At 37, Duncan appreciates success more than ever
MIAMI — For all the playoff slugfests he has endured over the years, for all the elbows to the ribs he’s taken in the post, for all the postseason runs between this NBA Finals and his last one, little has changed for Tim Duncan.
He helped the San Antonio Spurs to their first championship in 1999, and his game is still built on fundamentals and smarts more than athleticism and speed. And he plays for the same coach, in the same system and with the same two stars by his side that brought three titles in five years.
In Game 1 against Miami on Thursday night, Duncan was controlling the paint, finding the open man and cleaning up the boards like he’s always done. But he’s 37 years old, and his last previous trip to the NBA Finals was six years ago.
That might not seem so long ago. To Duncan, it felt like an eternity. And now that he’s finally here, with a chance for title No. 5, he’s playing with urgency.
“It felt like a long time,” Duncan said on Friday, one day after posting 20 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three assists in San Antonio’s 92-88 win over Miami in the Finals opener. “I definitely appreciate being back out here, to see the Finals banners all around and to see the patch on the jersey and all those little things, the last couple of days it’s really been sinking in.
“I think I really do appreciate it more now, having been gone so long.”
That Duncan is focusing on those little details that he never did before should come as no surprise. He’s never craved the spotlight that comes with playing for the championship.
What he has stood for more than anything over the years is dependability. Everyone knows what he brings to the table, and the fact that he keeps bringing it year-in and year-out has earned him unparalleled respect and admiration within the league.
“The way he’s played his whole career, he’s continued to play that way,” Heat guard Ray Allen said. “In this world we live in, consistency is all we ask. You get paid a lot of money and you get respect by doing it.”
Now in his 16th season in the league, Duncan is reluctantly being thrust into the spotlight once more. He averaged 17.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in the regular season, becoming the second oldest player to earn All-NBA first-team honors. And he’s built off that with a stirring postseason run.
“Timmy is being recognized as one of the great, enduring Hall of Fame, top 10 players of all time,” Commissioner David Stern said. “They’re getting what they deserve.”
Duncan has long since handed over the reins to the Spurs offense to point guard Tony Parker, but his Thursday: San Antonio 92, Miami 88 Sunday: San Antonio at Miami, 7 p.m. Tuesday: Miami at San Antonio 8 p.m. Thursday, June 13: Miami at San Antonio, 8 p.m. x-Sunday, June 16: Miami at San Antonio, 7 p.m. x-Tuesday, June 18: San Antonio at Miami, 8 p.m. x-Thursday, June 20: San Antonio at Miami, 98p.m. All games on WATN-TV Channel 24, WMFS 680 AM/92.9 FM influence and impact hasn’t waned in the least.
“This will always be Timmy’s franchise,” Parker said. “Always. Should do a statue for him outside the AT&T Center.”
What would that statue look like?
“Looking mean,” Parker said. “Something like that.”