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That's some of the harshest criticism of Parker I have read from E-N. Anyone agree?
Buck Harvey: Another MVP? If Pistons had been here instead
Web Posted: 01/11/2008 12:37 AM CST
Buck Harvey
Express-News Staff Writer
Chauncey Billups watched some of the Finals last June. So did Lindsey Hunter.
Rasheed Wallace?
“Nah, I'm a football fan,” he said.
But 'Sheed sure knows what he missed. He also knows what happened in his place. The Pistons' sudden and confusing collapse to an inferior team last spring changed careers, and Detroit feels that even after pushing around the Spurs on Thursday.
But so does a Spur.
Tony Parker.
The Pistons have only themselves to blame, and this is adding up for them. They lost the 2005 Finals to the Spurs in seven games, and that still haunts some of them.
Antonio McDyess, for example, said “just walking” into the AT&T Center last year “made me sick to my stomach.”
The nausea adds up. In 2006, with the league's best record, the Pistons fell to Miami. And last season they should have beaten a team the Spurs eventually swept.
The Spurs thought the same as they watched the Eastern Conference finals from a thousand miles away. They weren't sure if the Pistons had quit trying on defense, or they simply didn't know what to do.
After being eliminated, Billups at least knew what was next. Billups praises Cleveland, and he also says, “Yeah, I saw a sweep coming.”
And had the Pistons met the Spurs instead? “Oh, it would have been another great series,” he said. “Everybody wanted to see it.”
The term “everybody” is strong. TV ratings were low enough with LeBron James on the stage. Still, a lot of people in San Antonio and Detroit would have been curious to see two balanced, similarly paced teams in a rematch.
It wouldn't have been a sweep. There also would have been a night that looked like Thursday.
Then the Pistons slapped the Spurs with elbows, and they contested shots, and they turned everything back to 2005. Then, after the Spurs won that le, Gregg Popovich said, “I don't know how we did it.”
Others weren't sure, either. In four of the games, including the Robert Horry Classic, it appeared the Pistons were the better team.
Thursday had the same look, and Popovich had a look of his own. When the Pistons went on a 22-2 run to end the first quarter, Popovich never called a timeout. He chose, instead, to sip from a cup.
If this was a message for his players, it was this: You have to decide to play. Afterward he praised Tim Duncan and Jacque Vaughn and, when asked to critique others, he praised Duncan and Vaughn some more.
Vaughn's inclusion comes with a twist. He was the tough point guard on this night, and a moment in the fourth quarter defined that. Then Hunter pressured Parker, sticking a hand inside his arms. When Hunter yanked, the ball popped 15 feet into the air.
Those who squinted thought this was 2005, and Parker looked a lot like Beno Udrih.
Another twist: Udrih has already helped Sacramento beat Detroit this season.
Parker made some plays in 2005 to help the Spurs win the le, but he was doing everything he could then to hang on. Billups and Hunter are tough matches for him.
Billups muscles Parker with the ball, and Hunter is among the best on-the-ball defenders. Asked if Parker would have been the MVP in a series against the Pistons, Billups didn't hesitate.
“No,” he said. “Because we would have won.”
Billups was being playful. He respects the Spurs, which is why he made sure to walk down the sideline to shake Popovich's hand before the game. “They are THE team,” Billups said.
But MVPs sometimes change depending upon cir stance, and, in Cleveland, Parker found his easiest opponents of the playoffs. Daniel Gibson was too young, Eric Snow too old and Larry Hughes too injured.
Parker then played as well as he ever has, and he deserved his MVP trophy. He's also better now than he was in 2005. Given another chance to respond to Billups and Hunter, just as the Pistons regrouped after losing to the Mavericks, Parker would find himself.
But over a series?
If the Spurs had beaten another opponent last June, they would have had another MVP.
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LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...n.e7a8d14.html
That's some of the harshest criticism of Parker I have read from E-N. Anyone agree?
Then again... Maybe it's stating the obvious.
The pistons lost to the team we swept...nough said
Yeah, that's how I see it. Saying a player won't win a Finals MVP isn't exactly a slap in the face.
That said, last year when the Pistons turned the Cavs series into a dunk drill for LeBron, if they would have played that way against the Spurs I'm sure Parker would have had his share of layups. As would half the team.
its all about the matchups and how one responds to it. who knows? maybe parker would have found a way to take advantage of billups and hunter.
i can;t agree more with this story... anyhow i love TP as reigning finals MVPhe played better than Manu in the 05 series...
Lame article.
Since the 05 final, Parker has done well against Billups. Parker has had a bad game yesterday and then Harvey writes a "Parker is Billups' " article. Unreal.
And in top of that he adds "Udrih has done better against Billups than Parker" and "Parker was final MVP only because of a good matchup".
This article sucks. Buck Harvey looks more like a stupid and blind hater than like a journalist. I can't believe he gets paid to write stuffs like that.
uh, I don't know about that.i can;t agree more with this story... anyhow i love TP as reigning finals MVP
The Cavs swept SA in the regular season last year if I remember correctly.
God I hate these preseason.....errr.....regular season games.
Harvey's headlines are maddening. We get the cute formula. This is a stretch.
Mr. Big Shot Rob
great logic especially after Pistons lost 2 seasons in a row. D d d d dumbass!“No,” he said. “Because we would have won.”
Parker can't expect to play vs. the Pistons as he played vs. ty gibson and co. someone needs to send Longoria the memo.
Finally someone tells it how it is.... Duncan should have gotten the MVP for his continued excellence but it was too hard to argue with Parker's padded numbers against gibson and snow.
Yeah... Tim is the man. Period. If Timmy somehow was hurt after 3-0, Cavs would probably won 3-4 if it was up to Parker...
u r right!!!
I don't like Tony at all. To be honest, even if I am European I love only jersey on him. When Timmy retire, TP will probably go to LA, to satisfy Eva... Then I will hate him. For now I can't because of silver and black.
I was as disappointed as anyone could be that Duncan didn't get the Finals MVP. It was almost like this Championship was somehow lacking something for me.
But it is the Finals MVP, not the Playoffs MVP.
Duncan got us there, and even though his performance was great in the Finals there's no arguing that Parker deserved the MVP.
Parker said it best, Duncan let him borrow the award for a year.
I hope to see both trophies in Duncan's hands again.
me too.I hope to see both trophies in Duncan's hands again.
At least you are honest about your blind hate.
Funny how all the losers always have the same thing to say.
Yeah, I am.
At least you are honest about your blind hate.
This has been getting under my skin for about 15 years now.
The thing was, Duncan only needed to show up for the Finals. Same thing with Manu. The Spurs only needed brilliant plays coming from one Spur, who happened to be Tony. There where even times when Tim and Manu seemed only happy to be there. That's how lopsided the Finals was, that the Spurs only needed their point guard to kill them. Ultimately because of it, Tony deserved the Finals MVP. Had it included the whole playoffs, Tim would most definitely have earned his 4th.
So the argument is, with a different matchup, the MVP might have been different?
Stop the presses!!!!!! This changes EVERYTHING!! If the Mavs had gotten past GS, the MVP might have been LeBron! '06? if Manu doesn't foul Dirk, he coulda been MVP!! '05? Who cares - '05. '04? If the Glove didn't have a hole in it, the 'Fro woulda been MVP!! ...lather rinse repeat....
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