The Spurs obviously would prefer their 19-year-old keep the fender-denting to a minimum these days. Especially since Terry Porter's strained right calf has forced Popovich to hand his rookie the keys in the fourth quarter.

"I like the pressure," said Parker, who rarely saw the floor during crunch time a month ago. "The last couple of games, even when TP was there, Pop showed a lot of confidence and put me back in the fourth quarter. With all these big games, I'm ready to take the challenge."

Whether Parker is ready matters little. In the past, Popovich would bring in Porter to steady the team if needed. With Porter out for at least three more games, the only options are to move Antonio Daniels into that role ? even though Daniels is more comfortable at shooting guard ? or let Parker continue to cut his teeth as the playoffs near.

So far, Popovich has chosen the latter. In the past three games, Parker has averaged 11.0 points and 7.7 assists in 38.0 minutes ? up from the 8.8 points, 4.0 assists and 28.8 minutes he averaged in his first 63 games.