DREW SHARP: Spurs' kid outshines Nets' Kidd in NBA Finals opener
June 5, 2003
BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
SAN ANTONIO -- There's neither debate nor discussion over the top three names going in this month's NBA draft. Whatever the order, it's going to be LeBron James, Darko Milicic and Carmelo Anthony.
They're the can't-miss triplets.
The last time the first three selections were assured weeks in advance was 1994 when everyone knew Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were ticketed to instant stardom. They would represent the cornerstones to the next generation of NBA champions.
But they've got no rings between them.
Robinson, the first selection overall, has become a competitive bust.
Hill, the third selection overall, going to the Pistons, has become a medical mystery.
"I guess it falls on me then, doesn't it?" said Kidd.
He has been dazzling throughout his nine-year career. But now he needs to dominate. Forget the eye-popping, no-look passes and magical sleight-of-hand with the basketball. How about consistently draining the 18-foot jumper?
Kidd couldn't Wednesday, but the kid could.
Tony Parker, at 21, is the fourth youngest player to ever participate in the NBA Finals. He was the youngest starting point guard in the league this season.
More important, he was the best point guard on the floor in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, getting the better of his long-rumored heir apparent in San Antonio.
Kidd didn't look like somebody worth $18 million. His perimeter range was worth about 18 cents.
That clang you heard wasn't another New Jersey jumper hitting iron. Rather it was all the premature hype of the best of the East giving the best of the West some decent competition crashing against hardened reality.
The Spurs' 101-89 victory marked the Western Conference's ninth straight over the Eastern Conference in the final round.
These NBA Finals have become a proving ground for Kidd.
He's one of the game's top 10 players. Flip a coin between him and Houston's Steve Francis. There's no disputing that you need a top 10 player to have a chance at qualifying for the championship series, but history has proven that you need a top-five talent as the anchor to get the ring.
It's up to Kidd if the Nets are to have any kind of chance. And with Kidd, it always comes back to his jump shot. He began the game confident, rifling in two jumpers in the game's first minute. But he soon cooled, forcing up shots and resembling the teasing Kidd we've all come to know and dismiss.
"There's no excuse of that kind of shooting," said Kidd regarding his 4-for-17 shooting performance. "But that's not always what I'm known for."
In the pivotal third quarter, Parker scored nine points compared to Kidd's two. And defensively, the quicker Parker did a pretty good job denying Kidd the ball, throwing the Nets' offensive rhythm off kilter.
Who's Kidding whom?
If this is what we can expect from Kidd then the Nets will be fortunate to win one game in this series.
"It's just the first game," Kidd said. "They threw some things at us that gave us a little difficulty. They played more zone than they normally do and we had some problems attacking it, but we'll work at making some adjustments."
But there's only so much of the truth that's adjustable. The East remains the league's punchline because the true difference makers reside in the West. Tim Duncan surgically dissected the Nets' interior defense in the second half. There's no reason not to doubt that the back-to-back league Most Valuable Player will continue his domination.
The postscript is more intriguing than the series' outcome itself.
There's more interest in this city in what Kidd will do next month rather than what he might do in the next week.
He will be the biggest unrestricted free agent on the market, and the Spurs will have $18 million worth of salary cap maneuverability thanks to David Robinson's impending retirement. They'll be able to offer Kidd a maximum $90 million deal, but the growing debate here is that the Spurs are better served not biting on Kidd or Jermaine O'Neal this summer and waiting for Kevin Garnett to go on the market in the summer of 2004 -- particularly if Parker continues to blossom into a reliable, if not spectacular performer at the point.
"I might have been a little jittery in the first half, but I've been pretty successful in the third quarter in these playoffs," said Parker, who finished with 16 points. "The pressure is always there, especially when you're playing for the championship and you're playing against the best point guard in the game."
But he wasn't the best point in this game.
Give Parker his props for handling the repetitive questioning regarding Kidd's future with a veteran's aplomb. He let his game do all the talking and the message sent is that the Spurs might be better off saving their money.
