Modest Duncan carrying
Spurs to glory
Mark
Woods
Tim Duncan is probably the best basketball
player you never heard of. He's also arguably the finest player in
the National Basketball Association. Which in reality means that no-one
on the planet can live with him right now. Duncan is on a level of his
own and the powerful 7-0 wonder is taking his San Antonio Spurs team along
for the journey.
Portland Trailblazers were the latest team
to feel his back hand of his talent after the Oregon side were forced to
play off with the Texans, the Spurs with hopes of securing their first
NBA Finals appearance. The Blazers have exceeded their expectations this
season en route to lifting the Pacific Division title, their playcaller
Mike Dunleavy rewarded with the Coach of Year prize. But in the best of
seven Western Conference Final series between the pair, 23 year old Duncan
has been the catalyst which has enabled the Texans to spike the Oregonian's
hopes of a title.
Perhaps it’s his island mentality which
allows Duncan to set himself apart from his peers. Born and raised on the
tiny Virgin Island of St. Croix, his arrival in San Antonio came via a
four year student passage at Wake Forest University. His graduation was
followed by selection by the Spurs with the premier pick of the 1997 Draft,
a real surprise despite his clear pedigree. For the ball club already had
a stellar big man in the shape of David Robinson, himself a former NBA
Most Valuable Player and at first glance possessing a game virtually identical
to that of the aspiring rookie.
Two seasons on, the tacticians and critics
have been silenced. Duncan and Robinson have meshed their games to such
a degree that opponents find them almost impossible to defend against.
The Twin Towers each have their own distinct strengths: Duncan possessing
a sweet outside shot, Robinson a defensive enforcer. And somehow their
tandem wheels in harmony rather than colliding - personal statistics less
vital than the success of the team.
"At some point, individual accomplishments
are important," Duncan modestly professed. "I think you can use them as
goals, you can use them as you try to achieve a certain level. I think
they are definitely, at some point, a big part of what we do. But no doubt
about it, the wins are the most important."
Once upon a time, the Spurs were regarded
as having a heart of glass. Perennially successful during the regular season,
come play off time the Texans simply fell apart. Robinson himself was subjected
to jibes of being too soft, lacking the mettle necessary in a champion.
However, Duncan’s normally ice cool demeanour belies a fiercely competitive
streak and it is a positive force which has been liberally instilled into
the Spurs’ Class of 99.
If proof were needed, the second
leg against the Blazers provided a dossier full. Trailing by two
points with less than ten seconds remaining before 35,000 home fans in
the Alomodrome, Spurs forward Sean Elliot drained an unbelievable three
point late shot hit more in hope than expectation. Its success took the
hosts half way towards a Finals match up with either Indiana Pacers or
the surprising New York Knicks. The Spurs of old would have surely folded
under such last gasp pressure. And then even when Duncan was held to a
mere four points in Game 3, his team still completed a 85-63 rout
of their opponents.
"Right now, I think they're better without
me," Duncan joked afterward. "It was awesome. It was incredible what
they did out there. It was just a lot of fun to watch." Given that
the Spurs won more games away from home than any other side in this shortened
season, there was little prospect of an escape route for Portland and so
it proved as the Spurs swept the series with a 4-0 whitewash.
The fact that he has not yet achieved global
fame speaks volumes for his own sense of humility and a willingness to
put shooting practice before the mighty commercial dollar. No movie deals,
no rap records, Duncan is a basketball player pure and simple. There’s
no showboating, no baiting of opponents. The complete professional.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is justifiably
proud of his go-to guy . "He's not impressed with himself when he does
something that's astounding. He's not depressed when he makes a mistake.
He just keeps competing. He just keeps playing. Tim Duncan just wants to
get better. He's not impressed with the hype."
Nonetheless when the 1999 Most Valuable
Player recipient was revealed, Duncan’s name was not added to this most
distinguished of lists. With votes cast six weeks previois, the victor
for the second time was Utah Jazz star Karl Malone, despite his team’s
early departure from the play-off fray. Re-open the ballot box and there
would be surely only one winner - San Antonio’s Number 21. Duncan might
even get excited about that. If not, it’s nothing personal, you understand.
He’ll just be taking care of business.
