Tim Duncan: Silent Legend

The Basketball World was hit with another blow with another legend saying goodbye. San Antonio Spurs Icon Tim Duncan announced his retirement from the NBA with ZERO fanfare, unlike his counterpart and polar opposite Kobe Bean Bryant. Duncan was Drafted 1st Overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1997 NBA Draft. Ever since his time at Wake Forest, Duncan showed signs of future greatness, which is why San Antonio made the investment. It clearly paid off. At the time, the San Antonio Spurs were in a stage of rebuilding as Franchise Star David Robinson was injured during the season with back problems. With Robinson out, their leading scorer was a past his prime Dominique Wilkins. Nique was no longer the Human Highlight Reel from his glory days. The Spurs went 20-62. As a result, it was only fitting that they draft number 21 as their Centerpiece for the future. With Duncan, The Admiral found greater team success. Together, they formed the Twin Towers. Tim was clearly the Rookie of the Year (21.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.5 bpg, 55% FG). The Spurs went 56-26. Duncan's impact was a resurgence for not only the Spurs, but the city of San Antonio and State of Texas in general. Next to Shaq & Kobe's Lakers, the Spurs were one of the premiere teams going into the new Millennium. His battles with Shaq & Kobe were legendary in every way. That is what made me truly believe that Tim Duncan was Great. Shaq himself realized that when he gave Duncan the nickname "The Big Fundamental" for his Fundamental approach to the game. The 1998-99 Season witnessed a lockout where the Regular Season was truncated to 50 Games. The San Antonio Spurs were the Best Team in the League with a 37-13 record. In the playoffs, San Antonio wiped the floor with their opponents. In the first round, they dominated the Minnesota Timberwolves 3-1. In the Semi-Finals, they SWEPT a Shaq-led Lakers team. In the WCF, San Antonio swept a loaded Blazers team. In the Finals, they annihilated the New York Knicks in 5 Games. Duncan was Finals MVP (27.4/14.0/2.4). TD won back to back MVP Awards in 2002 and 2003. The Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets in the '03 Finals with Duncan winning his second Finals MVP Award. This was also his last Championship with David Robinson by his side.

With the Admiral's Departure, the Spurs did not miss a beat. They would return to the Finals two years later to defeat the defending Champion Detroit Pistons in 7 Games capturing his third Finals MVP Award. San Antonio would defeat an inexperienced Cleveland Cavaliers team led by a young LeBron James in the 2007 NBA Finals, 4-0. Duncan solidified his place as not only the Greatest Power Forward ever, but the Greatest Player of the 2000's Era of the NBA. As Shaq would face a steady decline and Kobe would go through three tumultuous seasons, Tim Duncan maintained his consistency by keeping his team in contendership every year. The Spurs were always a team to keep your eye on in the Playoffs because of the leadership of Duncan along with the nucleus of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The Spurs philosophy of winning was very blue collar and methodical. It was the closest thing that we ever had to watching the Boston Celtics of the late 50's/60's starring Bill Russell & co. Duncan can be described as the Modern equivalent of Bill Russell, but with more Offense. Gregg Popovich has definitely been the Commander of the Team, like Red Auerbach. Parker and Ginobili were Duncan's Cousy and Havlicek. The Spurs ran a pure X's and O's style of Basketball. It felt like watching Basketball 101. The Spurs would return to the Finals to face the Miami Heat with a more mature LeBron James. This time, LeBron also had a stronger team with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen and others. The Spurs came up short to the Heat in 7 Games, the only time San Antonio has ever lost in the Finals. The Spurs would not go down without a fight, as they avenged their loss by dominating Miami in 5 Games. Future Franchise Star Kawhi Leonard won Finals MVP. Tim Duncan was a very selfless legend because of how he was willing to pass the torch to a player like Kawhi.

Tim Duncan used his mind to break down opponents. He knew how to find weaknesses in his matchup and execute. His Bank Shot became one of the Signature Weapons in NBA History. It was simple, but dangerous. Tim's Basketball IQ was at Genius level, like Batman. His awareness of everything around him kept the Spurs machine running like clockwork. Duncan's consistency, discipline and mind for the game is what set him apart from the rest of his contemporaries. He was one of the best combinations of great Low Post Offense and Defense. The fact that he never won Defensive Player of the Year is mind blowing. During the Tim Duncan Administration, the San Antonio Spurs won over 70% of their games. The Spurs were privileged to not have experienced a Season where they did not see the playoffs. That in and of itself is remarkable. Tim Duncan has left an indelible mark on the game of Basketball and a very large shadow in San Antonio. The Class of 2021 with him and Kobe Bryant together will be spectacular.

