Houston Chronicle John P. Lopez Column: Parker Deserving MVP After Stealing the Show

Jun 15, 05:18 AM

Current Headlines: By John P. Lopez, Houston Chronicle

Jun. 15--CLEVELAND -- Witness this, witness that.

These were supposed to be the NBA Finals when the world bit on a clever marketing campaign and witnessed the rise of a young star to another dimension.

So maybe LeBron is French for Tony Parker.

The San Antonio Spurs clinched their fourth NBA championship with an emphatic sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, turning away the last-ditch passion play of James with an 83-82 victory in Game 4.

Something else turned, too.

Parker turned into a superstar of the same caliber as all the great point guards who have carried title teams to amazing runs like the one the Spurs are experiencing.

For every dynasty the NBA has seen, there always has been a second superstar talent to complement the franchise player.

Magic Johnson had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Larry Bird had Kevin McHale. Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen.

Until this series, which Parker punctuated with a head-spinning 24-point, seven-rebound, one-assist Most Valuable Player effort in Thursday's clincher, Parker's game was easy to pick apart.

He could drive but not shoot. He could defend but was prone to turnovers. He could score, but his game was not complete.

He also was just 21 -- younger than James in this series -- the first time he helped the Spurs to an NBA title in 2003. Now, it's clear that San Antonio's run may not be over despite playing in the tough Western Conference because Parker is on track to being one of the best playoff point guards in history.

"I think (the MVP) is well-deserved," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "The way he played in all four games was just unbelievable. He really showed us the way. He maintained the rhythm and made some big buckets."

Now, Parker can shoot. He hit 10 of 14 shots Thursday, including two of three from 3-point range. For the series, Parker averaged 24.5 points per game, hit 57 percent of his shots and was a terror for any Cavs defender to stop.

In fact, they never did. Not from Game 1, which Parker took over early, could Cleveland find a way to stop the Frenchman, who wore his native land's flag around his waist as he accepted the MVP trophy.

The Cavs tried Larry Hughes, Eric Snow, Daniel Gibson and even James against Parker over the four-game series. None could get the job done.

"He was huge for them," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "We had problems, obviously, stopping him from getting in the paint. Tonight it was more transition than anything else.

"With his quickness and ability to shoot that little push shot, and now he's added the jump shot, you see the growth. You add that to the poise and determination, you've got a very good basketball player."

Now, Parker's turnovers are down. Now, he has leadership and toughness he didn't have before.

Now, Parker is the reason the oldest, most experienced team in the NBA must be considered among the NBA dynasties and still could have another title or two left in them.

After all, Tim Duncan is just 31, having won his fourth championship with a completely different supporting cast than in his first trip to the Finals in 1999. Meanwhile, Ginobili is 27 and Parker 25.

Parker won the series clincher the same way he led the way in the Spurs' first three victories. The Cavaliers came with energy and all they had, taking an early lead and turning on a furious fourth-quarter run to take a four-point lead as San Antonio struggled.

Usually, you could count on the Spurs to turn to Duncan in these kinds of must-have possessions. But Duncan struggled offensively all night.

So the Spurs turned to their other superstar and Parker delivered, guiding his team with key points and setting up Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto with key buckets. Duncan set up Oberto for another one.

It takes superstars to win championships and lead the way. The Spurs have always had one in Duncan. Now, unquestionably, they have two.

"I couldn't be happier for him," Duncan said of Parker. "I was subpar, and he showed us the way. That's what great players do."

As for what we were supposed to witness? LeBron never could take over. He hit just 35 percent of his shots and couldn't dominate.

His day will come. But this one belonged to Parker. Le Star.

Listen to John P. Lopez weekdays from noon-3 p.m. on 790 AM.

john.lopez@chron.com

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