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French fried Parker burns Mavericks with third-quarter explosionPosted: Saturday May 24, 2003 2:25 AM
DALLAS -- Spurs point guard Tony Parker celebrated his 21st birthday last week. It was only fitting he would celebrate by downing a bunch of shots. In a dizzying performance that had to leave the Mavs feeling sick, Parker scored 19 of his 29 points in a pivotal third quarter to spark the Spurs to their 96-83 victory in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. The 6-foot-2 Parker basically took over in the third, hitting eight of 11 field goal attempts as San Antonio used a 23-9 run to turn an 11-point deficit into a three-point lead at the quarter break. Parker then added six more points early in the fourth as the Spurs built the lead to 14 points before Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki went down with a knee injury to effectively kill any hopes of a Dallas comeback. "[Coach] told me at halftime to be more aggressive," said Parker, who had attempted just six field goals at the time. "I started to get a little feel, and I was able to make some shots." Using his quickness off the pick-and-roll to get free, Parker attacked the Mavs’ defense with the exuberance of a college kid at a Spring Break frat party. His repertoire included a short hook, a 3-pointer, a couple runners in the lane and a step-back 20-footer over Mavs guard Steve Nash. He then added a layup off a baseline drive and a long jumper off glass to start the fourth, as the Spurs stretched their lead to 78-66. "He was out there hitting crazy shots and making things happen," Spurs guard Emanuel Ginobili marveled. "You could see his confidence growing. I’m sure he felt like nobody could stop him." On this night at least, nobody on the Mavs could. Nash, Nick Van Exel and Raja Bell each took a stab at containing the French playmaker, only to come up empty. With Tim Duncan supplying a typical 34 points and 24 rebounds, it was too much for Dallas to overcome. "We’ve been telling him [to look for his shot] all year," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. said. "When he’s aggressive like that, we’re a better team offensively." Other than some poor decision-making late in Game 1, Parker has played well throughout the series. He had 18 points and five assists in Game 1, and 19 points and four assists in Game 2. On defense he has done a solid job keeping Nash and Van Exel contained. His ability to exploit the Mavs’ pick-and-roll defense, meanwhile, has become a major factor. Dallas already has enough trouble defending Duncan down low. If Parker can get inside consistently for easy shots, the Spurs truly will be unstoppable. "He did a great job of using the pick-and-roll," Van Exel said. "He waited for our big men to clear out of there and then he used the big men to get into the paint. Then when he got into the paint he has a lot of good up fakes. He was able to get our guards into the air and created space for himself to get his little shot up." In just his second NBA season, the baby-faced Parker is prone to fits of inconsistency. It’s possible the Mavs will make adjustments and that he won’t be able to repeat his Game 3 heroics. If he can, however, the Spurs will make this a short series. As a weary Bell noted afterward, "Anytime you give someone 19 in the third and it’s not Tim Duncan, you’re in trouble."
Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment
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