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)
No comments:
Post a Comment