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The future — Parker trusts he’s not Rondo

By , Sports ColumnistUpdated
Tony Parker drives past Rajon Rondo during the second half.
Tony Parker drives past Rajon Rondo during the second half.Winslow Townson, FRE / Associated Press

BOSTON — Tony Parker’s medical opinion is this:

He has a broken rib, courtesy of an Austin Daye collision in practice, and the injury seems to be spreading.

“Weird,” he said Sunday, rubbing a spot on his upper chest as evidence.

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So Parker wasn’t at his best against the Celtics, although he ended with nine assists. But the Spurs still pulled away easily, with contributions through the lineup, and this is the forecast of a future Parker doesn’t fear.

After all, someday he will be alone without his coach and longtime teammates.

As Rajon Rondo already is.

The stories of these point guards aren’t the same, as Parker quickly pointed out. For one, Parker has been with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Gregg Popovich far longer than Rondo was with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Doc Rivers.

Parker also has been one of his team’s big three, and their win Sunday put them closer to becoming the most successful trio in NBA history. Parker, Duncan and Ginobili now need just 32 wins to pass the No. 1 group, coincidentally once with Boston — Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

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It is the Celtics’ most recent threesome that intersects with the Spurs, however, and this goes back to 2008. Then, the previous time the Spurs had a chance to repeat, Rondo and Boston’s big three won the championship.

The Celtics did what teams not named the Spurs usually do. They slowly declined. Ray Allen left, and the Celtics never got the talent bump that the Spurs got with Kawhi Leonard. Pierce, Garnett and Rivers eventually were gone in trades, and left behind was Rondo, the only remaining player from the championship team, stuck in a rebuilding project.

The way Rondo began the season fit with this stage of his career. He broke a hand falling in the shower.

Little wonder, when asked about the Spurs, he was wistful for what he once had. “The plays they make, I’m sure Pop doesn’t even have to call those plays,” Rondo said. “Once upon a time, we had chemistry like that.”

Rondo summed up what he faces nightly (“losing sucks”), again linking the Spurs to his past. “What those guys do,” he said, “I don’t take for granted anymore.”

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He didn’t help the Celtics much Sunday. While leading his team in assists, as Parker did, Rondo ended with two points and furthered a free-throw shooting nadir. He’s now shooting 32 percent from the line.

The Celtics tried to get him some help in the offseason; they made a bid for Kevin Love. Now they are left weighing whether to deal him before the trade deadline. Failing that, the Celtics might let Rondo leave as a free agent next summer.

Asked if more teams should try to rebuild around an aging core, as the Spurs did compared to the Celtics, Parker said Sunday:

“I can’t talk for other teams, but the Spurs have always been very loyal to their guys. You see George Gervin, David Robinson, Sean Elliott.”

Parker might be unaware the Spurs traded away two of them, Gervin and Elliott. But neither happened in this era, and this is what Parker banks on.

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“Even though one day I’ll be without Timmy and Manu and Pop,” Parker said, “we’re still going to try to compete and bring in good players and try to be a franchise that wins games . . . I trust the Spurs. I trust R.C. (Buford) and Peter (Holt), that we will still have a competitive team.”

Leonard’s rise adds to that optimism, as do players such as Danny Green and Tiago Splitter. With cap room next summer, the Spurs will have more options.

So Parker continues his career as he does this road trip. He thinks things will work out, including his sore rib.

But on Sunday, Parker also saw what he doesn’t want to be. He guarded him.

bharvey@express-news.net

Twitter: Buck_SA

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|Updated

Buck Harvey has been writing a sports column in San Antonio for more than 30 years.