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 2007-10-28 12:28  #1
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Five burning questions for the Spurs

Five burning questions for the Spurs

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA102807.02M.BKNspurs.questions.262b9b9.html

Web Posted: 10/27/2007 05:01 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News

1. When will (insert name here) finally start to show his age?

The Spurs brought back every significant piece of last season's title team, which ought to work wonders for the team's chemistry and comfort level. It won't go very far, however, in helping the league's oldest team get any younger. Of the players guaranteed a significant role in the rotation, only one — Tony Parker — is younger than 30. Four prominent SpursBruce Bowen, Michael Finley, Robert Horry and Brent Barry — are 34 or older. It's a safe bet that one or more of the 30-somethings will hit the wall this season. They just hope not everyone gets old at once.

2. Can Tony Parker make the leap?

Parker was playing his best basketball in the playoffs last season, slicing and dicing up opponents on his way to being named NBA Finals MVP. Scary memo for the rest of the league: The Spurs believe Parker can be even better. His jump shot, though improving, is still inconsistent. Once he straightens it out, and maybe pushes his range out to the 3-point line, Parker will become even more indefensible.

3. Who will be the second-year stud?

Every season, a sophomore in the Spurs' system seems to take a giant step forward. Last season, it was Fabricio Oberto, who emerged as a key cog in the late-season run. This season's breakout candidates include forward Matt Bonner, center Francisco Elson and guard Jacque Vaughn. Prediction: One of them will be the most improved player on the team this season.

4. Is this the year Bruce Bowen finally gets his due?

The Spurs believe Bowen has been the best defensive player in the NBA for several years running. This offseason, they put their money where their mouth is, rewarding him with a two-year contract extension. Perhaps this is the season the league also gets the memo. Bowen has been a mainstay on the NBA all-defensive team since 2003-04 but has never won Defensive Player of the Year honors. If Susan Lucci can finally get her Emmy, maybe Bowen can finally get his.

5. For how much longer can Duncan be Duncan?

Tim Duncan is still in his prime at age 31, but he is beginning to reach the danger zone for big men in the NBA. Good news for the Spurs: Duncan's game depends less on sheer athleticism — and more on footwork and fundamentals — than many big men. He should have less trouble adjusting to basketball's middle age.

- Jeff McDonald
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tinysands离线中   引用
 2007-10-28 12:29  #2
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Spurs have pieces in place to finally repeat

Spurs have pieces in place to finally repeat

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA102807.02M.BKNspurs.main.262b9f8.html

Web Posted: 10/27/2007 05:03 PM CDT
Jeff McDonald
Express-News

The confetti had already dropped. The first champagne corks had long since popped. The Spurs had just won their fourth championship in nine years in June and the party was already under way somewhere in the bowels of Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.

Then came the question, aimed at Gregg Popovich, the man at the helm for each title.

Do you think your team needs to win back-to-back championships at some point to cement itself as a true NBA dynasty?

Leave it to a notebook-wielding killjoy to ruin Popovich's buzz. He answered in the only manner true to himself: brutally honest, and a tad profane.
"I don't give a (expletive)," he told a room full of reporters, not to mention millions watching live on national TV.

Five months later, with the Spurs' latest quest for two in a row set to embark with Tuesday's season opener against Portland, Popovich still doesn't give a (expletive) when it comes to talk of a dynasty.

"I think the repeating thing is sort of overdone," Popovich said. "When a team repeats, everybody goes gaga. I think it's kind of neat, and it's hard to do, but I don't think it's any more impressive than winning over a 10-year period and being good every year."

In the decade since Tim Duncan arrived on the scene and Popovich arrived on the bench, the Spurs have been pro sports' winningest franchise.

The only notable bauble to elude them has been back-to-back titles. It is the blemish on their résumé, like the mole on the upper lip of a supermodel.

Make no mistake: The Spurs want to win it all this season.

When it comes to the high-minded concept of creating a dynasty, however, Spurs players tend to echo their coach. They don't give a (expletive), either.

Says reigning Finals MVP Tony Parker: "We don't care about what people say. It's for us. We have to do it for us."

This season, the Spurs appear more poised than ever to make a run at a repeat.

Taking a page from the if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix it philosophy, the Spurs brought back all 12 players who were active during last season's postseason run. That should serve them well.

