San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan and Co. Keep Winning Without Tony Parker?
OK never mind. Tony's back! Either way the article will stay up because it could happen again. That said here it is:
Well, it finally happened. The injury bug found a tasty Spur on a night that was all about the Tony's. With referee Tony Munez, Jr. going down trying to avoid a collision with Memphis Grizzlies' Tony Allen, it seemed only fit for Tony Parker to join the club.
The Spurs can take solace, though. At least Parker (strained calf) is not out for the season like Munez, who tore ligaments in his knee after the collision.
After an injury-free three-quarters of the season, it is time for the Spurs to show the league how they handle true adversity by winning without one of their key players for two to four weeks.
It is definitely possible, especially if Parker's absence is closer to the two-week mark. Here is a list of everything the Spurs need to do to maintain their winning pace and finish the regular season on top.
10. Respect the Schedule
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With a five game cushion in the West and only 21 games left before the playoffs, the Spurs would really have to come crashing down to lose home court advantage.
That doesn't make it impossible, though. An already tough month that includes the Miami Heat twice, Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics just got tougher without Parker.
With several games against potential first-round match-ups in the playoffs (Portland, Denver, Memphis, Utah and Phoenix), the Spurs cannot overlook a single game.
As long as they take each game one at a time, they will continue to win and come out on top.
9. Start Every Game Strong
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The way the Spurs have won despite several double-digit deficits this season, it's hard not to get complacent and assume they'll come back. Sooner or later that tank will run out (just ask the Jazz).
While the Spurs may be good at coming back, they're even better at maintaining a lead. They have only lost one game all season when starting the fourth quarter with the lead.
Lately, they have been a little sluggish in the first half and have gone into halftime with deficits against lowly teams like the New Jersey Nets and Cleveland Cavilers.
It may be easy coming back on those teams, but it won't be so easy against the playoff-bound teams, so they better break that habit fast.
8. Keeping Moving the Ball
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Anyone who watches the Spurs with Bill Land and Sean Elliott knows what Mr. Miracle's pet peeve is (besides bad hair). He cannot stand it when the Spurs stop passing and play too much one-on-one.
When the Spurs move the ball around, they get more open shots than probably any other team in the league. When they don't, they don't score. Plain and simple.
With Parker out, other guys like George Hill and Manu Ginobili need to step up and keep the ball rolling. Whether it's getting out on the fast break or keeping the defense guessing, the Spurs are at their best when everyone touches the ball.
7. Take Care of the Ball
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One thing that tends to get the Spurs in trouble during games is their tendency to get complacent with the ball for stretches at a time.
They have the offensive and defensive abilities to make a run or hold onto a lead except when they turn the ball over and give up too many fast break points.
Far too often they have either allowed teams back in the game or dug themselves a deep hole with sloppy stretches.
If the Spurs want to keep their comfortable lead, they're going to have to take better care of the ball against the tougher teams, especially without Parker there to steer the offense.
6. 48 Minutes of Defense
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Over shadowing the surging new offense the Spurs have had on display all season is their gradual improvement on defense.
After spending much of the season as a middle-of-the-pack team on that end of the floor, they have slowly moved into the top 10 in most categories.
One glaring statistic that needs to be improved is the Spurs allow the fifth-highest three-point FG percentage in the league (37.1 percent), although they allow seventh-least makes per game (5.7).
They have also had some issues with allowing too many offensive rebounds and second chance points lately, so that also needs to improve.
The Spurs could experience a slight drop in offensive production without Parker, so they'll need to make up for it on the defensive end.
5. Battle of the Benches
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The Spurs may have some of the most underrated players on their bench, but that doesn't mean it's not one of the best in the league.
With sixth-man Hill being moved to the starting line-up, someone else will have to take his place as energizer off the bench. Just about every player is capable of that. It can be Gary Neal, Matt Bonner or Antonio McDyess on any given night.
This also Tiago Splitter and James Anderson's chances to earn their spots in the rotation. A combination of injuries and the rest of the bench playing so well has made it difficult for them to earn time.
Now is the time for them to show the fans why the Spurs' praised front office brought them in.
4. Dunkin' Duncan
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He doesn't have to keep dunking as much as keep the other team from dunking. As the Spurs begin the final stretch of the season without Parker, Tim Duncan will likely see a rise in his minutes.
While he continues to play some of the best defense in the league, he may also need to step it up a notch on offense whether it's scoring, passing or drawing double teams (something that is likely to happen with teams not having to focus on Parker).
That's nothing new for Duncan. He knows when to dominate the paint and when to pass it out, but he may need to score a little more to help fill in for Parker.
3. Manu's March
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After a February slump that saw the team's top scorer average just 13.6 points per game, Manu Ginobili finally seems to be shooting his way back to form.
With Parker out, Ginobili not only needs to pick up some of the scoring load, he also needs to be a play maker and distributor even more so than before. If there's one thing that didn't drop during his shooting slump, it was his assists.
If the March-Manu of old shows up this month, the Spurs will be fine during the hopefully short stretch without Parker playing the facilitator.
2. Climb the Hill
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The most obvious thing that needs to happen for the Spurs to continue winning is for George Hill to return to the form he showed as a starter last year.
He did a sensational job filling in while Parker was out for 26 games last season, but he has never quite reached that level this year. Now is the time for him to find his groove.
After having one of his worst games of the season in Memphis that included only six points and a career-high six turnovers, Hill apologized to his team and fans promising to turn it around the next night.
He did just that on Wednesday against the worst team in the league. Now he needs to show he can do the same against some of the best with the tough schedule coming up.
He's not expected to be Tony Parker. He just needs to be himself by scoring, making plays, keeping the offense moving and playing pesky defense.
1. Focus!
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Everything on this list comes down to one simple fundamental: Focus!
When the Spurs come into a game focused on nothing but the team they are facing, they tend to win. When they come into games unfocused, worried or looking ahead, they tend to lose (see Tuesday's loss in Memphis).
If the Spurs focus on the task at hand and don't worry about anything else, they will continue to win games even without Tony Parker.
Don't get me wrong. The sooner he returns the better, but that doesn't mean they don't have the right pieces to temporarily make up for his absense.
Back to the question at hand: "Can the Spurs keep winning without Tony Parker?" The answer is a profound...Yes.
Can they advance in the playoffs and win a championship without him? Most likely not, but there's no reason to worry about that unless they have to. Until then: GO SPURS GO!!!
