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At this point in their careers, the San Antonio Spurs’ Big 3 of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, along with head coach Gregg Popovich, should be cast in an episode of “The Walking Dead” as zombies lurking around in a threatening manner.
For as many times as people have called them dead in the water and too old to be a contender in the NBA, they are just utterly relentless.
Unfortunately, this year, they fell in the first round to a very good Los Angeles Clippers team that defeated them on a wild, miraculous Chris Paul shot in the waning moments of Game 7 in front of a frenzied Los Angeles crowd. As soon as the Spurs lost this series, fans and analysts started to say yet again that they had a great run and no one could blame them if both Duncan and Ginobili decided to retire this offseason.
You really didn’t think the best power forward to ever play the game, still playing at an insanely high level, was going to listen to those guys, did you?
Even at 39 years old, Duncan was arguably one of the best power forwards in the league this year. He really elevated his game in the Spurs’ first-round playoff series, where he proved to be the team’s most consistent player averaging 17.2 PPG, 11.2 RPG and 3.0 APG on 61 percent shooting from the field. He also poured in 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field in that devastating Game 7.
While his stats for the regular season have definitely declined in recent years, the one category many fail to factor in most of the time is how many minutes per game he plays. We are all aware of how careful Popovich is with his players, who he tries not to play more than 30 minutes a night if he can, and Duncan has been no exception to this process. He has registered less than 30 MPG during four out of his last five seasons. Popovich deserves a ton of credit for prolonging the career of Duncan, who was looking a little shaky and slow before his coach made this massive adjustment.
Offensively, Duncan still possesses his patented bank shot and a classic mix of post moves that continue to fool some of the best young defenders in the league. He has remained just as good on the defensive side of the floor as well, holding down the fort thanks to his deceptive length and impeccable timing in terms of blocking shots and snatching rebounds.
The media and basketball fans alike keep trying to predict when we will see the last of Duncan, instead of concentrating on just how special he is even in the final stages of his career. Who cares when he retires if he is still this good?
You can bet Duncan will not finish his career on a year-long “farewell tour” like Derek Jeter did in his last year with the New York Yankees (not that there’s anything wrong with that) – that has never been his style.
He will most likely make an announcement after he has played his final game, walking off into the sunset with his two kids at his side ready to enjoy his life after basketball.
There’s a scene in “The Dark Knight Rises” when Selena Kyle (Catwoman) says to Bruce Wayne (Batman), “You’ve given them (the citizens of Gotham) everything,” to which Wayne responds, “Not everything. Not yet.”
Even though Duncan’s favorite comic book character is “The Punisher,” he very much resembles Wayne at this moment in his career. It is clear that he believes he can give even more than he has already to the city of San Antonio, and that is a sixth championship.
And that drive and remarkable longevity is exactly why he will continue to be one of the best players in basketball.
Dan Schultz is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.
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