Will the real Tony Parker please stand up?

Tony Parker has given everyone a peek at the star potential he possesses, most notably when he outplayed Jason Kidd in the first two games of the NBA Finals. But the horrible funks he gets into have earned him some detractors.

Parker can lose his confidence faster than Mike Tyson can lose his money, as he showed in the final three games of the Finals. He was basically useless during Games 4 and 6, shooting a combined 3-for-18 with five turnovers. In fact, Parker was so discombobulated that while the Spurs were on their championship-clinching 19-0 run, he was nailed to the bench. During the celebration, he seemed a bit glum about his benching at the end of the clinching game.

The summer probably didn't help his confidence. Despite winning an NBA title, the Spurs dove into the free-agent market with abandon in an effort to lure Kidd. Parker expressed his displeasure at the Spurs' efforts to demote him, and in the process strained his relationship with coach Gregg Popovich. In part, this was because Parker, at first, went along with the plan and said all the right things, and then shifted gears in midstream when he realized he'd be carrying Kidd's golf clubs for six years.

But Parker's up-and-down play can partly be ascribed to his youth. Parker is just 21 years old and is already one of the NBA's better point guards. Last year, he averaged 15 points and five assists a game, and improved steadily as the season wore on. With his outstanding quickness and ability to make running floaters in the lane, Parker can boost those numbers considerably in the coming seasons. He also blew up playing for France in the European Championships, which should give him a needed confidence boost after the Finals.

The Spurs will need him to put the summer's disappointments behind him and deliver bigger numbers. They ended up not signing Kidd, and also lost Speedy Claxton and Steve Kerr, so the Spurs no longer have the luxury of yanking Parker when his confidence wanes. Instead, the team's hopes of defending its championship rest to an uncomfortable degree on their point guard's ability to avoid the swoons that plagued him a year ago.

If Parker takes the next stop forward and provides consistent scoring in the high teens, the Spurs may stay on top. But he has to deliver every night. Parker had five different playoff games where he shot 15 percent or less, and the Spurs lost three of them. He had other games where he went 6-for-17 and 3-for-11, and San Antonio lost those, too. But in the other 19 playoff games, the San Antonio juggernaut went 16-3. Thus, if Parker continues his habit of following two 20-point games with a 2-for-14 stinker, the Spurs never will survive the Western Conference minefield. Given that this year's title may depend on the outcome, the Midwest Division spotlight is shining squarely on Parker.

-- By John Hollinger, SI.com