Wednesday, February 25th, 2009...10:13 pm
The Notebook: Spurs-Blazers, 2/25/09
After yesterday’s victory over the Mavericks, I mostly chose to ignore the achievements of Tony Parker and instead focus on the collective performance of the rest of our roster. But, after having one of the most impressive 2 game stretches of his career, I think Mr. Parker deserves to be addressed more directly.
The last 48 hours have been extremely encouraging. I’m encouraged because the Spurs were able to secure two victories against playoff caliber teams without two of our three best players. I’m encouraged because the Spurs, for two straight nights, showed us the strangling defense that has won us championships in years past. I’m encouraged because we saw secondary players step up and hit big shots at crucial moments down the stretch. I’m encouraged because we closed the deal on the second night of a back-to-back against a considerably younger squad. But mostly, I’m encouraged because I believe, in Tony Parker, we have a player whose potential I may have been underestimating.
Tony Parker is a two-time All Star. Tony Parker is a 3-time NBA champion. Tony Parker is a NBA Finals MVP. And, despite those accomplishments, I have been underestimating him.
I have often said that Duncan is the point from which the Spurs’ success emanates. He is the bedrock of our defensive prowess and has been our most reliable scorer for over a decade. The success we have had over the last two nights cannot be properly understood if we do not recognize that the weightiness of Duncan’s legacy hangs over this team even when he is not on the court. For ten years, Duncan has been the field general.
But over the last two nights, Parker has shown me that he is prepared to be. I am not saying Parker is the caliber of player Duncan is. He will never be. But I believe Parker has developed the ability to dictate the dynamics of the court in a way that for years only Duncan could. I don’t just mean that Parker, when truly focused, can score at will. I mean Parker has matured into the passionate conductor of a beautifully designed offense. When Manu and Duncan are absent we do not possess the talent to make every corner of the court sing but I believe, if Parker were given the right instruments, it could.
Under the tutelage of Popovich and Duncan, Parker has become a true field general. Don’t just look at his buckets and dimes on the offensive end. Think about the direction he has given and the intensity he has shown over the past two nights on the defensive end. It will be impossible for Parker to have 30+ point games night-in, night-out, but it is not impossible for him to be the emotional and intellectual point from which the Spurs’ success emanates. For some time now I have felt Tony would never reach this place. Popovich has always believed Parker has this potential but I have been a skeptic. But, at just 26 years of age, with so many good years of ball ahead of him, Mr. Parker is making me a believer.
In the past Tim Varner has claimed that Duncan is the window. I am beginning to believe that, with Buford as GM, Popovich as coach and Parker at the point, this team can continue to excel for some time.
This evening’s victory was a very solid win over a respectable ball club. For the second night in a row Michael Finley arrived with the “grizzled malice” I spoke of yesterday. During 37 workhorse minutes, Finley hauled down 6 boards and drained 6 of his 11 shots. The other notable contribution of the night came from Matt Bonner, whose 9 rebounds and 3 3-pointers helped secure the win. Sadly (but knowing Pop, not surprisingly) the much discussed Pops Mensah-Bonsu did not see the court until the final minute of the game.
On Friday the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town. It is imperative that Duncan be in street clothes if he is not at 100%. The media can hype this 2007 finals rematch all they want but we all know the games in late february are nowhere near as important as the games in late April. That being said, if Duncan is healthy, I hope we bring the ruckus.
16 Comments
February 26th, 2009 at 12:43 am
It seems every time Tony Parker takes two steps forward, he tends to take one step back. His inconsistency has always the main issue among skeptics. That feature is the antithesis of our leader Duncan, so consistent people forget just how great he is.
Time away for Manu and Duncan mean that the offense runs through Parker, so his boost in numbers is not really much of a surprise. But I really don’t see the Parker you’re envisioning in the post-Duncan era.
Either way, great pick late in the draft.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:06 am
I think his inconsistency was more of a factor when he was younger. You can’t see the full value of Parker by looking at his line at the end of the game. He’s never going to get as many assists as Chris Paul because so much of the offense runs through Duncan. Just the same way he might not score 20 every night because he is able to create for other players.
He said in the article - Tony is not the great player Tim is, only a handful of players in the history of the league are. So you are only going to be disappointed if you expect him to live up to those standards. At 26, he is one of the best point guards in the league and getting better every year.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:33 am
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I enjoyed the last two games more than any games I can remember. There was no stress. If we lost, well, we were missing Tim and Manu. But if we won…Ahhhh. Beautiful. As we kept playing hard and well, I kept smiling and smiling and giggling like a kid. I felt like a parent who had to got a middle school play: no expectations, just don’t bore me. And then, finding out that it was pretty good, and then really good. And enjoying yourself. I don’t know if any of that makes sense, but those games made me happy.
(Also, a good side note: it is possible that somewhere down the road we might have to play Dallas or Portland in the playoffs; what might they think then about their chances if they couldn’t beat us now?)
February 26th, 2009 at 6:26 am
Two quick thoughts:
1) Tony looked just as dominant to begin the season—for a short spell he led the league in scoring and had that 50 point blow up against the Wolves. In other words, he’s a better player-not the same player-but a better one than his previous seasons.
2) I’m not convinced Tony has hit his ceiling. For example, he still does n0t have a 3 point shot. If defenses had to respect that…
February 26th, 2009 at 6:30 am
i was hoping pops was going to get run. it would make more sense to throw pops in there with parker running the show where the offense is a little more free flowing and where the spurs might be looking to run more.
nonetheless, the spurs continue to surprise shorthanded, but regardless of who is suited up to play and who isn’t, coach popp always has the 5 on the court playing defense, and that always gives us a chance against most teams in this league.
finley and bonners hot 3pt shooting is overshadowing masons slump in that area (1 for last 10). hopefully he gets it going again.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:06 am
If we can just beat Cleveland, we should look into trading Duncan when his value is still high and so that he doesn’t clog up our 2010 plans - kidding!
