duncan228
01-08-2009, 12:02 AM
Duncan steady, consistent as ever (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Duncan_steady_consistent_as_ever.html)
Jeff McDonald
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp/lead126.jpg
EDWARD A. ORNELAS/[email protected]
Spurs forward Tim Duncan, driving around the 76ers' Samuel Dalembert, is averaging 20.8 points, his most in five seasons.
The topic of conversation Wednesday afternoon at the Spurs' practice facility was Tim Duncan — his offensive numbers and how they have gone up for him at age 32 instead of down.
The consensus among the gathered media types was that this was a Big Deal. A lone voice sounded in dissent.
“Why are we even talking about this?” Duncan said, quickly transforming himself from interviewee to interviewer. “I don't think my numbers are that much different than in years past.”
Duncan, of course, is right. And perhaps that is the biggest news to come out of the Spurs' season so far.
Thirty-four games into his 12th NBA season, Duncan appears to be as fresh and as limber as he did 34 games into his first.
Heading into tonight's home game against the injury-decimated Los Angeles Clippers, Duncan is averaging 20.8 points, his most since 2003-04, and shooting 51.9 percent from the field. Those numbers are up slightly from 19.3 points and 49.7 percent last season.
On his way to an 11th consecutive All-Star appearance, Duncan has quarterbacked the Spurs to a 23-11 record, good for a virtual share of first place in the Southwest Division with New Orleans and third in the Western Conference behind the vaunted Los Angeles Lakers.
Duncan shrugs off the incremental increase in his offensive statistics. He doesn't know what the fuss is about.
“Everything is kind of running through me right now, maybe more so than in the past,” Duncan said. “It helps that the ball is going in a little bit more than usual.”
With fellow All-Stars Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sidelined for much of the first month of the season, and with much still in flux since their return, the Spurs have leaned on Duncan even more than usual. He has obliged by turning in his best season in four years.
It is not supposed to be this way for NBA big men, who typically have the shelf life of unrefrigerated cottage cheese. At an age when many of his forefathers were beginning a hasty decline, Duncan is putting together a season worthy of MVP consideration.
In addition to scoring, Duncan is also grabbing 10.4 rebounds per game. He is one of only two players in the league to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, joining Minnesota's Al Jefferson.
Duncan has also seen an uptick in his nightly workload. He is averaging 35.4 minutes per game, again his most since 2003-04, and is the Spurs' only player to start every game.
Before you go scrambling for Duncan's birth certificate — “I am as old as you thought I was,” he assured the media Wednesday — consider coach Gregg Popovich's explanation for his star forward's midlife anti-crisis.
“His body is the best it's been in a long time,” Popovich said. “He got in great shape over the summer. He worked very hard, and he has been our most consistent player to this point.”
Some of Duncan's best work came when his team needed him most.
The Spurs were 1-4 on Nov. 7, and Parker had just sprained an ankle to earn a spot next to Ginobili on the injured list.
With their Big Three reduced to just one for the next seven games, Duncan carried the Spurs to a 5-2 mark, averaging 19.3 points to help them stay afloat in the ultra-competitive West.
During that time, Duncan was as vital off the floor as he was on it, tutoring and encouraging rookie point guard George Hill and newcomer Roger Mason Jr., whose roles ballooned radically.
“He's done with this group exactly what he's done with every group we've had,” Popovich said. “He's like a chameleon. It's just incredible, the empathy and leadership he shows to make those guys feel comfortable.”
Duncan kept it up after Parker and Ginobili returned, opening December with a string of eight consecutive double-doubles, part of the 21 he's posted this season.
Over the course of the Spurs' upcoming three-game homestand, Duncan will have his mettle — not to mention his scoring numbers — tested again.
Tonight, he will face the game's best shot-blocker in the Clippers' Marcus Camby. Sunday brings a visit from Superman himself, Orlando's Dwight Howard.
Wednesday, Duncan gets to tangle with the Lakers' twin 7-footers, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
If recent history holds, Duncan will hold his own. He has been to the Spurs this season what the North Star once was to wayward sailors.
“You know he's going to be there every night,” Popovich said. “He's so consistent, you take him for granted.”
