SCdac
01-10-2010, 11:28 PM
The Spurs record when Tim Duncan scores 19 points or less:
11 - 3
In nearly half our wins this season including the one tonight against NJ, it's taken more of a complete game from the entire team, and hasn't required Duncan to go off for 25+. Some of these games were blowouts and some weren't, but that's not an empty statistic IMO. Only 3 losses when Duncan scores 19 or less? Surely that means something. Despite our struggles, this is exactly the reason behind "retooling" the team in the offseason - take the load off of Duncan. The more we win like that, the more Timmy will have energy months from now in the truly meaningful games.
It's unfortunate that Duncan's three highest scoring games this season of 34, 31, and 28 points all came in losses, but there is something to be taken from those games. The first of those was against Chicago in that second game wake up call where Parker and RJ both score under 10 points and Manu is just 3-11 FG, the next was in Phoenix where Parker, RJ, and Manu all combine for just 8/26 FG's and it's the Duncan-show, and then the 31 point game against Dallas a few days ago in which our team scores maybe one basket in the final 5 minutes of the game (albeit that was a decent game from the big-3)... Games like these shouldn't necessarily be the norm, even though it's amazing to see TD play like the best big in the league.
Maybe it's stating the obvious, but as long as our team comes out with a balanced attack and doesn't force Duncan to carry us we're going to be OK, and I believe it's showing up in our record. It's weird at the same time, because TD is scoring as efficiently as ever and getting mostly single coverage to beast on, but it seems like any field-goal that's coming from somewhere else on this team is a serious plus. It makes our team deadlier. Duncan is playing like an MVP, but hopefully we continue to fill in the cracks around him and make things easier as the season goes along.
11 - 3
In nearly half our wins this season including the one tonight against NJ, it's taken more of a complete game from the entire team, and hasn't required Duncan to go off for 25+. Some of these games were blowouts and some weren't, but that's not an empty statistic IMO. Only 3 losses when Duncan scores 19 or less? Surely that means something. Despite our struggles, this is exactly the reason behind "retooling" the team in the offseason - take the load off of Duncan. The more we win like that, the more Timmy will have energy months from now in the truly meaningful games.
It's unfortunate that Duncan's three highest scoring games this season of 34, 31, and 28 points all came in losses, but there is something to be taken from those games. The first of those was against Chicago in that second game wake up call where Parker and RJ both score under 10 points and Manu is just 3-11 FG, the next was in Phoenix where Parker, RJ, and Manu all combine for just 8/26 FG's and it's the Duncan-show, and then the 31 point game against Dallas a few days ago in which our team scores maybe one basket in the final 5 minutes of the game (albeit that was a decent game from the big-3)... Games like these shouldn't necessarily be the norm, even though it's amazing to see TD play like the best big in the league.
Maybe it's stating the obvious, but as long as our team comes out with a balanced attack and doesn't force Duncan to carry us we're going to be OK, and I believe it's showing up in our record. It's weird at the same time, because TD is scoring as efficiently as ever and getting mostly single coverage to beast on, but it seems like any field-goal that's coming from somewhere else on this team is a serious plus. It makes our team deadlier. Duncan is playing like an MVP, but hopefully we continue to fill in the cracks around him and make things easier as the season goes along.