Duncan is not done, he's actually still in his prime

[chazley]

I'm tired of all the posters trying to say Duncan is done. People do not understand why Timmy has struggled this month. People assume because he had a few bad nights shooting the ball (even though he was great in all other facets of the game) that he is toast. Bottom line is, he is still an elite rebounder and defensive player, and he has struggled scoring because his PG he's played with for 7/8 years is out right now. George Hill, even though he has potential and has the same scoring mentality as Tony, is a completely different PG. Tony gets alot of his points from iso's at the top of the key and running the pick and roll with Timmy. Tim also has perfected the timing on his rolls with Parker and their timing is impeccable. Manu and Tim have a similar connection but not on the Tony/Tim level.

Also, the guards haven't done a great job of getting Duncan the ball in good position. Alot of times, you see our guards and wings giving him the ball in horrible position. Instead of holding the ball for a few seconds and letting Tim setup, they give it to him quickly or with not enough time on the clock for him to operate. Not claiming it's not always the other players faults, but it's just most of them haven't played with a dominant post player like Tim before. Some nights Tim's athleticism is not there and he can't do what he's used to in the post, but he still is a good enough player to be a finals MVP.

[TampaDude]

Looks like Timmy's out of whatever funk he was in...good timing...bring on the Lakers!!!

[duncan228]

Duncan is not done, but he is chronically injured. It's easy to forget when he looks like he did tonight.

The problems in both knees aren't going away. It's a matter of severity on any given night. His game is impacted by the pain level.

I believe in Duncan, I always have. He can play well through pain, and I expect his usual rise in the Playoffs. :)

[angelbelow]

this is false. hes not in his prime. dont get me wrong, he stills one of, if not the best PF in the game. but he is not in his prime.

[tim_duncan_fan]

You guys have no idea how much that 10-12 FG excited me.

[poop]

hes far from his prime...in his prime (98 thru 03) he was as dominant on both ends as any player ever.

[pjjrfan]

He looked like his old self tonight, his footwork was amazing, and a great sight compared to the struggles he has been going through the past few weeks, one thing I noticed was how he protected the ball when he went to the basket, and how he kept his balance, things that he hasn't done while he was struggling.

[ThaiFanofSpurs]

I never doubt Duncan. Always believe in him.

[Galileo]

PER 36 minutes

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duncati01.html

Points

20.5 this year, 20.9 career

Boards

11.7 this year, 11.5 career

Blocks

1.8 this year, 2.3 career

Assists

3.6 this year, 3.1 career

TO's

2.1 this year, 2.7 career

Steals

same for both

FG%

.509 this year, .507 career

FT%

.728 this year, .687 career

Duncan is still in his prime, but not at his peak. His overall numbers are slightly better than his career averages as he is better in FT% and assist/TO ratio, but worse in blocks.

[Johnny RIngo]

Robinson was like Sentinel Prime.

Old Duncan was Optimus Prime.

New Duncan is Ultra Magnus.

Ultra Magnus sucked though.

MJgtV_gih-I

Does that mean post-all star break Manu = Hot Rod?

[jjktkk]

Lol Duncan is a Bum now. Manu is carrying the team.

lakalua, is it true you have a spray-on tan, and droopy man boobs?

[ezau]

Lol Duncan is a Bum now. Manu is carrying the team.

And what do you call Kobe? He can't even fix his damn pinky LMAO

[ezau]

Loved Duncan's efficiency tonight. I also loved how he battled Howard at the post. Howard should watch more Duncan videos and learn how an elite post player operates.

[whottt]

It's not so much Duncan's age as it is the miles he has on him. This dude has played in a lot of playoff games. He's probably played 2 seasons worth of playoff games. Tough games.

He's still a factor but he's not going to have it every night simply because of all the games he's played.

[L.I.T]

Anyone who saw TD earlier in his career would not say he's in his prime. He's definitely on the downside of his career.

The thing is, this point in the downside of his career is still better than almost every other big man in the league on their best night.

[DJB]

I love the eff out of Timmy, but LOL at this thread title.

[Stringer_Bell]

I think more than anything, Timmy showed his smarts tonight the way he was turning into players and moving around...he was giving them fits and they couldn't think of an answer on the fly. It was a combination of things that made his performance good tonight, but I think it's possible we can duplicate the scenario. Shit, I know it'd be possible to but we're still a little lacking in overall team consistency which makes Timmy's job much easier to execute at prime levels.

[Thomas82]

Duncan is still in his prime, but not at his peak. His overall numbers are slightly better than his career averages as he is better in FT% and assist/TO ratio, but worse in blocks.


That's the best way to put it. Tim Duncan is still the best PF in the league, even if he is about to turn 34.

[ducks]

Duncan is past his prime do not be a fool

[dbreiden83080]

Duncan is not in his prime anymore but he is still very good. I was watching a full game on DVD of the 2003 finals the other night and it was in-friggin sane how great and complete a force he was in those days. But he is way better than people still realize as long as he is feeling pretty good in a few weeks, he will play very well in the playoffs..