Spurs threesome Duncan, Parker and Ginobili quiet but effective

MIAMI -- The Heat made the huge splash three summers ago, getting LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to agree to play together. After they did, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was one of the first people to call Heat president Pat Riley.

"He put together a team fairly -- within the rules -- that is a monster," Popovich said Wednesday afternoon. "Why wouldn't you congratulate him for that? So I did."

Popovich, also San Antonio's president, turned the Spurs into a monster but in a very different way than the Heat. They were built organically, through the draft with three cornerstone players who have been together since 2002.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are the less-heralded Big Three in this NBA Finals that gets under way Thursday night. Yet they have more rings than Miami's trio of James, Wade and Bosh, who won the title last season.

Duncan will try to win his fifth championship with the Spurs, and fourth playing with Parker and Ginobili.

"We're comfortable playing with each other," Duncan said. "Tony and Manu and myself, we've been on that court for a long time. We push each other. And we're excited to be back on this stage right now."

The Spurs are back in the Finals for the first time since 2007, when their Big Three swept James' army of one in Cleveland.

Not having enough with the Cavaliers to beat the Spurs and ultimately the Magic and Celtics led to James taking his talents to South Beach. The Spurs stars never felt the need to take their talents anywhere but San Antonio every year.

Duncan is completing his 16th season with the Spurs, Parker his 12th and Ginobili his 11th. It's remarkable and refreshing considering how many players, especially stars, change teams in today's NBA.

Shaquille O'Neal wore five different uniforms, Ray Allen has worn four and Jason Kidd three during the Spurs' Duncan-Parker-Ginobili era. James is on his second and there's been speculation he could leave Miami next summer.

Unless Duncan retires, the Spurs' Big Three probably still will be together then. They may also actually slow down by then, but at 37, 35, and 31, respectively, Duncan, Ginobili and Parker are still going strong.

There have been hiccups and potential problems, though. The Spurs tried signing Kidd in 2003 to mentor Parker, who wasn't happy with that. Kidd re-signed with the Nets. The Spurs also explored trading Parker in 2010. But they wisely held onto the point guard who has usurped Duncan as San Antonio's leader and best player.

Overall, the Spurs' Big Three has won 98 playoff games as a trio, second most to Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili also have collected 457 regular-season wins -- the most by any three non-Lakers or Celtics.

"It's a total function of who those three guys are," Popovich said. "What if they were jerks? What if they were selfish? What if one of them was unintelligent? If, if, if. But the way it works out, all three of them are highly intelligent. They all have great character. They appreciate their teammates' success."

Duncan and Parker have played 816 regular-season games together the most among active duos, just before Duncan and Ginobili's 678 games. By comparison, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire have played a total of 89 games together. The Knicks' Big Three of Anthony, Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler have appeared in 62 games total.

The Knicks have talked about keeping their core together to develop chemistry and improve through familiarity. The Spurs are living proof it works, but they were fortunate that their players grew up in their system.

Their core players also credit Popovich, owner Peter Holt and general manager R.C. Buford for finding good complementary players.

"They stuck with us, with the Big Three, and they improved the guys around it," Parker said.