Thank you Tim Duncan for all that you have done for the Game of Basketball. See you in the Hall of Fame.

Accomplishments:
NBA Rookie of the Year (1997-98)
5x NBA Champion ('99, '03, '05, '07, 2014)
3x NBA Finals MVP ('99, '03, '05)
2x NBA MVP ('02, '03)
15x NBA All-Star ('98-2011, 2013-'15)
10x All-NBA 1st Team (1998-'05, '07, 2013)
3x All-NBA 2nd Team (2006, 2008-'09)
2x All-NBA 3rd Team (2010, 2015)
8x All-Defensive 1st Team ('99-'03, '05, '07-'08)
7x All-Defensive 2nd Team ('98, '04, '06, '09, 2010, 2013, 2015)
Co-All-Star Game MVP (2000 w/Shaquille O'Neal)
Spurs All-Time Leading Scorer (26,496)
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2003)
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (2003)

WWE 100 Greatest Matches Review

Recently, I purchased a copy of WWE's latest book of the 100 Greatest Matches of all-time. The concept intrigued me from the moment that I saw the Cover. It also made me think about the Top 100 Matches Countdown that they did on WWE.com. The Countdown that they did on the Website was interesting yet insightful, with a combination of matches from WWE to NWA, WCW, WCCW, etc., with quotes from fans and writers. However, it did raise many eyebrows because of the fact that the ONLY Women's match on the Countdown was Charlotte vs. Natalya from an NXT event. So are they telling me that Trish Stratus and Lita did not have matches that were up to par? Whatever. I was expecting this Book to be very similar. However, there would be some surprises and rather not so surprising differences compared to the WWE website:

• All of the matches are only from WWE History: If you are looking for your fix of Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat, this book is not for you. Instead, go to the WWE Network. If you are not a subscriber, it is just for the great price of $9.99. (Mick Foley Cheap Pop). When they say Greatest Matches in "WWE History", that is EXACTLY what they mean. No Sting matches to be found. The furthest that this book goes back to is the match where Bruno Sammartino defeated "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers to win his first WWWF Title (5/17/1963). This book also has the match where Bruno lost the title to "Superstar" Billy Graham. The ONLY Dusty Rhodes match that you will ever find is his Texas Death Match with "Superstar" Billy Graham (10/24/1977). Clearly, Dusty's WWF/E Polka Dot years were nowhere near what he did down South in NWA. It looks like they needed to add Dusty in as a tribute to keep up with the theme. Other maches include Bob Backlund vs. Stan Hansen in a Steel Cage match for the then WWF Championship (4/6/1981). Stan's best work was in Japan, but they probably felt that he should be in considering his recent Hall of Fame Induction. For crying out loud, the book even includes Sgt. Slaughter vs. Pat Patterson. How could you talk about WWE History without the man that wrote most of it's history? Hulk Hogan himself. The book even includes the match where he defeated Iron Sheik to win his first World Title in MSG. Other matches include his matches with the likes of Andre, Savage, Piper, and Warrior. Enough said.  
• The Addition of Chris Benoit: Even though he is a pariah and a blight to WWE History and will NEVER join the HOF, Chris Benoit surprisingly has a match in this book. It looks like WWE and the publishers did this to make the obsessed Benoit fans shut up. Benoit only has one match in this collection of great matches, and it is NOT his WrestleMania XX match (his shining moment). Instead, it is his Ladder Match with Chris Jericho at Royal Rumble 2001 for the Intercontinental Championship. As the book was put together, they were very strategic by not showing Benoit's face and only highlighting one match. If they included his crowning moment at WrestleMania XX, that would send a message that they are trying to Champion him in spite of what he did. The match itself is too tainted and WWE did not want to touch that with a 30-foot pole. 
• No Rankings: None of the matches in this Book are ranked. Doing a list about ANYTHING can be a difficult task, let alone a Top 100 List. That in itself is daunting and mentally exhausting. Instead, some matches receive awards that were voted by fans, superstars, etc (Greatest Match, Favorite Match, etc). Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 25 won the Award for being voted Greatest Match of All-Time by WWE.com. Savage vs Steamboat, and Shawn vs Razor (WM X) also won Awards. 
• More than one Women's Match: It was great to see that WWE gave more shine to Women's Matches. I would also go on as to say these matches were better than Nattie vs. Charlotte. The matches included Trish vs. Lita from Unforgiven 2006 (Trish's Retirement Match), Trish vs. Mickie James (WM 22), as well as Sasha Banks vs Bayley from NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. That NXT: Brooklyn match won the PWI Match of the Year. 
• Sketchy Match Selection: With the Great matches that are included, there are some that are missing that you would expect to be in there. For example, no Cena vs HBK from WM 23, or HBK vs Taker from WM 26. Instead, you have Paige vs Emma, Ziggler vs Bryan and USO's vs Wyatts to name a few. Not exactly the ideal matches when talking about the "Greatest" matches in history. I'm guessing that they don't want to overexpose certain wrestlers that have more than one great match, so they are probably trying to spread out the variety. 

