Spurs-Mavs notebook

[Kori Ellis]

Spurs-Mavs notebook: Sore Parker survives hit to other leg and earns first MVP votes

Web Posted: 05/08/2006 12:00 AM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Write

His coach declared he was fine "because it's the playoffs," but Spurs point guard Tony Parker said playing on his bruised right leg 36 hours after finishing off the Sacramento Kings on Friday was difficult.

Parker said the soreness took away one of his favorite moves.

"I couldn't cross over as usual," Parker said, "but overall, I was feeling pretty good.

"Today I got hit on the other (leg), so now I've got both legs (hurt). I'm not very lucky in the moment."

Parker learned that he finished ninth in voting for the Most Valuable Player award, one spot behind teammate Tim Duncan, a two-time MVP. It was the first time Parker received MVP votes. Phoenix's Steve Nash was voted MVP for the second-straight season.

Duncan's slipping to eighth, said Parker, is a reflection of his value as a teammate.

"He didn't play like the two years he won the award and was just dominating, doing everything," Parker said. "Now, he's the type of player who is very unselfish, and doesn't care if I finish with all the points, or Manu (Ginobili) scores all the points. He just wants us to win. He's just unselfish and is going to play like that. He knows we need two or three options, and basketball is a team game."

Let 'TP' do it: Duncan said he didn't feel the effect of the quick turnaround from Friday's game to Sunday's early tipoff as much as he feared, in large part because he was not called on to carry much of the load in the Spurs' close-out victory Friday.

"I didn't do a whole lot the last game, honestly," Duncan said. "I might have played 30 minutes, but we were in a great situation where we had a good lead, and T. Parker was great, shouldered the load. It felt a lot more like not a stressful night, so I had a lot more energy for this game."

The Bear speaks: Spurs defensive standout Bruce Bowen was not amused by Mavericks coach Avery Johnson's characterization of his defense on Dirk Nowitzki as being "bearhug defense."

"You know why he said that," Bowen said, shaking his head. "It's for the referees to see after all you guys print it."

Bowen, who has grown weary of complaints from players and coaches who criticize his defensive tactics, said he no longer lets such comments affect him.

"It used to affect me," Bowen said. "You have to try to earn respect of coaches, because you are trying to give 100 percent, but you just have to add comments like those to the list of others."

No Rust-Oleum required: The Mavericks had spent almost six full days waiting for the conference semifinals after eliminating the Memphis Grizzlies, giving them their longest stretch between games since the All-Star break.

But Dallas players said they didn't have any problems finding their rhythm once Sunday's game started.

"There wasn't any rust," Nowitzki said. "We played well enough to win, and we just didn't do it."

Forward Josh Howard said the Mavericks didn't play their best game but said the effort was better than some might think.

"On a scale of 1 to 10?" Howard said. "About an eight and a half."

Daniels returns: Mavericks guard Marquis Daniels, who missed Game4 of the first round with a strained right hamstring, played in Sunday's game but was limited to less than seven minutes. He had three assists, grabbed a rebound and missed the only shot he took.

His most recent injury is his second hamstring problem of the past month. Daniels missed the last game of the regular season after straining his left hamstring. He used the Mavericks' six-day layoff to heal both injuries, and he said he's close to 100 percent.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...k.d2e7ba9.html

[thispego]

nice sig kori