"It's always a tough year after winning a championship," says Duncan, the only player to win four rings with the Spurs. "No matter what you do, there are a lot of down nights. When you walk into that gym, you're the defending champions. It's always a tougher year."

Used to be, NBA champions viewed a repeat as a birthright.

Between 1987 and 1998, every team that won a title won at least two in a row.

Chicago won three straight on two separate occasions during that span. After the Spurs broke the repeat streak by failing to do so in 2000, the Los Angeles Lakers went back-to-back-to-back.

That the Spurs have struggled to repeat is mildly surprising.

In the end, perhaps it all comes down to luck. The Spurs' previous attempts at back-to-back titles have been a seminar in close-but-no-cigar.

In 2000, they were thwarted when Duncan injured his knee the final week of the regular season, making them easy pickings for Phoenix in the first round.

Their 2005 hopes ended, for all intents and purposes, when Lakers guard Derek Fisher drained a miracle shot with 0.4 seconds remaining to beat the Spurs in a pivotal Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.

In 2006, it took overtime of Game 7 against Dallas in the conference semifinals to end the Spurs' bid for back-to-back titles.

Had it not been for any one of the above, there's a distinct chance the Spurs dynasty chatter would already be moot. They might already have back-to-back titles, and hence, they might already have their dynasty.

If you ask Miami Heat coach Pat Riley, the man who once guaranteed and delivered a repeat for the Lakers, the Spurs have a golden chance to right that wrong and then some.

When he looks at the Spurs, he sees visions of his old Lakers squad from the 1980s — a team that won three titles in four years and produced an undisputed dynasty.

The Spurs are aging, for sure, and the window for another title is closing quickly. But their best players — Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili — are still in their prime.

As a result, Riley says, the Spurs could have more than just one more title in them.

"They could have a long run in them and do something incredible," Riley said. "I think they know that."

The Spurs, most assuredly, do know that.

They would love to hang a fifth championship banner in the AT&T Center some day. If it happens this season, great.

And if not?

"I'm still going to drink wine with my dinner and sleep well at night," Popovich said.
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tinysands离线中   引用
 2007-10-28 12:38  #3
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Spurs Scouting Report

Spurs Scouting Report

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA102807.03M.BKNspurs.scouting.283b6e6.html

Web Posted: 10/27/2007 05:18 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News

Express-News staff writer Mike Monroe talked to one NBA scout to get his thoughts on the Spurs:

Tony Parker

Probably one of best in the league, at any position, at scoring in the paint. Does as good a job as anyone in league at penetrating and actually finishing on floaters and can also hit pull-up jumpers in the paint. He's also turned into a very heady point man, and his shot just gets better and better. We think he's just an average defender, but their (defensive) system helps him.


* * *
Manu Ginobili

Simply one of most difficult guys in the league to defend. That's because of his herky-jerky style. Always comes back to his left. Even if you force him right, he takes one or two dribbles to his right and crosses back because teams over-commit, so he can still beat you with his left hand. One of the grittiest, most effective drivers and gets to line. An incredibly difficult guy to guard because he ducks his head and shoulder and creates contact and has enough respect to get a lot of whistles.


* * *
Fabricio Oberto
Just a prototypical team player. Doesn't need the ball. A willing screen-setter. Might be an undervalued defensive player, not because he makes spectacular defensive plays, but he gets to the right position on help defense and on weak-side help. Lacks athleticism and flair, so he is undervalued. Great role player, and when you least expect it, can knock down 8- or 10-footer.


* * *
Bruce Bowen

Always draws the toughest defensive assignment every night and accepts it with honor and pride. We're still waiting for him to lose a half step. Loves the corner three, and it's the only shot you have to honor, because he's not going to put it on the floor or shoot from the wing or elbow. A great teammate.


* * *
Tim Duncan

Spurs offense now starts with Tony (Parker), but that is because Duncan allows it because he has so little ego that he sees the evolution of their team and understands that TP's development allows him more freedom. With teams now stopping the ball when Parker has it, Tim is even more effective and efficient in the post. Unselfish, smart, one of the best face-up, back-to-basket bigs in league history. So solid and steady and dependable, you just have to hope he keeps missing free throws. Oh, yeah, he's also a defensive force inside.