TP’s play really makes you wonder how good he would be if he was the star on a team - I can definitely see him averaging 25+ points per game with 7-8 assists. But I’m sure he also appreciates and loves the opportunity to play on a team that competes for a championship every year rather than putting up big numbers on a losing team.
I agree with what was said in the article, Duncan should be rested for as long as it takes, even if it means he’s out for all of March. Without him being 100% (or very close), we’re going to struggle to win even one round in the playoffs.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:08 am
I had the same exact thoughts as far as Tim Duncan versus Tony Parker being the window. Clearly, no one will fill Tim Duncan’s shoes when he decides to hang them up, but I’m beginning to believe Pop won’t retire until Tony Parker does. Surrounded with the right players, who knows what can happen.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:50 am
NL: I have thought the same thing, extending the window with Parker and using money wisely as the Spurs do. Of course, the team wouldn’t be based on Parker as it has been with Timmy, but as you have pointed out, no team ever will!
If the Spurs would have gone ahead and mortgaged their future acquiring Carter or someone like him, we would have boosted our chances of winning now, but at the expense of losing that highly likely possibility of continue to be respectable or contenders for a while. Remember, once a small market team stops winning, it can take a decade to be relevant again. This is why Duncan was so historically important to the franchise, he saved it from ridding Robinson until he faded and having the team gone through some rough years before starting over.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Parker has gotten a reputation as the worst of our Big Three simply because of he plays point guard. Some diehards don’t want a scoring point guard and he is the worst of the 3 on defense. There’s the misconception that Manu was robbed for a Finals MVP in 2005, and then observers of the game know Parker’s scoring stats won it for him in 2007, while Duncan dominated defensively. In the NBA reality, a point guard needs to be a scoring threat first before he can distribute. The Jazz went to that next level when Stockton took more threes. Steve Nash didn’t go to that All-Star level until he was forced to look for his shot more with the Suns. People don’t understand that Tony pulls up for his shot unexpectedly early in offensive sets when that is exactly what Pop tells him to do. Parker’s detractors don’t realize he was the difference in the Suns series, the difference by a million miles. In 2001, the Spurs “won the lottery,” just like David and Tim’s years. Joe Johnson and Pau Gasol are great players. Right now, Tony has been better.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:17 am
I appreciate Tony’s last two games, but this sounds like too much to me, Graydon. Parker is a prodigy at penetrating defenses, and his speed is second to none. Part of his success comes from teams not realizing that in a Duncan and Manu-less Spurs, Tony is the only real threat. He should’ve been doubled every time he grabbed the ball, tripled! Every time he left the court last night the Blazers made a run. Let Finley and Bonner kill you, if they can.
Tony is definitely a top-20 player in the NBA, but I believe the “team general” position is overrated. Maybe in a less experienced team, or in a team that doesn’t have Pop for a Coach. As long as Pop sits on that bench, the defense will answer to him in my book. He’s the one that gets in Matt’s (or Tony’s, too) face when he’s camping in the area, or takes a player out immediately when a rotation is missed.
I’d love to see Pop coach a team without the Big Three. I think we would see levels of coaching we’re not used to from him, simply because Tim is more or less the perfect player.
Hm. Hopefully I didn’t sound too critical of Tony. He’s taken his game to another level in the last two seasons, and as Tim said he could still develop a reliable 3-point shot.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
“In the past Tim Varner has claimed that Duncan is the window. I am beginning to believe that, with Buford as GM, Popovich as coach and Parker at the point, this team can continue to excel for some time.”
Don’t delude yourself that the Spurs can continue to “excel for some time” without Duncan. Tim Duncan is the greatest Power Forward to play the game of basketball. Once he retires the Spurs will drop back to the rest of the league. If I were running the Spurs I’d be all in to win now; I really thought they would make a move at the deadline because I don’t think they can beat the Lakers as is.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
One reason I think the Spurs have been able to dominate the Suns this past decade is because of our personnel. Tony is better than Amare, Joe Johnson, and Marion. Yet he has no qualms playing third fiddle, but those other three would rather be the star on a losing squad than play second to Nash. This is one reason why I believe the Spurs can continue to be successful in the post Duncan era. Going after the right players and having a great coach can get it done. Hey, it worked for Detroit in 04 and we’ve all seen what Amare, Joe, and Shawn can do without Nash / D’Antonio….not much.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Parker will become #1 and extend Duncan and Ginobili for a few more years. But they need to re-do the SF position. Let Finley go. Cut Bowen back to 10 minutes or trade.
Rebounding needs to be a higher priority from that spot or a tweener forward to go with Bonner. Go after Powe hard or get Singleton. Or try to trade for Dudley or Balkman. Really.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Mountain,
I think the Spurs might find a few MLE bargains this offseason. For example, I was talking with Anup Shah of Rockets Buzz last night and we were both wondering about the cost/availability of Ron Artest in this economy. He’s worth more than the MLE, but can he get it? Might he prefer a 1 year MLE to see if the economy improves or if he can cash in on some 2010 money. Only one example, but the Spurs are best served to wait to see if they can catch a steal in July.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Artest 1 year might well be worthwhile. I didn’t make that connection. Popovich has a better shot at limiting Artest’s shots (the main on the court problem) than too low-key, not willing to fight /control Adelman.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Powe, Singleton, Dudley and Balkman are close to Artest sized. Singleton or Dudley might be the most similar in game. All are essentially poor man’s Artests, fittable into a role that Artest could fit without the personality management challenge.
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