Spurs follow Tony Parker's lead; take 2-0 edge over Thunder in West finals

　　The news arrived at Gregg Popovich's doorstep in the dead of another brutal South Texas summer. The San Antonio Spurs had been bounced out of the first round of the playoffs by the Memphis Grizzlies, Tony Parker had headed home to France to start his vacation, and suddenly there was a report coming across the Atlantic that the Spurs' point guard was proclaiming their dynasty days officially over. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were getting old, Parker said.

　　"We will always have a good team," the French media reported Parker as saying, "but we can no longer say that we're playing for a championship."

　　Naturally, this didn't play well at 21 Spurs Lane. "I thought the same thing Pop said," Ginobili recalled. " 'Shut up!' "

　　Ginobili says this with a laugh. Parker quickly denied the report, saying his true comments had been lost in translation, and, besides, who cares now? All that matters is what Parker did next: When the NBA lockout ended, he arrived more committed, more focused, more driven, than ever.

　　Parker has carried the Spurs through this magical season and he carried them again Tuesday night. His 34 points and eight assists came amid a dazzling display of shot-making that staggered the Oklahoma City Thunder and delivered the Spurs their 20th consecutive victory and a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. For much of the 120-111 victory, he ran the Spurs' offense to near-perfection as San Antonio carved up the Thunder with quick, crisp passing.

　　"When you have Coach Pop screaming at you every day," Parker said, "it will make you pass the ball."

　　Parker didn't arrive here overnight. He's weathered Popovich's scolding for years and emerged stronger for it. The tug-of-war between point guard and coach has played out over the seasons, and the growing pains Parker and Popovich endured are not unlike those that now test the Thunder's Russell Westbrook and Scott Brooks.