Tony Parker was named the Finals MVP for being the Spurs' leading scorer and having a high fg% in an ugly shooting series. But was he deserving? I say no. Tim Duncan was the clear MVP despite subpar shooting during the series.
Duncan is the dominant force in everything the Spurs do. The offense runs through him. Duncan, from his power forward position, had more assists than point guard Parker did. Think about that - Parker was getting into the lane at will (in part because he spent most of the series being guarded by badly injured Larry Hughes and rookie 2nd round pick Daniel Gibson) and couldn't set up anyone while Duncan was cold from the field and was still setting up teammates. Duncan routinely drew two or three defenders and that opened up Parker and the rest of the Spurs. When Cleveland took a 2nd half lead for the first time in the entire series during game 4, the Spurs went to a cold Duncan who managed to get the Spur offense going again.
That aside, the Spurs' strength is a suffocating defense. Duncan is the heart of that. He controls the middle, blocks shots, gobbles up rebounds, and shuts down his man. Lebron James' field goal percentage plummeted against the Spurs in no small part because Duncan was patrolling the lane and not allowing James his usual flashy dunks.
Parker made more shots and provided ABC an excuse to promote Eva Longoria for an extra 10 minutes. Duncan did everything else. The MVP trophy is in the wrong hands.
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