time.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--sp...t-finals-.html

[100%duncan]

Great article. No doubt this is Tony's team now. Winning this season would shut the up the whole PG can't lead a team to a ring.

[ForeignFan]

Ludden is good, as always

[Danny.Zhu]

I'll play Steve Kerr 95 minutes a night if I have to!

The Spurs used to joke the franchise was forever in synergy because Ginobili always said the right thing, Parker usually said the wrong thing and Duncan rarely said anything.

[Yuixafun]

Being the same age as Tony Parker, being 30... with all that signifies... and also having overcome the end of a relationship 2 years ago...

I feel that dude, if you catch my drift.

If the Spurs win it all, I think a Shawshank Redemption moment is imminent.


Tony will look to the rafters, remember the mile of he needed to crawl through, all the years of imprisonment, to finally come out free on the other side and be washed clean.

And I'll bide my time until I can get my Morgan Freeman on, saying what I really mean from my being, instead of what I think people want to hear, and in doing so find my self released...

I believe. I believe... I believe.

[timvp]

Ludden usually takes a negative spin on everything Parker-related so you know Parker had to play well to even get Ludden's approval.

[boutons_deux]

Perfect in Playoffs, the Spurs Are Starting to Make Winning Look Easy

Tony Parker's barrage of floating jump shots and finger rolls began early, staggering the Oklahoma City Thunder with such efficiency that it seemed to contradict his suggestion that experience wasn't necessarily an advantage for the San Antonio Spurs in these Western Conference finals.

The Thunder, after all, had reached this stage of the playoffs last year, and was billed as younger and hungrier. But with Parker guiding the Spurs like a sherpa, San Antonio's veteran leadership and depth prevailed again Tuesday night, turning back a late Thunder rally for a 120-111 victory and a 2-0 lead in the series.

Parker scored 34 points and made 16 of 21 shots, and his eight assists were again testament to the trademark precision the Spurs pride themselves on and the Thunder has yet to counter. If the weight of trying to win the franchise's fifth N.B.A. le in 14 seasons isn't enough, San Antonio also finds itself in the midst of a historic run.

The Spurs extended their winning streak to 20 games, tying the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks for the third longest streak in league history. The 1971-72 Lakers hold the record with 33 victories in a row, followed by the 2008 Houston Rockets with 22.

San Antonio also remained unbeaten in these playoffs at 10-0, one behind the 2001 and 1989 Los Angeles Lakers for the most victories in a row to open the postseason.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=956114&f=27

[boutons_deux]

Being Smart Can Beat Being Big

The N.B.A. championship might be claimed by an East Coast city (Miami or Boston) that ranks high on the list of America’s most celebrated sports markets or by a Western Conference outpost (San Antonio or Oklahoma City) that many would have difficulty finding on a map

Beyond location, the final four playoff teams remind us that there is no exact le contention mold, rhetoric of the last two seasons be damned. Despite small-market fears that in part drove last summer’s lockout into December, the end of meaningful compe ion did not occur after the incendiary union of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

More to the point, diverse front-office thinking and execution did not come to a halt.

Smart, patient people can still oven bake, and there is evidence (see the Knicks) that the superstar mix-and-match microwave can be a recipe for mediocrity. While Miami is a good bet to reach its second championship series and could be on the verge of fulfilling its pledge of domination, there is an equal chance that the Heat will fall to a team loaded with homegrown talent and efficient, inexpensive role players.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/sp...er=rss&emc=rss

[MannyIsGod]

@ Pop threatening to play Kerr 95 minutes a game. That is gold..

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

Great article. No doubt this is Tony's team now. Winning this season would shut up the whole PG can't lead a team to a ring.

Um....didn't Parker win a Finals MVP in 2007?

[tesseractive]

Um....didn't Parker win a Finals MVP in 2007?

There's no disputing that Tim Duncan was still the main man on that team.

Tim is still the defensive anchor, but Tony is leading this team on offense, which is where the Spurs are dominating. We couldn't do this without any of the big 3, but it's not at all crazy to claim that this is Tony's team now.

[Old School 44]

The Thunder have few reservations about Westbrook. He played a strong game, totaling 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds without a single turnover. He hounded Parker as best he could, crowding him despite the Spurs running him through screen after screen. And yet with each loss the Thunder suffer, Westbrook's performance is often measured by his shot count (24) compared to that of Kevin Durant (17). If the Thunder win, he's praised for his aggressiveness. If they lose, critics often blame his selfishness.

Good read. I wonder if there are any Westbrook > Durant or Harden > Westbrook threads on any OKC boards.

[boutons_deux]

NYT again!

Leading Off: Spurs, the Throwback Team, Still Dominating

The proper way to watch the Spurs' victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals was stock-still, jaw slightly agape, eyes following every pinpoint pass, focused on plays so intelligently run it seemed Coach Gregg Popovich had found a way to live-animate his play board. You could almost feel John Wooden beaming all the way from the basketball afterlife. The Thunder, for the most part, worked hard and tried hard and the young star players leaned hard on their natural talent, but they were no match. They ended up looking like the bumpers in a pinball game.

The Spurs provided a mesmerizing look back at old-school basketball, the kind in which teams are built to be more than the sum of their parts. But they're doing it now, in 2012, with the rest of the N.B.A. having long suc bed to star player fever. San Antonio's Tony Parker had the kind of magnificent game that would put him in modern highlight heaven - 34 points, 8 assists, nary a false step - and the conversation topic afterward was how much grief Popovich had given him over the years to turn him into this player, as Johnny Ludden writes so compellingly on Yahoo.com. Has any coach given the likes of LeBron James grief? Even for a minute?

