I have to laugh every time someone says the NBA isn’t as good as it used to be. Sure, expansion means that there are fewer teams who have a legitimate eight-man rotation and those that do (i.e., the Lakers and Cavs) are automatically that much better than the rest of the League, but the individual talent level throughout the Association has risen so high over the past three or four years that historically great performances and plays have been happening at least once a week since November.
Nowhere is this more apparent than at the point guard position.
Of course, we all know about the two great gifts bestowed upon us by the 2005 Draft: Chris Paul and Deron Williams. And we’re all very familiar with the resumes of Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups, who raised his legacy to even further heights by playing out his goddamn mind in the first two games of this year’s Playoffs. But as Marc Stein so aptly pointed out in his great column today, we also now have Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose putting on the best PG vs. PG show of the postseason thus far. Throw in Devin Harris’ ascension, Andre Miller’s overlooked-yet-always-dependable floor generalship, Jameer Nelson’s evolution and Rodney Stuckey’s potential, and we’re looking at a renaissance that can make even the most jaded NBA onlooker forget all about the Starbury/Franchise-led, shoot-first era of point guards.
And then there’s Tony Parker, who has had a better season than any of em.
Since tomorrow night could very well mark last game of a truly transcendant season where he morphed from solid, trustworthy player who could make a few big plays down the stretch to a guy who no player in the League can stop from getting to the rim, I just wanted to spend a few words praising his play this year. But since you don’t really wanna read me go on and on about how some French guy has put an entire team you probably haven’t enjoyed watching for at least four years on his back and carried them for the past 50 games, just go read Kevin Arnovitz’s great breakdown of just exactly how unguardable Mr. Parker has become. And, yes, I know Jason Kidd has some serious defensive issues at this stage of his career, but Tony has been doing this to the whole League to the tune of 24 ppg, 7.5 apg and 3.5 rpg on 52% shooting since the All-Star break, largely due to a newly lethal mid-range game that allows him to pull-up whenever his defender sags three feet — something every guard in the NBA has to do if they wanna keep the fiery Francophile, the Parisian Torpedo (see video below) in front of them.
So even though the Spurs will probably get uncermoniously bounced by the Mavs tomorrow, don’t be surprised when Tony’s flirting with 25 ppg next year.
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