* * *
Bench

(Michael) Finley is an aging 2-3, but he's still able to knock down perimeter shots and one- and two-dribble jumpers, so you still have to honor his shot. ... Brent Barry had a great preseason and seems more confident in his shot than I've seen in a long time. Seems to be playing without a care, which is unusual and scary; a defensive liability. ... Francisco (Elson) is probably one of best running big men in all of the NBA; runs like a guard; consistent minutes will help his confidence. ... Jacque Vaughn is solid and steady and doesn't make many mistakes, but you still want him to shoot. ... (Ime) Udoka was a good pickup for them.
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tinysands离线中   引用
 2007-10-28 12:39  #4
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Championship Hangovers - How the Spurs fared in their first three attempts at a repea

Championship Hangovers - How the Spurs fared in their first three attempts at a repeat

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA102807.03M.BKNspurs.hangovers.283c562.html

Web Posted: 10/27/2007 05:26 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News

1999-2000

The team: Kept the team together for the most part, losing backup center Will Perdue to Chicago and Sean Elliott to a kidney transplant. Elliott returned to play 19 games at the end of the season. Added Terry Porter and Samaki Walker.

The season: Opened the season with a franchise-best 14-3 record before slumping in December and January. Rallied to finish 53-29 overall and second in the Midwest Division. Disaster struck on April 11, however, when Tim Duncan suffered a season-ending knee injury at Sacramento.

The playoffs: With Duncan out, the Phoenix Suns had little trouble dispatching the Spurs in the first round. It marks the only time during the Duncan era in which the Spurs failed to advance to the second round of the postseason.


* * *
2003-04

The team: David Robinson and Danny Ferry retired in the wake of the Spurs' second title. Stephen Jackson, Speedy Claxton and Steve Smith all moved on to greener pastures, precipitating the most radical post-title makeover in Spurs history. Welcome Rasho Nesterovic, Hedo Turkoglu and — in a move that would portend more titles to come — Robert Horry. The team also added Charlie Ward for the playoffs.

The season: The Spurs struggled out of the gate, limping to the league's 25th best record (9-10) on Dec. 4. Starting on Dec. 5, they rattled off a 13-game winning streak and finished the season on another streak of 11 in a row. Buoyed by their hot finish, the Spurs finished 57-25, second in the Midwest Division.

The playoffs: The Spurs swept Memphis in the first round and held a 2-0 lead against the Lakers in the conference semifinals. Then, the wheels came off. With the series tied 2-2, Los Angeles' Derek Fisher capped an epic Game 5 by hitting a game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds to go. Two days later, the Lakers ended the Spurs' repeat hopes in Game 6.


* * *
2005-06

The team: Again, no major makeover. Hometown kid Devin Brown left for Utah via free agency. The Spurs added veterans Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel, and signed draft pick Fabricio Oberto.

The season: The Spurs turned in the most dominant season in franchise history, finishing with a record 63 victories and winning the Southwest Division by three games over the Dallas Mavericks.

The playoffs: But the Mavs had their revenge. The top-seeded Spurs polished off Sacramento in the first round and, due to a glitch in the playoff system, ended up meeting a Dallas team with the second-best record in the conference in the second round. The series was one for the ages, with the Mavericks stealing a Game 7 in San Antonio that needed overtime to decide a winner.
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tinysands离线中   引用
 2007-10-28 12:40  #5
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Spurs' Parker must prove that he can handle success

Spurs' Parker must prove that he can handle success

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA102807.03M.BKNspurs.parker.283d34d.html

Web Posted: 10/27/2007 05:28 PM CDT
Jeff McDonald
Express-News

There is fame, and then there is Fame with an uppercase. Tony Parker knows them both.

The first is the kind of celebrity that comes with being a stage actor, a state senator or a reality-show contestant. It elicits a "Hey, it's that guy" from passersby on the street. The second is the domain of the uber-celebrity — the movie star, the head of state, the Pope, the Beatle.

Parker, the Spurs' 25-year-old hiccup-quick point guard, has come to understand the distinction between the two.

In America, where outside of San Antonio he is still best known as Eva Longoria's husband, Parker has fame. In his home country of France, where Eva Longoria is best known as his new wife, he has Fame.

There is a difference.

Just ask the hundreds of invited guests at his July wedding in Paris. Or the dozens of paparazzo who attended sans invitation.

