Parker Is a Thorn in Side of Lakers

It used to be the most entertaining part of San Antonio Spur practices, Coach Gregg Popovich yelling at Tony Parker after turnovers, ill-advised shots, passes that were never made.

Tough love would be too mild of a description, but Popovich needed a 19-year-old to play like a 10-year veteran.

Now he has a three-season veteran who plays like an All-Star.

Parker, who turns 22 in two weeks, blistered the Lakers for 20 points, nine assists and too many well-timed shots to recount in the Spurs’ 88-78 victory Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

This is still Tim Duncan’s team, but there’s room enough in town for a point guard as well.

“He’s taking over,” Popovich said. “I’ll make a call and he’ll shake me off like a pitcher. He tells me he’s really feeling like it’s his team, which is great. That’s the way it has to be.”

The Lakers threw Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Derek Fisher at Parker in various schemes. They were all tossed back.

Parker blew past Bryant on two consecutive possessions to end the first quarter, following an easy lay-up with an off-balance three-point basket from 31 feet as time expired.

He again burned the Lakers at the end of the third quarter, losing Derek Fisher and nailing a 16-foot jumper with 1.9 seconds left.

“Just trying to be in attack mode,” Parker said. “Just trying to be aggressive and try to get something for myself and my teammates.”

His teammates, forgotten in seasons past, were part of Parker’s plan Sunday. His most important quarter might have been the fourth, when he went scoreless in .

He played the pick and roll to perfection and helped Duncan get 12 points in the quarter, six more than any other player.

“He’s just grown so much over the last two years,” Duncan said. “He continues to grow. He takes over the game for stretches where he just takes the ball and decides what he wants to do with it. That’s just a great kind of person to have out there.

“He’s not as young as his age is. He understands the game and he understands what we want. He’s been through a lot of experiences these last couple of years and he’s benefited from it.”

And to think Parker was almost relegated to second string this season.

The Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets in last season’s NBA Finals with Parker at the helm. His reward? He got to watch from afar as the Spurs wooed Net guard Jason Kidd, a free agent.

Kidd stayed with the Nets, but the insult became injury when Parker started the season slowly, a victim of fatigue after playing for the French national team in an unsuccessful effort to qualify for the Athens Olympics. He sat out the Spurs’ first seven games because of a sprained ankle, itching to show he could still perform.

He struggled with his shot when he returned, and then endured a 35-game streak where he failed to hit double-figures in assists.

But Parker rallied toward the end of the season, and had 29 points and nine assists in the Spurs’ victory over the Lakers on April 4 in Staples Center.

Sunday, he politely answered media questions with a soft brace on his left hand, a precaution after he slightly jammed his thumb while stealing the ball in the fourth quarter.

“Every time I penetrate, I see who’s open or if there’s something there for me,” he said. “That’s the thing, learning when to pass and when to shoot.”

Parker balanced them well Sunday.