Trial by fire

Spurs' young point guard will be tested in playoffs

The Spurs' title hopes are riding on an untested 19-year-old point guard.

Tony Parker has had an outstanding rookie season, and he's a very confident player. But the big question for San Antonio: How will Parker react to postseason play?

One thing in his favor is that the Spurs already play a half-court game, which is the predominant style in the playoffs. Another is that the Lakers aren't as good as they were last year. There's a feeling in the West that L.A. can be beaten. Whether anyone can do it is another question.

The third advantage has been the play of Tim Duncan, who has been absolutely amazing of late. The MVP race will come down to Duncan or Jason Kidd, and while Kidd may have the advantage right now, Duncan is making a strong push.

But Duncan doesn't run the point. That duty falls to Parker, and it's going to be a big test for such a young guard. There will be an awful lot of pressure on him. Parker might be able to handle it, but that's a big question mark.

Martin needs to use less force, more finesse

Kenyon Martin's last flagrant foul, against the Hawks' Shareef Abdur-Rahim, was a questionable one. Many other players probably wouldn't have been called for that, but he's become a marked man.

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That means Martin really has to watch himself, because he's seriously hurting his team, and it's only going to get worse. In the playoffs, the half-court game will be more physical and the refs' scrutiny will be intensified. Martin has to be able to dish it out and take it without blatantly throwing elbows or doing things that would warrant a flagrant foul, because if he gets suspended for two games in the postseason, he could cost the Nets a chance to advance.

No one could explain that better to the second-year forward than Nets general manager Rod Thorn, who oversaw the league's officials, game conduct and discipline for 14 years. So it's totally up to Martin now -- he's been warned, and he understands the situation. He's a very physical player, and he feels he's being targeted by the league. But he has to learn to use a little finesse with the officials, and so far, he hasn't been able to do that.

More than a playoff berth may be at stake in the East

There seems to be a little more than a postseason berth at stake for the Wizards, Heat and Raptors as they fight to take the eighth seed from the Pacers. Those teams honestly feel that they have a chance to win the East if they can make the postseason, and that's unheard of.

In the past, those teams would just be hoping to get in so they could say they had a decent season, and they'd probably get knocked out in the first round. But this year, in their minds, they have a chance to win the conference.

But that's not giving the Nets and the Pistons enough credit. New Jersey is a good basketball team. It has the leading MVP candidate, and he's surrounded by a nice cast. And Detroit has won 14 out of 17 on the road, which is quite a statement. The ability to win on the road will serve them well in the postseason.

Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. He appears each Sunday on CNN/SI's This Week in the NBA.

 

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