San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker's 5 Greatest Playoff Hits

He's always been good but for the San Antonio Spurs, in 2012, Tony Parker is the Man.

Parker, amazingly now in his 11th season and still not quite 30 years old, averaged 18 points and a career-high 7.7 assists per game for the Western Conference top dog Spurs this season. He led the team in both categories, shot a healthy 48 percent from the floor and played in 60 of 66 games for the four-time champs.

Now that it's playoff time and the Spurs, having just completed a first-round sweep of the Utah Jazz, look totally legit, it seems like a good chance to look back on some of his best postseason moments. 

2009 Western Conference First Round, Game 2

The Spurs, two years off their last championship, went out in the first round with a whimper after the 2008-2009 season, falling to in state rival Dallas in a mere five games. But in the one game they won, Parker looked unbeatable.

Parker exploded for 38 points on an otherworldly 16-for-22 shooting in the 105-84 drubbing of the Mavs, dishing out eight assists and sitting out most of the fourth quarter in the process. 

It wasn't Parker's best game of the series; he would go for 43 in a Game 4 defeat. But given the Spurs emerging from this one victorious and the ease with which he controlled the game we'll put this one on the list. A definite sign of things to come for Parker.

2007 Finals, Game 2

The Spurs faced down a precocious LeBron James and his less than scintillating Cavs teammates in the 2007 NBA Finals and won in a sweep, giving Parker, Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich and the Spurs organization their fourth title in nine seasons.

Parker won the MVP of those Finals, averaging 21 points and six assists while shooting 48 percent from the floor over the four games. In Game 2, he was dominant.

The Spurs won that one 103-92 and Parker chipped in 30 points on 13-for-20 shooting. After controlling Game 1 of the series with 27 points and seven assists, it was hard to imagine Parker topping himself. But he did just that.

You could make the argument that Parker's Game 4, the series clincher, was more impressive, what with his 24 and seven and 10-for-14 shooting performance. But it was Game 2, in which the Spurs proved that they were firmly in control and likely couldn't be beaten. 

Spurs fans can thank Parker for that.

2007 Western Conference Second Round, Game 6

In the midst of that last title run, the Spurs had to overcome a Phoenix team that had home court advantage. But thanks to a Robert Horry hip check on league MVP Stave Nash, a painfully narrow interpretation of an arcane league rule, convicted felon/referee Tim Donaghy and Parker, the Spurs moved on in six games.

Parker showed a clear sign of the scoring prowess he'd display a couple weeks later in the Finals with 30 points in the clinching Game 6. His shooting was down in this one (41 percent) but he outplayed Nash and ensured that his imprint would be left on that season's playoffs with a great close out game.

Noteworthy here is Parker's Game 1 performance, a win in Phoenix that immediately put the Spurs in the driver's seat. He nearly matched Duncan's 33 points with 32 to go with eight assists to give the Spurs the 1-0 series lead.

2006 Western Conference Second Round, Game 5

Facing elimination in their title defense, the Spurs fended off eventual Western Conference champion Dallas with a vintage performance from both Parker and Duncan.

Duncan led the way to the 98-97 win with 36 and 12. But Parker's scoring was what enabled the Spurs to hang in there long enough to get the series back to Dallas, where the Spurs would then force a Game 7.

Parker scored 27 points and contributed to a defensive effort that forced Mavericks' guards Jason Terry and Devin Harris into a combined 10-for-26 shooting. It was a serious "heart of a champion" performance by the Spurs as well as a vivid sign that Parker, still just 23 back then, was the real deal.

2012 Western Conference First Round, Game 1

Parker opened up the playoffs that are following his best all-around season with a dominant showing in Game 1 against the Jazz last weekend, leading the Spurs to a Game 1 win in their eventual sweep.

Parker went for 28 and eight in the 106-91 win, making 10-of-19 shots and hitting 8-of-10 free throws. It was a stirring reminder that the Spurs were still a force to be reckoned with and that they were now Parker's team.

Parker averaged just under 25 points over the Spurs first three wins in the series before taking a breather with a more mundane 11 in just 27 Game 4 minutes. Come the Western semifinals, he'll have his hands full with either the Clippers' Chris Paul or a Memphis Grizzlies squad that have given the Spurs fits over the past couple of years.

He looks like he'll be up to the challenge.