Or ask Ian Mahinmi, the 20-year-old Spurs rookie who hails from France and, until this summer, idolized Parker from afar.

"In France, Tony is Famous," Mahinmi said. "You don't even know how Famous."

Mahinmi means the capitalized version of the word.

"He can't even walk down the street," Mahinmi said.

After a coming-out party last season, Parker is poised to attain that kind of name recognition on this side of the Atlantic as well.

He wasn't exactly anonymous in NBA circles last season, but his first career All-Star berth and a Finals MVP award served to boost Parker's profile among the league's most casual fans.

Heading into his seventh season, Parker is a rising star on a team that still has Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. It's a distinction he vows will not become a distraction.

"I just have to play the same way," said Parker, who averaged 18.6 points per game last season and 20.8 in the playoffs. "I don't think I have to try to do too much. I think it would be bad if I tried to do that. I just have to be myself."

It's new territory for Parker. There was a time not long ago that some factions of Spurs fans wished he were Jason Kidd.

Earlier in his career, Parker was criticized for his penchant to disappear in the playoffs. After the Spurs won a championship in 2003, they briefly flirted with bringing in Kidd as a free agent.

But last season, Parker shook off his June jitters for good.

He posted games of 32, 30 and 23 points in the conference semifinals against Phoenix, games of 25, 21 and 21 in the conference finals against Utah and games of 30, 27 and 24 against Cleveland in the NBA Finals.

In the end, he cemented his breakout postseason by becoming the first Spurs player other than Duncan to be named Finals MVP. He hopes to ride that wave into this season, which opens Tuesday against Portland.

"Tony is in a good, comfortable position right now," guard Brent Barry said. "In the past, he's handled adversity very well. Now it will be interesting to see how he handles success."

The Spurs are hoping Parker handles one the way he has handled the other. By getting better.

Since coming into the league at 19 years old in 2001, Parker has improved his jumper every year. As such, his game has improved a few feet at a time.

In time, the Spurs believe Parker could be a lethal 3-point shooter. He showed flashes of that last season.

"He's gotten better every year he's been here," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He definitely has that capability."

There aren't a whole lot of red-blooded men, American or otherwise, who wouldn't want to be Tony Parker right now.

He is a budding basketball superstar. He has a movie-star wife.

He has fame, and is working on Fame.
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Heaven in Hell
tinysands离线中   引用
 2007-10-28 12:42  #6
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Spurs Key Dates

Spurs Key Dates

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA102807.10M.BKNspurs.dates.26b164a.html

Web Posted: 10/27/2007 06:01 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News

Oct. 30 vs. Portland: The Spurs get their championship rings and get to raise another banner. A little luster lost when the Trail Blazers lost top pick Greg Oden to knee surgery.

Nov. 6 at Houston: Spurs face revamped Rockets for the first time, hoping not to fall victim to Luis Scola's revenge.

Nov. 13 vs. L.A. Lakers: It's always a party when Kobe Bryant comes to town. You know, assuming he hasn't been traded by this point.

Jan. 17 vs. Cleveland: LeBron James arrives for a rematch of last season's NBA Finals.

Jan. 28 at Utah: The Spurs kick off annual rodeo road trip with a visit to Utah. Twenty-two nights later, they play at the AT&T Center again.

Jan. 31 at Phoenix: Robert Horry returns to Phoenix for the first time since launching Steve Nash. Will he need his own security detail?

March 17 vs. Boston: Celtics' new Big Three comes to town, in a possible NBA Finals preview.

March 23 at Dallas: The Spurs get their last crack at the Mavericks, in a game that should loom large in the Southwest Division race.

March 30 vs. Houston: The Spurs get their last crack at the Rockets, in a game that should loom large in the Southwest Division race.

April 11 vs. Seattle: Former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant revisits his old college haunt (or thereabouts). Will he have NBA Rookie of the Year honors wrapped up by then?
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Heaven in Hell
tinysands离线中   引用
 2007-10-28 13:47  #7
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回复: Spurs New Season

五个问题抛给马刺

1. 什么时候XXXX(请自行填充任一球员名字)会开始显出老态?