So, the Spurs are up, 2-0, heading to Oklahoma City, carrying a 20-game winning streak and prompting writers like J.A. Adande of ESPN.com to wonder if they'll ever lose. Certainly, they will lose at some point, even if they win the N.B.A. championship. No team has gone undefeated in the playoffs. In a way, they've already won, extending their an rendy style into this era, defying age and time and the desire to be big on YouTube. And the Spurs are anything but boring, as Jen Floyd Engel writes on Foxsports.com, making an art form of their style.

For a prime indicator of the difference between the old-school Spurs and the new-world Thunder, you need not look any further than their coaches. As Buck Harvery writes in The San Antonio Express-News, the Spurs' success flowed from their dedication to Popovich and his less than dazzling style, while the Thunder's Scott Brooks has his future resting on the day-to-day success of his star players. Another symbol: Tim Duncan has forever resisted the call of somewhere else, writes Ray Ratto on CBSSports.com, and wisely stayed exactly where he belongs.

For now anyway, you can watch and be amazed.

...

If the N.B.A. were measured in eras, one of them should be named after the Spurs. It turns out we're still in that one. Enjoy it while it lasts.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article;js...?a=956216&f=27


.

[Spurs Brazil]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...ol-tony-parker

Not the same ol' Tony Parker
May, 30, 2012
May 30
12:04
PM ET
Abbott By Henry Abbott
ESPN.com
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Tony Parker
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
Tony Parker at the rim. He once made a name for himself there, but his game has changed.

We've seen it his entire career: Tony Parker is blazing fast, beats people off the dribble, and somehow makes one crazy twisting layup in traffic after another. That's how he scores.

And then, at some point there was a big mess of articles about shooting coaches a few years ago, and voila, the man can shoot the 3.

So, if he can destroy people at the rim and from 3 -- the two most efficient spots on the court -- of course he can quarterback the most efficient NBA offense maybe ever.

Let those other teams, with their big-name stars, sweat the difficult long 2-pointers, the bane of stat geeks everywhere. Let dumber, less efficient teams have their stars dribble the out of the ball, advertising to the defense where the attack will come from, while the rest of the team, essentially no use at all, watches. That is not what San Antonio does. That's not Tony Parker's game.

Only, it's a total crock.

First of all, despite those articles about shooting coaches, Parker has never been a very good 3-point shooter. His career average from downtown is a pedestrian 31 percent -- and he has essentially given it up. His first few years he shot hundreds a year. He hasn't attempted more than 70 a season since 2005. This past regular season he made a grand total of 14, and that required 61 tries.

And those wild layups still appear now and again. On Tuesday night he did uncork a spin move, followed by a floater that drew some oohs. There was an actual layup in traffic in the second quarter, which made the highlight reel. But that's not how Tony Parker beat the Thunder in Game 2. Just like Michael Jordan famously added old-guy elements to his game as he aged, so has Parker.

When he assaulted the Oklahoma City Thunder for 34 points on 21 shots in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, he had essentially none of his patented twisting, high-speed layups. He almost never navigated the forest of big men. (When he tried, they often got to it, resulting, twice, in goaltending calls.)

Players make more shots, we have learned from a century of coaches, and confirmed by a few years of SportVu optical tracking technology, from catching and shooting. Off the dribble, it's tougher, which of course San Antonio knows: The Spurs' offense is a love song to this reality.

Who could forget Manu Ginobili faking an open 3, dribbling at the hoop, only to wrap a pass behind his back to the open Parker in the right corner for the lovely catch-and-shoot 3?

Now, here's the surprise:

Who would believe that of Parker's game-high 16 made shots, that was the only make that was off the catch.

Despite several of his jumpers being credited as assisted, even on those Parker dribbled at least once, and sometimes as many as three times before letting it fly.

Of his 16 makes, 15 were off the dribble, and a full dozen were identical:

Mid-range to long 2-pointers, the exact shots stat geeks hate.
Off the dribble, the exact shots stat geeks and coaches normally shy away from.
Mostly as the ball-handler in the pick and roll, but sometimes simply Parker creating entirely for himself with the dribble attack, in pure Hero Ball style.


In other words, yes the Spurs are incredibly efficient, with their ball movement and selflessness. Yes, they take a lot of catch-and-shoot open 3s. And even on possessions where Parker dribbles a ton, the ball still moves easily from player to player, not unlike on Steve Nash's Phoenix Suns.

But as a scorer, Parker's simply not much of a catch-and-shoot guy, nor is he getting tons of efficient layups or 3s. He dribble-probes like a professional ballhog, uses screens to get open, and takes and makes a lot of tough-for-most guys longish jumpers off the bounce.

At one point he caught the ball for a wide open 3, but dribbled in a step to commit the double stat geek efficiency sins of a) opting for the almost-as-hard-but-not-nearly-as-rewarding long 2 and b) turning a catch-and-shoot opportunity into one off the dribble.

Why does this work? Why can Parker, unlike so many other NBA players, be the efficient high-volume scorer who takes over a big playoff game while dining almost exclusively on inefficient shots?

It's an open question. Perhaps, given the same looks again, he'd normally miss many more.

Or maybe it has a lot to do with the fact that he's open for just about all of them. Sure it's off the dribble. Sure it's a long 2. Sure those shots are created like tough shots are created. But if the guy who's supposed to be bothering his shot, typically Russell Westbrook, is a yard behind the play wrestling with Tim Duncan ... well, that's a wide open shot. And that's a great shot, even if it's not as exciting as a twisting layup in traffic