Tony's Team: How Tony Parker Controls the Spurs' Chances Against the Lakers

Long-time San Antonio Spurs followers know better than to blame 2004 on Derek Fisher alone.

He nailed a heartbreaking jumper with 0.4 seconds left in Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals to give the Los Angeles Lakers all the momentum.

The Lakers eliminated the Spurs in Game Six, 88-76, and the real reason the champs disappeared must key a San Antonio resurgence now.

A comparison of Tony Parker's stat lines in Game Two and Game Six tells the story of an agonizing defeat.

He scored 30 points to give the Spurs what seemed to be a commanding 2-0 series lead. With a season on the line, he bricked 12-of-16 shots for a measly nine points and three assists with six turnovers.

Then, Parker relied too heavily on his floaters and teardrops. When the Lakers figured out how to snuff his increasingly predictable drives, all San Antonio could do was watch in tears.

A much better player now with a Finals MVP on his resume, Parker must confront those 2004 demons and run at them until they surrender.

Every one of his playoff masterpieces now—2005 and 2007 series against the Phoenix Suns, 41 points against the Suns in a first-round Game Three, and a Game Seven clinching shot against the New Orleans Hornets—glistens against a backdrop of his irrefutable failure then.

The Spurs spent big last summer to give Tim Duncan a chance at a fifth ring. With an upgraded supporting cast in tow, Duncan's Spurs will host Kobe Bryant's Lakers tonight in one of the most anticipated matches of the season.

One change, though, will determine whether San Antonio has any chance against its Hollywood nemesis tonight—or in May or June. Parker must take ownership of the squad in this tilt.

He represents his team's lone significant matchup advantage. Pau Gasol will not play tonight, but his presence alongside two other 7-footers cancels out the still-MVP-level play of Duncan.

The Spurs' bench brigade, which remains the highest scoring in the league, will also have a say in the outcome. The Lakers' reserves have proven to be the defending champs' weakest link.

Parker, however, must be the one with the megaphone.

Can the French Guard Turn Around a Disappointing Season?

The Spurs' record against winning squads fluctuates with every Miami Heat and Hornets final score.

San Antonio drubbed both at the AT&T Center, but each has hovered around the .500 mark.

Any way you slice it, two to four wins against quality opponents through January is dreadful, at least for an $80 million roster. Lost in talk of how newcomer Richard Jefferson has struggled to fit is the pedestrian play of Parker.

His averages of 16 points and 5.8 assists are his lowest in three years. His turnovers are up, as are suggestions that fatigue may be playing a role in the downturn.

His participation in Eurobasket this summer did not afford him any rest after carrying so much of the load in Manu Ginobili's absence last year.

A Gregg Popovich decision no one could have predicted before 2006 might also be a contributing factor.

Popovich Hands Play Calling to Parker

The Spurs coach has never considered himself a dictator when it comes to calling the plays. It just took several years and a brilliant playoff run before he could trust Parker with more of that burden.

Just after training camp commenced, Popovich handed the rest of the reigns to his star guard.

The increased confidence also came with a greater responsibility. No one anticipated it would take this long to mesh seven new players into an established, championship-level system.

Maybe we should have.

With so many weapons at his disposal, including a new alley-oop partner and a great pick-and-pop shooter, he has often looked indecisive, unsure of who should get the ball on a given possession.

His forays to the rim have lacked their usual oomph, and his free throw shooting, to start, was abysmal.

All of this can turn on a dime, and maybe a matchup with the 35-year-old Fisher will do the trick.

At 27, Parker's Still a Youngster

It may seem like Parker is older than 30, given the number of playoff runs in which he's participated, but at the still-youthful age of 27, he's still in his prime.

Maybe just entering it.

His challenge tonight is simple, yet it's one he has failed to carry out in most Spurs-Lakers matches.

He must attack Fisher early and often. Fisher—a fountain of wisdom whose value can only be gauged in the playoffs, when he comes up clutch—does not have the legs to stay with Parker.

The only two on the Lakers roster with a chance are Shannon Brown and Bryant. With Gasol out and Bryant's offensive production all the more important, Phil Jackson would be wise not to use his best player to stifle the French speedster.

Brown could do a decent-to-good job, but, as a reserve, he will spend most of his minutes matched up against George Hill.

If the game is close, Jackson may opt to use Fisher for his ability to drain big shots.

Duncan's Still Great, but the Team's Fate Rests with Parker

Few outside of San Antonio realize how effective Duncan has been at 33. His 22-point average is a career-high, and his field goal percentage is higher, at the moment, than in his rookie year.

The Spurs owe every success to landing Duncan, and I am not here to dispute that.

Parker, however, is now the man in charge—at least against the Lakers.

If he gets knocked down at the rim, he must get up again and continue to attack. Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom will contest at the cup, but he's astute enough to finish in any kind of traffic, again and again.

If Parker wants to erase the memory of a painful 2004 versus L.A., he can start tonight.

By obliterating Fisher.