duncan228
01-19-2009, 11:42 PM
Duncan’s family, fellow Demon Deacons on hand (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Duncans_family_fellow_Demon_Deacons_on_hand.html)
Jeff McDonald
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tim Duncan’s pregame routine got interrupted with a smile Monday.
As he walked out to the court at Time Warner Cable Arena an hour and a half before the Spurs’ game against Charlotte, Duncan was greeted by an ovation from two dozen or so fans sporting the black-and-gold of Wake Forest, his alma mater.
The normally stoic Duncan beamed and waved back, then went on with warm-ups, Sphinx-like.
A trip to Charlotte, 90 miles from Winston-Salem, is the closest Duncan gets to a homecoming game.
“A lot of my family is here, there are some friends here,” said Duncan, who was also thrilled to learn that his Demon Deacons had just moved up to No. 1 in both men’s basketball polls. “It’s great to see those guys.”
Adding to Duncan’s blast-from-the-past afternoon, there was also a group of middle-schoolers from his native St. Croix in attendance.
Duncan helped make sure they all got their money’s worth in the Spurs’ 86-84 victory, totaling 17 points and 11 rebounds and blocking Raymond Felton on a critical drive in the waning seconds. That block set up Charlotte’s Boris Diaw for a potential game-winning 3-pointer that missed.
Crying foul: There was grousing in the Charlotte locker room after the game about what the Bobcats perceived to be rough play on the part of the Spurs.
Particularly, there was complaining about an elbow the Bobcats believe Manu Ginobili swung at Gerald Wallace before sinking a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
In his postgame news conference, Charlotte coach Larry Brown mentioned that no-call, as well as a no-call against Bruce Bowen on a Raja Bell 3-pointer at the halftime horn.
Set in stone?: After using seven different lineups in the Spurs’ first 20 games this season, coach Gregg Popovich has stuck with the same group for the past 20.
Tony Parker, Roger Mason Jr., Michael Finley, Matt Bonner and Duncan once again took the floor for the opening tip. Though Popovich had previously mentioned wanting to work Ginobili into the starting unit, this appears to be the Spurs’ lineup for the foreseeable future.
Jeff McDonald
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tim Duncan’s pregame routine got interrupted with a smile Monday.
As he walked out to the court at Time Warner Cable Arena an hour and a half before the Spurs’ game against Charlotte, Duncan was greeted by an ovation from two dozen or so fans sporting the black-and-gold of Wake Forest, his alma mater.
The normally stoic Duncan beamed and waved back, then went on with warm-ups, Sphinx-like.
A trip to Charlotte, 90 miles from Winston-Salem, is the closest Duncan gets to a homecoming game.
“A lot of my family is here, there are some friends here,” said Duncan, who was also thrilled to learn that his Demon Deacons had just moved up to No. 1 in both men’s basketball polls. “It’s great to see those guys.”
Adding to Duncan’s blast-from-the-past afternoon, there was also a group of middle-schoolers from his native St. Croix in attendance.
Duncan helped make sure they all got their money’s worth in the Spurs’ 86-84 victory, totaling 17 points and 11 rebounds and blocking Raymond Felton on a critical drive in the waning seconds. That block set up Charlotte’s Boris Diaw for a potential game-winning 3-pointer that missed.
Crying foul: There was grousing in the Charlotte locker room after the game about what the Bobcats perceived to be rough play on the part of the Spurs.
Particularly, there was complaining about an elbow the Bobcats believe Manu Ginobili swung at Gerald Wallace before sinking a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
In his postgame news conference, Charlotte coach Larry Brown mentioned that no-call, as well as a no-call against Bruce Bowen on a Raja Bell 3-pointer at the halftime horn.
Set in stone?: After using seven different lineups in the Spurs’ first 20 games this season, coach Gregg Popovich has stuck with the same group for the past 20.
Tony Parker, Roger Mason Jr., Michael Finley, Matt Bonner and Duncan once again took the floor for the opening tip. Though Popovich had previously mentioned wanting to work Ginobili into the starting unit, this appears to be the Spurs’ lineup for the foreseeable future.