No kidding.
June 5, 2003
BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
SAN ANTONIO -- There's neither debate nor discussion over the top three names going in this month's NBA draft. Whatever the order, it's going to be LeBron James, Darko Milicic and Carmelo Anthony.
They're the can't-miss triplets.
The last time the first three selections were assured weeks in advance was 1994 when everyone knew Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were ticketed to instant stardom. They would represent the cornerstones to the next generation of NBA champions.
But they've got no rings between them.
Robinson, the first selection overall, has become a competitive bust.
Hill, the third selection overall, going to the Pistons, has become a medical mystery.
"I guess it falls on me then, doesn't it?" said Kidd.
He has been dazzling throughout his nine-year career. But now he needs to dominate. Forget the eye-popping, no-look passes and magical sleight-of-hand with the basketball. How about consistently draining the 18-foot jumper?
Kidd couldn't Wednesday, but the kid could.
Tony Parker, at 21, is the fourth youngest player to ever participate in the NBA Finals. He was the youngest starting point guard in the league this season.
More important, he was the best point guard on the floor in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, getting the better of his long-rumored heir apparent in San Antonio.
Kidd didn't look like somebody worth $18 million. His perimeter range was worth about 18 cents.
That clang you heard wasn't another New Jersey jumper hitting iron. Rather it was all the premature hype of the best of the East giving the best of the West some decent competition crashing against hardened reality.
The Spurs' 101-89 victory marked the Western Conference's ninth straight over the Eastern Conference in the final round.
These NBA Finals have become a proving ground for Kidd.
He's one of the game's top 10 players. Flip a coin between him and Houston's Steve Francis. There's no disputing that you need a top 10 player to have a chance at qualifying for the championship series, but history has proven that you need a top-five talent as the anchor to get the ring.
It's up to Kidd if the Nets are to have any kind of chance. And with Kidd, it always comes back to his jump shot. He began the game confident, rifling in two jumpers in the game's first minute. But he soon cooled, forcing up shots and resembling the teasing Kidd we've all come to know and dismiss.
"There's no excuse of that kind of shooting," said Kidd regarding his 4-for-17 shooting performance. "But that's not always what I'm known for."
In the pivotal third quarter, Parker scored nine points compared to Kidd's two. And defensively, the quicker Parker did a pretty good job denying Kidd the ball, throwing the Nets' offensive rhythm off kilter.
Who's Kidding whom?
If this is what we can expect from Kidd then the Nets will be fortunate to win one game in this series.
"It's just the first game," Kidd said. "They threw some things at us that gave us a little difficulty. They played more zone than they normally do and we had some problems attacking it, but we'll work at making some adjustments."
But there's only so much of the truth that's adjustable. The East remains the league's punchline because the true difference makers reside in the West. Tim Duncan surgically dissected the Nets' interior defense in the second half. There's no reason not to doubt that the back-to-back league Most Valuable Player will continue his domination.
The postscript is more intriguing than the series' outcome itself.
There's more interest in this city in what Kidd will do next month rather than what he might do in the next week.
He will be the biggest unrestricted free agent on the market, and the Spurs will have $18 million worth of salary cap maneuverability thanks to David Robinson's impending retirement. They'll be able to offer Kidd a maximum $90 million deal, but the growing debate here is that the Spurs are better served not biting on Kidd or Jermaine O'Neal this summer and waiting for Kevin Garnett to go on the market in the summer of 2004 -- particularly if Parker continues to blossom into a reliable, if not spectacular performer at the point.
"I might have been a little jittery in the first half, but I've been pretty successful in the third quarter in these playoffs," said Parker, who finished with 16 points. "The pressure is always there, especially when you're playing for the championship and you're playing against the best point guard in the game."
But he wasn't the best point in this game.
Give Parker his props for handling the repetitive questioning regarding Kidd's future with a veteran's aplomb. He let his game do all the talking and the message sent is that the Spurs might be better off saving their money.
No kidding.
