The 4-Down Podcast, Episode 57: Tony Parker is good

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After being named an All-Star and awarded player of the week honors, Tony Parker deserves some attention. In the first 4-Down Podcast in some time, we devote some time to talk about the season Parker is having. All eyes have been on TP with Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich missing the last few Spurs games, and Manu Ginobili still working his way back from a strained hamstring. What we’ve seen over that time is some of the best play of Parker’s career.

In the new format for the 4-Down Podcast, we also look at some general NBA stuff, talking about the loaded Western Conference and discuss the four-headed beast that is the Spurs, Clippers, Thunder and Grizzlies. We also go into some historical stuff and talk about Andre Miller’s 52-point game from 2010 for the Portland Trail Blazers, and break down one of the many trade ideas we get from Tim Varner.

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  • http://twitter.com/therealgraydon Graydon Gordian

    Well, sounds like we had more technical difficulties than we realized at the time. We’ll work on fixing the quality of the sound on my end in coming weeks. Apologies.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=173600134 Ryan McShane

    Those were the most innocuous 52 points I’ve ever seen.

  • clennon

    I really wanted to listen to this, but it’s unlistenable.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=173600134 Ryan McShane

    Tony Parker went through that breakup with Eva during the 10-11 season and he looked pretty disaffected in the round against the Grizzlies. Manu Ginobili with a broken arm was the best Spur in that series. Then he said the Spurs couldn’t win again. Pop helped him off of his feet and gave him the keys to the team. He came back next season after a summer to get over his divorce and he had what The Sports Guy would call and “eff you” season. Bringing Boris over was a move that benefited Tony’s emotions, and I’m sure Nando’s move was the same. So, now you have a player whose womanly love has been supplanted by French bromance and he believe the Spurs can win again. He was the reason the Spurs beat UTA and LAC, and when foiled by Thabo’s defense, the reason the Spurs lost to OKC. The Spurs go as Tony goes.

    I think the kind of 4th quarter explosion Tony displayed against Phoenix was the reason that Tony should be in the MVP conversation. CP3 couldn’t have done that. He can’t run a fast break by himself. He needs a Blake Griffin or a circa 2008 Tyson Chandler to throw alley-oops to. He can’t finish in the paint. CP3 controls the ball because he doesn’t believe in his teammates (just like the “new” Kobe). The offense in San Antonio always starts with Tony when he’s on the floor. I think Arnovitz wrote a great piece on how the Spurs are great at using the offense in the first 4 to 16 seconds. In short, Tony Parker’s explosiveness (and TD’s outlet passing) give them a great opportunity to do well when the defense is on its heels, but he pulls it out if nothing is there and then attacks pretty quickly again, and trusts his teammates to make shots.

    And look, Kevin Durant and LeBron James don’t make their teammates better the way Tony Parker does. So, Tony Parker is the best player on the best team in the NBA. He’s not flashy like KD and LBJ, but neither was Tim Duncan. Parker is just fundamentally sound.

    It’s probably for the best that nobody thinks of Tony Parker as a league MVP.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=173600134 Ryan McShane
  • http://twitter.com/therealgraydon Graydon Gordian

    Ya, the sound quality is rough. We’ll make sure that gets fixed for next week. While recording everything seemed to be working smoothly. Again, apologies.

  • rj

    I got through it. And charles smith did play for the spurs. We called him “spider”. I want to say he droppped 35 in a loss to l.a.

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