Overall, this book is still a great addition to any wrestling fan's collection. Just remember to take whatever WWE makes with a grain of salt. Though politics make certain selections questionable, the overall package is a classic. 

I give this 4 out of 5. As far as a belt ranking, I give this 4 out of 5 Shawn Michaels WWF Championship Belts. 

Golden State Warriors: NWO of Basketball

Kevin Durant made this Fourth of July one to remember for quite some time. He sparked fireworks all across the Sports world and news in general when he made his decision to join the Golden State Warriors. Kevin's move caused a widespread mix of emotions and reviews. On one end, you had fans that were irate and furious about his decision to join the Warriors. So much so to the point that they started to burn his jerseys and shoot them. On the other hand, there were fans that were fine with his decision to leave, even if it was to join the team that just beat his team in the Western Conference Finals. It is the "If you can't beat them, join them" approach and mindset. Then, you had those fans that were just glad that he left Oklahoma City, but did not like the team that he joined. It was reminiscent of LeBron James and "The Decision" when he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. I am glad that KD left OKC, but I am in the middle of "why did he join the Warriors?" and "I understand because it is all about business".

I have seen this before with LBJ and I have come to realize that this is the climate that we live in with the NBA. Whether you like it or not, that is the way things roll. The circumstances seem very similar. Both players left teams that they help to build from the ground up. The only differences are:

• LeBron TELEVISED his "Decision" while Kevin did not. 
• The Warriors came off of back to back Finals Appearances and an historic 73 win Season.

Other than that, the concept is still the same. Although Miami was not in the same position that Golden State is in now, they still had the championship resume from Wade's Finals win in 2006. They were in more of a building process than the Warriors are today. Still, LeBron opened the floodgates for the Super teams where star players flock together for the sake of winning rings. 

I say all of that to say that these Super team situations with LeBron James in 2010 and Kevin Durant this year remind me of when wrestling icon Hulk Hogan joined Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form the "New World Order" better known as the "NWO" in 1996. For years, Hogan was the beloved hero that inspired fans to "Train, Eat their Vitamins, and Say their Prayers". Soon, times changed and he was forced to change his scenery. On July 7, 1996, Hogan shocked the world by becoming a villain and turning on fans all over the world by forming the NWO with two men that were stars in their own right. Hogan was the face of the group and added greater value to the formation of the group. He repackaged his image and became "Hollywood" Hogan. This is what I call the "NWO Factor". Soon after, Hogan was villified, but he still had success. 

In 2010, LeBron James was the first player to use the "NWO Factor" when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers in a way that made him the ultimate villain of Basketball. For 7 years, LeBron James was the "Babyface" to use wrestling terms. He was the Hero of the the NBA. When he announced his "Decision" on live TV and joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, he turned "Heel" or became the Bad Guy or Villain. Wade was Scott Hall and Bosh was Kevin Nash. When that happened, I immediately thought about Hogan joining the NWO. From that point, the Miami Heat became the "NWO of Basketball". Fans burned LeBron's jersey in Cleveland, just like they have done with Kevin Durant today. 

History has repeat itself. On July 4th, Kevin Durant became the Hollywood Hogan of Basketball and joined Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to form the NWO in Golden State. KD is another victim of the "NWO Factor". When Durant left Oklahoma City and longtime teammate Russell Westbrook, it reminded me of when Hogan gave "Macho Man" Randy Savage the Leg Drop to signify his change of allegiance. LeBron leg dropped Cleveland six years ago. 

Plain and simple, the Golden State Warriors have become the "NWO of Basketball". 

Social Media has made the same comparison. In the words of my friend Mike Pearman aka "Mike Knoxxx" "Wrestling Is Storyline". I would also like to say that "Basketball Is Storyline" because the NBA is also Storyline driven. Much like Hogan and LeBron, Kevin Durant has become Public Enemy number 1.