Slideshow |
more photos |
Video: NBA from NBC Sports |
Abdul-Jabbar managing his illness Nov. 15: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wants to be very clear that his cancer was caught early and that he's not dealing with a death sentence. |
Parker, who averaged 24.5 points on 57 percent shooting, became the first European-born player to be honored as MVP. Until now, he was mostly viewed as a pretty decent player with a prettier fiance, TV actress Eva Longoria.
When Parker was handed his trophy, his soon-to-be-bride wiped away tears.
The 25-year-old, though, was an unstoppable, silver-and-black blur against the Cavs, who had no one who could contain him and who looked like they stumbled into their first finals by accident.
Later, with his country’s tri-colored flag draped over his shoulders, Parker walked the hallways carrying his MVP trophy and shook his head in disbelief.
“This is like a dream,” he said. “I don’t want to wake up.”
James had Cleveland fans believing the city’s 43-year championship drought was about to end. However, he had a rough introduction to the league’s climactic event, one he figures to reach again.
He shot just 10-of-30 in Game 4 — and only 36 percent in the series — and never figured out how to rise above or get around the Spurs, whose defensive schemes were designed to make the other Cavaliers beat them.
James scored 24 points, and while he took the Cavaliers as far as they’ve ever gone, he failed to give them new life in this series on the same day his second son, Bryce Maximus James, was born.
Duncan, an MVP in his first three finals, had only 12 points but grabbed 15 rebounds.
But the 31-year-old, whose arrival in 1997 in San Antonio is the launching point for the Spurs’ ascension, he got his fourth ring and helped others like Michael Finley and Jacque Vaughn win their first.
|
“I might just put it in the bed between me and my wife,” he said.
Spurs forward Robert Horry got another one, too, his seventh — the most by a non-Celtics player.
“As a kid, you dream about winning one championship,” he said. “Getting seven is unreal.”
Notes: With four titles, Popovich trails only Red Auerbach (9), Phil Jackson (9), John Kundla (5) and Pat Riley (5) for the most in league history. ... Cleveland’s 322 points in the series was the lowest total for four games. ... The Spurs’ .727 winning percentage (16-6) is the highest in finals history. ... New England quarterback Tom Brady and Browns rookie Brady Quinn were among the celebrities on hand, along with Dallas wide receiver Terrell Owens and Hall of Famer Franco Harris.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
LowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM NBA |
| Add NBA headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links



