Vaughn’s Plan A: Slow down Spurs’ Parker
Jacque Vaughn spent three seasons as a backup to San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker and twomore seasons after that as a Spurs assistant coach.
So where is Parker, a four-time NBA All- Star, most dangerous?
“As soon as he walks into the building,” Vaughn quipped.
Parker is so dangerous that slowing him was a priority for the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, when they hosted the Spurs at Amway Center.
If Parker drove into the lane often, Magic defenders would collapse on him. Those help defenders, in turn, would have to leave their previously assigned man, which could create additional problems.
The Magic want to limit their number of defensive rotations in every game, but that’s especially important against a team as seasoned as San Antonio. The Spurs knowhowto find the open man, and they entered the game ranked first in the NBA in assists per game and fourth in fieldgoal percentage.
Jameer Nelson and his backup, E’Twaun Moore, had to limit Parker’s dribble drives.
“They have great players,” Nelson said. “You’re not going to shut ’em down. You just have to rely on your principles and do things as hard as you can.”
Parker is 30 years old now and is in his 12th NBA season.
Vaughn called Parker “one of the best finishers that this game has ever produced,” “still one of the quickest guys i n the league” and a “better passer now at this stage of his career than he used to be.”
Parker holds Vaughn in high esteem, too.
“I always knew when he was a player he’ll be a coach — the way he handled himself,” Parker said. “I just thought he’d be a great coach. I was very happy that Orlando gave him an opportunity.”
Harrington heals
Al Harrington continues to make progress in his return from a dangerous staph infection that took hold in his right knee in mid-May.
The 6-foot-9 power forward shot baskets after the Magic completed their shootaround Wednesday morning.
The session lasted about 15 minutes, and Harrington didn’t do any running or jumping.
The brevity and low-impact nature of his workout indicates that he’s still a ways away from playing in a game, but his shooting is a positive sign for the Magic.
Vaughn was asked how “welcome” a sight it was to see Harrington on the court, albeit for a brief shooting session.
“It’ll be more welcoming when that jersey’s on and they introduce him,” Vaughn said, smiling. “But I’ll take him heading in the right direction.”
Hedo’s eyewear
Hedo Turkoglu, recovering from his broken left hand, watched Wednesday night’s game from the Magic bench.
He wore dark-rimmed eyeglasses.
Turkoglu wearing glasses is a rare sight to Magic fans, so does that mean Turkoglu has joined the crowd of NBA players who now wear non-prescription glasses as a fashion statement?
No. The lenses are prescription. Turkoglu’s glasses help him see.
Lookalikes?
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked on at l east three occasions Wednesday whether the Magic’s offense resembles his team’s offense.
“Jacque’s done a great job of instituting kind of an equal-opportunity thing, where everybody’s sharing the ball,” Popovich said. “They’ve got a lot of guys scoring equally. They’re high in assists. But that’s just got to do with Jacque’s philosophy. He’s not trying to be the Spurs.”
Layups
The Spurs entered Wednesday with 11 consecutive road wins against Eastern Conference teams. That streak began on Jan. 18 in an 85-83 overtime win in Orlando.
Magic owner Rich DeVos attended the game.