On four consecutive possessions during the fourth quarter of the Spurs’ pivotal Game 5 game against the Thunder, MVP runner-up Kawhi Leonard did not touch the ball.

Starting at the four-minute mark of the final quarter, Leonard was absent from the offense, not taking a shot until a desperation 3 with two seconds remaining. At that point the game was already gone.

For the final four minutes, it wasn’t Leonard, or even LaMarcus Aldridge, but veteran Spurs point guard Tony Parker who was running the offense. In that stretch Parker missed two pull-up jumpers, was fouled and missed one of his free throws, and on the other end the Thunder’s two-headed monster of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant (with a little bit of help from the officials) put away the game.

It was a terrible stretch for the Spurs, who didn’t force the issue by putting the ball in Leonard’s hands, instead allowing the more assertive Parker to take over. And it partly cost them the game.

This has been a transition year for the Spurs, and all season I have marveled at how Gregg Popovich and the Spurs coaching staff have pushed the team into the hands of Aldridge and Leonard, gently phasing out team legends Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and, yes, Parker. (New signing David West was likewise seamlessly integrated into the team.)

But it wasn’t totally perfect, if you watched closely. While Duncan and Ginobili — age 40 and 38, respectively — were more graceful in allowing their roles to diminish, the younger Parker, age 33, resisted. An All-Star just two years ago, Parker would understandably feel like he was — and is — an important part of this team.

Injuries also hampered Parker for much of the year, so it’s understandable that, now healthy, he would believe this is still his team. He has the experience. He’s won four rings. He’s a former NBA Finals MVP. And he’s not like Ginobili and Duncan, hanging on for one last ride. He’s 33. He’s theoretically still in his prime.

It’s all understandable why Parker would feel the need to have the ball in his hands in crunch time, and also understandable why the younger and (at least personality-wise) more passive Leonard would defer to him.

The Spurs can’t allow this to happen, though. Parker no longer has the devastating first step he once had to get in the paint, and his jumper isn’t as reliable as it once was. (Not to mention, the contested long 2 is a terrible look for just about anyone in the league.) On the flip side, Leonard is a nightmare matchup for defenders, especially creating off the dribble.

Leonard is 6-foot-8. He can post up, he can drive, he can distribute, and he can finish. Giving him the ball creates a need for a double team, and there he can get the offense moving. If he draws a double, two quick Spurs passes is going to find an open man for a three, or he can get the ball to Aldridge on the block, which is usually good for a bucket.

Instead, the Spurs went time and time again to Parker, who no longer demands a double team. The Thunder went with a set man-on-man, and twice Parker settled for long contested jumpers, and twice missed.

Here’s the way to look at it: That Parker long 2 is the shot the Thunder wanted the Spurs to take. If you gave them a list of all possible outcomes of each possession in crunch time, and told them they could pick what happened, the “contested long Tony Parker 2” would probably be right there at the very top of the list, just losing out to “Danny Green shoots from half-court sitting down backwards” and “Boris Diaw tries to kick the ball in like a soccer ball.”

For the Spurs, who have made an art form of moving the ball until the perfect shot was there, settling for what the Thunder would want is inexcusable. Parker has had an incredible career, but it’s time for him to take a step back and allow Leonard to run the offense in crunch time.

This is Leonard’s and Aldridge’s team now. Parker has to let them win games.