CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Tony Parker is young, so he will watch Kidd

His matchup against New Jersey's Jason Kidd will be one of the keys to the series.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- To appreciate how much of an effect Tony Parker has had on the Spurs, just look at the way he eats his french fries -- dipping them in a mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup.
"Tim [Duncan] eats them that way too now," teammate Malik Rose said.
Parker has had an effect on the tastes and talents of the San Antonio Spurs, who will begin their quest for a second NBA title Wednesday night in Game 1 of the championship series against the New Jersey Nets.
Parker, who turned 21 less than three weeks ago, will become the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to compete in the finals behind Jonathan Bender (19, Indiana, 2000), Darryl Dawkins (20, 1977, Philadelphia) and Magic Johnson (20, Lakers, 1980).
Big leap
"It's a dream to play in the NBA Finals. Three years ago I was waking up at 3 a.m. to watch the finals, and now I'm playing in them," Parker said.
His matchup against Nets point guard Jason Kidd will be one of the keys to the upcoming series, and it comes with an intriguing subplot. The Spurs will have more than $14 million worth of salary cap space over the summer when Kidd becomes a free agent, and it's possible they could make him an offer.
Will it have an affect on Parker?
"I've been asked that question 500 times, and it's not going to bother me --the comparison and the matchup with Jason Kidd," Parker said Monday.
The speedy Parker does not even expect this matchup to be his toughest of the postseason. In his opinion, no point guard is more difficult to defend than Phoenix's Stephon Marbury, whose team defeated San Antonio twice in the opening round.
Kidd is not the same type of natural scorer Marbury is, but he's a better passer, rebounder and all-around player.
Kidd is averaging 20.3, 8.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists in the postseason to Parker's 14.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
"They were the best team in the NBA, so everybody talks about Tim, and they should," Kidd said. "But Tony Parker is the key. When he plays well, they play well."
Strongest skills
Indeed, the Spurs were 20-1 during the regular season and 4-0 in the first three rounds of the playoffs when getting 20 or more points from Parker, whose flashy speed and accurate mid-range jumper are his strongest skills.
Parker, born in Belgium and raised in France, is the son of an American father and a Dutch mother. His father, Tony Sr., played for Loyola, Ill., before moving overseas to play professionally in Europe.
He made his first big splash in American basketball circles at the Nike Hoop Summit in Indianapolis in February 2000, scoring 20 points with seven assists and two steals against an American team that included Darius Miles, Zach Randolph and Omar Cook.
Parker said Georgia Tech, UCLA and Connecticut approached him to offer scholarships, but he instead turned professional and played in the French League.
That league includes plenty of veteran players, allowing Parker to become accustomed at an early age to older opponents. The experience has given Parker an air of confidence and maturity.
He was selected 28th by San Antonio in the 2001 draft, a low number for such an impact player.
Guard's blood
"It's because I was a European point guard, that's why. Nobody made it before. They thought the point guard position was for Americans," Parker said. "I'm 50-50; they forgot about my American part."
Parker became a starter just 10 games into his rookie season and has held the job since, showing dramatic improvement along the way.
"Over the past five to 10 years -- and especially the last five years -- there are so many players from overseas that play the game as well or better than the American kids that it should be obvious to everybody, especially with our loss last summer in World Championships, that there are not only good players but good teams, good coaches everywhere," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.