And, despite Duncan's protestations to the contrary, that is something worth talking about.
Jeff McDonald
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp/lead126.jpg
EDWARD A. ORNELAS/[email protected]
Spurs forward Tim Duncan, driving around the 76ers' Samuel Dalembert, is averaging 20.8 points, his most in five seasons.
The topic of conversation Wednesday afternoon at the Spurs' practice facility was Tim Duncan — his offensive numbers and how they have gone up for him at age 32 instead of down.
The consensus among the gathered media types was that this was a Big Deal. A lone voice sounded in dissent.
“Why are we even talking about this?” Duncan said, quickly transforming himself from interviewee to interviewer. “I don't think my numbers are that much different than in years past.”
Duncan, of course, is right. And perhaps that is the biggest news to come out of the Spurs' season so far.
Thirty-four games into his 12th NBA season, Duncan appears to be as fresh and as limber as he did 34 games into his first.
Heading into tonight's home game against the injury-decimated Los Angeles Clippers, Duncan is averaging 20.8 points, his most since 2003-04, and shooting 51.9 percent from the field. Those numbers are up slightly from 19.3 points and 49.7 percent last season.
On his way to an 11th consecutive All-Star appearance, Duncan has quarterbacked the Spurs to a 23-11 record, good for a virtual share of first place in the Southwest Division with New Orleans and third in the Western Conference behind the vaunted Los Angeles Lakers.
Duncan shrugs off the incremental increase in his offensive statistics. He doesn't know what the fuss is about.
“Everything is kind of running through me right now, maybe more so than in the past,” Duncan said. “It helps that the ball is going in a little bit more than usual.”
With fellow All-Stars Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sidelined for much of the first month of the season, and with much still in flux since their return, the Spurs have leaned on Duncan even more than usual. He has obliged by turning in his best season in four years.
It is not supposed to be this way for NBA big men, who typically have the shelf life of unrefrigerated cottage cheese. At an age when many of his forefathers were beginning a hasty decline, Duncan is putting together a season worthy of MVP consideration.
In addition to scoring, Duncan is also grabbing 10.4 rebounds per game. He is one of only two players in the league to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, joining Minnesota's Al Jefferson.
Duncan has also seen an uptick in his nightly workload. He is averaging 35.4 minutes per game, again his most since 2003-04, and is the Spurs' only player to start every game.
Before you go scrambling for Duncan's birth certificate — “I am as old as you thought I was,” he assured the media Wednesday — consider coach Gregg Popovich's explanation for his star forward's midlife anti-crisis.
“His body is the best it's been in a long time,” Popovich said. “He got in great shape over the summer. He worked very hard, and he has been our most consistent player to this point.”
Some of Duncan's best work came when his team needed him most.
The Spurs were 1-4 on Nov. 7, and Parker had just sprained an ankle to earn a spot next to Ginobili on the injured list.
With their Big Three reduced to just one for the next seven games, Duncan carried the Spurs to a 5-2 mark, averaging 19.3 points to help them stay afloat in the ultra-competitive West.
During that time, Duncan was as vital off the floor as he was on it, tutoring and encouraging rookie point guard George Hill and newcomer Roger Mason Jr., whose roles ballooned radically.
“He's done with this group exactly what he's done with every group we've had,” Popovich said. “He's like a chameleon. It's just incredible, the empathy and leadership he shows to make those guys feel comfortable.”
Duncan kept it up after Parker and Ginobili returned, opening December with a string of eight consecutive double-doubles, part of the 21 he's posted this season.
Over the course of the Spurs' upcoming three-game homestand, Duncan will have his mettle — not to mention his scoring numbers — tested again.
Tonight, he will face the game's best shot-blocker in the Clippers' Marcus Camby. Sunday brings a visit from Superman himself, Orlando's Dwight Howard.
Wednesday, Duncan gets to tangle with the Lakers' twin 7-footers, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
If recent history holds, Duncan will hold his own. He has been to the Spurs this season what the North Star once was to wayward sailors.
“You know he's going to be there every night,” Popovich said. “He's so consistent, you take him for granted.”
And, despite Duncan's protestations to the contrary, that is something worth talking about.