Tony Parker. The biggest surprise of the Finals has been the French guard's series-long flambé of Jason Kidd. Parker scored 26 points and committed just one turnover in compiling his third straight 20-point night against one of the game's best defensive players. When Parker scores 20, the Spurs are 26-2 on the year.
Richard Jefferson. Isn't this guy supposed to be on the Olympic team? Did he already leave for Athens? New Jersey might want to send out an APB for their star forward after he was harassed into a 3-for-11, six-point night after scoring just eight in Game 2. If the Nets' third-leading scorer doesn't bounce back, neither will they.
Malik Rose's dunk.The Spurs were trailing 57-54 early in the fourth quarter and New Jersey's crowd was going crazy. But Rose shut them up in a hurry when he took an entry pass, spun away from Kenyon Martin, then crammed home an emphatic facial over 7-foot-2 Dikembe Mutombo to ignite the Spurs' winning rally.
Can't anybody shoot? The Nets and Spurs are arguably the two best defensive teams in the NBA, and a purist can appreciate all the tough D in this series. Right after you wake him up, that is. Game 3's 63-point first half was some of history's most unsightly basketball that didn't involve Pat Riley, and we hope to see more scoring in Game 4.
Photo Credits: Parker (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images), Jefferson (Catherine Steenkeste/NBAE/Getty Images), Rose (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images), Martin (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)