马刺保留了上季夺冠的全部主力阵容,这对保持球队的化学反应和配合很有好处。但作为联盟最老的球队,又过了一年,球员也都又老了一岁。在主要轮换阵容中,只有Tony Parker一人年龄不到30。4人——Bruce Bowen、Michael Finley、Robert HorryBrent Barry——超过了34岁。这个赛季很可能会有某个超过30岁的老将终于开始显出老态、状态下滑。只不过球队希望不要所有人都一下子同时变老。

2. Tony Parker还有上升空间?

上季的季后赛Parker打出了职业生涯最好的表现,当选了总决赛MVP。对联盟其他队来说,有一个坏消息,那就是:马刺相信Parker还能变得更好。他的跳投虽然已经取得了进步,但还不够稳定。一旦他的跳投更加稳健、甚至把射程扩大到三分线外,Parker将会无人可挡。

3. 谁会成为下一个“二年级暴发户”?

每个赛季,都会有一个第二年效力马刺队球员取得长足的进步。上年这个人是Fabricio Oberto,他在季后赛中成为了球队重要的一部分。今年,“二年级暴发户”的候选人有前锋Matt Bonner、中锋Francisco Elson和后卫Jacque Vaughn。今年球队进步最快的球员很可能在他们中间产生。

4. Bruce Bowen终于得到联盟的认可?

马刺相信在接下来几年中Bowen仍会是全联盟的最佳防守球员。所以今年夏天,他们和他续约两年。今年联盟或许也终于会认可他的成就。Bowen自2003-04赛季以来就一直入选NBA最佳防守阵容,但从未赢得过最佳防守球员的奖项。Susan Lucci都能拿到艾美奖,那么Bowen也应该能功德圆满的。

5. Duncan还有多少光辉岁月?

31岁的Tim Duncan仍处于职业生涯巅峰期,但他已经开始接近NBA大个子状态下滑的年龄了。当然对马刺来说,相比其他大个子,Duncan较少依赖于运动力,而是靠脚步和基本功吃饭。所以他遇到的麻烦会比其他人少一些。
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Heaven in Hell
tinysands离线中   引用
 2007-10-29 13:33  #8
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Spurs: Star forward Tim Duncan seems to be getting better with age

Spurs: Star forward Tim Duncan seems to be getting better with age

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA.102907.Spurs.Duncan.EN.1b80cb883.html

Web Posted: 10/29/2007 12:04 AM CDT
Jeff McDonald
Express-News Staff Writer

There are nights when his knees creak, mornings when his back aches. There are days he'd rather spend slipping into a warm bath instead of slamming into Shaquille O'Neal for two hours.

These are the days in which Tim Duncan feels every day of 31 years old.

“I can definitely feel the miles sometimes,” Duncan says.

He's got a decade of them on his NBA odometer, some of them breezy highway miles, some not.

When the Spurs open defense of their fourth NBA title Tuesday night against Portland, Duncan officially will become something he never dreamed he would.

An 11th-year NBA player.

“A shocking reality,” he says.

Ten years ago this month, Duncan played his first game as a Spur, ushering in a golden age for the franchise. He scored 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and helped the Spurs defeat Denver 107-96.

Four NBA championships, two league MVP awards, three Finals MVP trophies and 10 all-star appearances later, it seems as if Duncan has gone from tender rookie to grizzled veteran practically overnight.

Most of all, it seems that way to Duncan himself.

“I know a lot of people say it,” Duncan says, “but it seems like I just got here yesterday.”

In some ways, the past decade hasn't changed him.

He still has the famous footwork and the Charmin-soft jump shot. He still owns the accountant's attention to detail that caused O'Neal to dub him, “The Big Fundamental.”

In other ways, Duncan has changed drastically and is still evolving.

The Spurs' offense no longer runs specifically through him. It now runs through Tony Parker, the team's energetic point guard, in part because Duncan allows it.

His scoring has slipped a bit — the 20 points per game he averaged last season and the 18.6 he averaged in 2005-06 are the two lowest-scoring campaigns of his career.

Yet the consensus seems to be that Duncan is better now than five years ago, when he won the second of his MVP trophies.

An example: Duncan has become so adept at reading defenses, so proficient at sensing where and when a teammate will break free for an easy basket, that it sometimes is more effective not to double-team him.

This, too, is when he feels every second of 31.

