LOS ANGELES — When the Spurs departed Feb. 5 to begin their 10th rodeo road trip, Tony Parker had just authored a 42-point, 12-assist performance against the Western Conference’s top team, Oklahoma City, to secure his fourth trip to the NBA All-Star Game.
More importantly, Parker’s domination of the Thunder’s own All-Star point guard, Russell Westbrook, helped the Spurs realize he was ready to lead them during the annual odyssey that has gone perfectly so far amid a nine-game winning streak.
As the journey begins its second leg with a mid-Saturday tipoff at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Clippers, the youngest of the Spurs’ Big Three has become its most important element.
Team captain Tim Duncan has been so consistently productive in limited playing time that coach Gregg Popovich asserts he should have been an All-Star.
Shooting guard Manu Ginobili was the team’s top scorer before suffering a broken left hand in just the fifth game of the season.
But it is Parker whom the Spurs most often rely on to get them victories.
Ginobili isn’t certain he hasn’t seen Parker play better through stretches in past seasons, but he is certain of one thing: The Spurs are now Parker’s team.
“It’s been 10 years, and he’s had some amazing games, some amazing streaks,” Ginobili said. “But he owns the team now; he really owns it.”
Three games into his return to action after missing 22, Ginobili had plenty of time to observe the 29-year-old Parker’s emergence in what ? Popovich calls “the head of the snake” for the Spurs.
“He’s making great decisions, not forcing the issue,” Ginobili said. “In the first half he sometimes lets teammates play and then takes control of the game in the fourth quarter. That’s different, and he’s been very solid, very mature and the key reason we’ve won nine games in a row.”
Parker faces a challenge today against another All-Star point guard in Chris Paul. Parker outscored his Clippers counterpart, 14-10, the first time the Spurs met new-look L.A., in a 115-90 home victory at the AT&T Center on Dec. 28. Both players also had nine assists.
The Spurs are riding the longest win streak of the NBA season into today, and it includes victories in the first five games of the rodeo trip.
A win today would match the best start ever for the rodeo sojourn — the 6-0 start in 2005-06 — when the Spurs finished with the best record in franchise history (63-19).
Though he has averaged 22.8 points and 8.2 assists in the first five games of the roadie, Parker has had plenty of help.
“So far, so good,” Duncan said. “We had a good start to it and just carry it along. We had some closer games than we wanted to, but great experience, and everyone on the road is really good for us.
“We’re excited about the first half, but we have a very tough second half of the rodeo road trip. We’re ready to get started on Saturday.”
Should the Spurs run their win streak to 10 games, they will retain their hold on second place in the West behind Oklahoma City.
