In the six games San Antonio has played without Ginobili, Tony Parker has averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 assists per contest, a nice bump from the 13.2 points he was recording in the five games with Manu. All but two of those last six performances have been stellar, featuring Parker at his best as both a scorer and distributor.
His numbers against the Mavericks on Jan. 5th (11 points, 8 assists) would have been better had be played more than 29 minutes in what was a total blowout. The only real blot on his record of late was the stinker he turned in against the Thunder, a team whose length and quickness proved overwhelming.
Most recently, however, Parker reminded his fans what he's capable of when called on to be San Antonio's first option. The Houston Rockets took notice as well.
Parker had 28 points, 8 assists, and 5 boards while shooting the ball at 54.6 percent. He came up big when it counted too, hitting four clutch free-throws in overtime.
Parker won't do that every night and might struggle to carry the load in the playoffs. But, he's only three years removed from averaging 22 and 7. Two years before that, he scored 24.5 a game against Cleveland to earn the NBA Finals MVP trophy.
If there's a consistent criticism of Parker, it's that he sometimes fades in games and becomes more deferential than a scorer of his status should. When Ginobili is on your team, that's understandable.
And that's why, in a strange way, Ginobili's injury may be the best thing that could have happened to these Spurs. Manu was on pace for a monster season, a season that could well have seen Parker take a quiet backseat.
Without him, Parker will have to step up. And so far he has.
Come post-season, Parker will be more aggressive and more comfortable playing the role he did in San Antonio's last title run. If he gets off to a good start in the first round, count the Spurs a contender.
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