“It's a matter of experience,” Duncan said. “I'm surprised by very little now.”

The beauty of Duncan always has been in the subtleties. His is a game that always has been guided by guile.

The drop-step here. The seal-off there. The instinctive rotation on defense that serves to bother an opponent into a bad shot.

The Spurs' Gregg Popovich, the only NBA coach for whom he has played, submits Duncan is one of the smartest players ever to play the game.

“He's one of the best at understanding ahead of time what's going on,” Popovich said. “Where's he's needed, who's rolling that night, if we need a rebound or defensive stop. Is this the biggest rebound of the game, the biggest score of the game? He understands those sorts of things. He knows intuitively.”

Those are the tools that have helped Duncan evolve into perhaps the greatest power forward in NBA history. They also are the tools that should help him delay the inevitable decline that typically begins to weather NBA big men as they approach their mid-30s.

David Robinson was essentially done as a go-to guy at 33. Hakeem Olajuwon began to wear down at age 35. O'Neal, at 34, already is beginning to show signs of age.

By the time he was 34, Bill Russell had retired.

Duncan is under contract until 2010, when he'll be 34. Already, there has been talk of an extension.

Most NBA pundits don't see the same steep, 30-something drop in store for Duncan.

To Miami coach Pat Riley, Duncan could be the reincarnation of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played — and played well — into his 40s.

In 1985-86, the 38-year-old Abdul-Jabbar averaged 23.4 points per game.

“Duncan reminds me a lot of Kareem,” said Riley, who coached Abdul-Jabbar in Los Angeles for eight seasons. “Kareem wasn't a physical center, he was a finesse center. And he played until he was 41 years old.”

This is a thought Duncan hasn't even begun to consider.

When he was 21, he never thought about being 31. At 31, he's not about to begin to ponder 41.

Between then and now, there are still too many miles to go.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Duncan's Career

Tim Duncan is entering his 11th season with the Spurs. Here are 10 of Duncan's key moments with the team, season-by season.

1997-98: On Oct. 31, 1997, Duncan makes his NBA debut, scoring 15 points, pulling down 10 rebounds and blocking two shots in the Spurs' 107-96 victory at Denver. Duncan averages 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over the season en route to winning Rookie of the Year honors.

1998-99: On June 25, 1999, Duncan scores 31 points in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, helping the Spurs beat the Knicks for their first championship. Duncan wins Finals MVP honors.

1999-2000: On Feb. 14, 2000, Duncan has 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead the West All-Stars to a 137-126 victory in Oakland, Calif. Duncan shares game MVP honors with Shaquille O'Neal.

2000-01: On July 12, 2000, Duncan gives the Spurs' franchise a gift before the season begins when he announces that he'll re-sign. “I've decided to stay here and keep going for another couple of years,” Duncan says, “just hang out and play a little basketball.”

2001-02: On May 9, 2002, Duncan is named the league's MVP after averaging 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. “In my wildest dreams,” Duncan said, “I never thought I would get this far or accomplish this much.”

2002-03: On June 17, 2003, Duncan has 21 points, 20 rebounds and eight blocks as the Spurs win their second NBA championship. Duncan is named Finals MVP. He also was named regular-season MVP.

2003-04: On May 13, 2004, Duncan hits a jumper over the outstretched arms of O'Neal to give the Spurs a 73-72 lead over the Lakers in Game 5 of their conference semifinal series. But Derek Fisher trumps him by hitting the game-winner with 0.4 seconds left. The Spurs are eliminated two days later.

2004-05: On June 23, 2005, Duncan has 25 points and 11 rebounds as the Spurs beat the Pistons in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for their third championship. Duncan is again named Finals MVP.

2005-06: On May 22, 2006, Duncan has 41 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in Game 7 of the Spurs' conference semifinals series against the Mavericks. But it's not enough as the Mavericks win 119-111 in overtime at the AT&T Center to eliminate the Spurs.

2006-07: On May 16, 2007, Duncan has 21 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks to lead the Spurs past the Suns 114-106 as they take a 3-2 lead in the conference semifinal series. The Spurs close out the series in the next game and go on to win their fourth NBA title. This time, though, Duncan doesn't take home NBA Finals MVP honors, as teammate Tony Parker wins the award.
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Blessing in Disguise

Heaven in Hell
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