When it really comes down to it, how much does Timmy have left?

[PM5K]

We didn't see a lot from him this year, but we didn't need a lot, and we didn't want a lot (limiting his minutes and what not), but when the time comes, which is very soon, how effective will he be for us when we need him for big minutes and big plays?

[024]

we will see soon in the playoffs. if he doesn't switch on, the spurs are screwed.

[dbreiden83080]

He is going to do more but the Spurs changed their system this year so they are not gonna start going through him again suddenly. Duncan's defense and rebounding this post-season will mean more than his offense. He has to dominate the glass for us and be a beast on D...

[slick'81]

he should be fine he hasnt been asked to carry the load and will be rested down the stretch he should be good do go

[Mel_13]

Tim has been very productive this season in the fewest minutes per game of any season in his career. If you look at his stats per minute, you'll see that rebounds, blocks, assists, and steals are in line with his career averages. So are his FG% and FT% (his FT% is actually quite a bit higher than his career average.

The only stats that are down are FG attempts and, therefore, points. Even with the reduced point production he still leads the team in PER and is 14th in the NBA.

So he's been been effective at 28 mpg. What is yet to be determined is how much of an increase in PT can he take on and maintain his current level of effectiveness.

[duncan228]

...With his minutes played at a career-low 28.4 per game, Tim Duncan says he has gotten to the brink of the playoffs with plenty of energy.

“I feel great,” he said after Saturday’s victory. “My ankle’s not 100 percent, but juice-wise I feel pretty energized.”

Rare 3-point sabbatical surprising for Ginobili (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/10/rare-3-point-sabbatical-surprising-for-ginobili/)
Mike Monroe

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/10/rare-3-point-sabbatical-surprising-for-ginobili/

[dbreiden83080]

Tim needs to sit these last 2 games if the ankle is not 100%

[Yorae]

More than what we could pull from our collective asses. Timmy is Timmy, when it all comes down to it....I remember when I was so disappointed of his play in game 7 vs Pistons then, bang, he turns on the switch and away we go!

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Quite a bit.

i am LOVING Tim getting the ball in the post early in possessions even if its not all that great position in the paint.

He still is one of the most cerebral bigmen ever and one of the best passing bigmen ever. When your man cheats inside and you cut to the basket, he will find you.

It provides a nice foil to the constant pick and rolls at the top of the key. His jumper from above the key has been money all year.

He protects the rim and is our best interior defender.

Tim is still the man.

[coachmac87]

tim needs to sit these last 2 games if the ankle is not 100%

+1

[Sean Cagney]

+1

=2........

[TE]

Can really answer that question until the PO's end huh?

I would think he'd have enough to anchor the paint defensively though.

[Fireball]

Timmy looks good right now energy wise ... he did some quick moves against Utah which shows he is feeling fresh. But this does not mean he can play 40 minutes in each playoff game. This would lead to a fast decline in his production for sure - perhaps already in the 2nd round if the 1st round series takes more than 5 games.

[admiralsnackbar]

He's already started dusting his game off over the past few wins. Barring injury, I'm pretty sure he has at least 21 more games-worth of bank shots, perfect foot-work, kick-outs and blocks left in the tank.

Oh, and bulging, incredulous eyes, too.

[G-Dawgg]

He has to be able to score on the post in the stretches where the outside 3's aren't dropping for us.

If I were Popovich and I saw the perimeter game suffering I'd be forcing a few 4downs into Duncan just to get some points on the board and not have to rely on jumpers to score.

A coaching decision...

Hopefully we get to see Duncan work on the post for short stretches when our offense runs cold.

I mean this is what we've been monitoring his minutes for right? To be fresh for the Playoffs.... so now give him a chance to show us what he still has left.

[dunkman]

The 6 game losing streak has shown how important is Duncan even when the offense doesn't go trough him this season. It's the leadership, the defense, some timely offense, who knows.

I think that the Spurs will need to make some adjustments if some team gets to make stops at the perimeter, they will have to go inside for the points. The defense isn't good enough to tolerate the lack of offensive production.

But the Spurs can go with Splitter, Dice and Blair to score in the paint, it's not only Duncan.

Splitter in particular, not only his defense is solid, he's an important offensive talent too. He scores efficiently almost every game even with marginal number of touches. It should be noted that tt's extremely difficult to score almost 1.5 points per field goal attempt when you average 12 mpg. And he shots only 54% from the FT line.

I think that Pop will eventually play with Duncan and Splitter at some point in the playoffs.

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

he has alot left i think, i mean he really slowed himself down this season and i see him doing that from here on out, i think it gave him time to heal and not overwork himself.

hell be fine hes not playing that many minutes and still almost getting that double double. believe me hes going to eat up centers and post monster numbers once again mark my words in the playoffs. they think he's done little do they know he was just coasting haha

[vander]

IMO, LA is basically a playoff game unless NY beats Chicago

all of the big 3 better step it up a notch, if they can't do it for one game in LA, we're basically DOA for the playoffs.

[lefty]

I expect Timmy's numbers to go up during the postseason

Plus, in the playoffs, it will be more of a halfcourt games

[TampaDude]

IMO, LA is basically a playoff game unless NY beats Chicago

all of the big 3 better step it up a notch, if they can't do it for one game in LA, we're basically DOA for the playoffs.

Naaah...the last two games are meaningless to the Spurs at this point. NFW Pop will risk an injury now. It's gonna be an easy Laker win over the Spurs' scrubs tomorrow night.

[vander]

Naaah...the last two games are meaningless to the Spurs at this point. NFW Pop will risk an injury now. It's gonna be an easy Laker win over the Spurs' scrubs tomorrow night.

home court doesn't matter?

Chi and SAS are both significantly better at home

[nkdlunch]

Rest Duncan for Laker game. Play him sparingly for Phoenix game.

Play TP, Manu < 30 minutes for both games.

[nkdlunch]

home court doesn't matter?

Chi and SAS are both significantly better at home

probability of injury >> probability of Spurs vs. Bulls final

[TampaDude]

home court doesn't matter?

Chi and SAS are both significantly better at home

Looking ahead to the Finals is a waste of time at this point. There's only about a 5% chance that SA and CHI will meet in the Finals. Is that worth risking an injury against the Lakers or the Suns in a meaningless game? Hell no. I'm pretty sure Pop will agree.

[Spurs Brazil]

I hope TD sit those 2 games. He missed 10 days and when he came back against the Celtics he played great. So he'll be fine if he misses a week. I also hope Manu and TP only play one of the two final games

[spursince#99]

well i will just put it like this...THE WHOLE TEAM had their jobs to do...MANU and GINOBILI were asked to produce in major ways in the regular season as well as the bench while DUNCAN agreed that he would coast...WELL as we have the number 1 seed locked up in the west, which is good enough...THEY held up to their bargain...NOW ITS TIME FOR HIM TO HOLD UP TO HIS...

[Mel_13]

MANU and GINOBILI

[FuzzyLumpkins]

One thing i have noticed is that Duncan does not go to his left hand much anymore. i hate that turnaround where he scissors his legs.

[phxspurfan]

I'm guessing around $90,000,000.

[duncan228]

“I expect Timmy to play at his best once the playoffs come,” point guard Tony Parker said. “He’s always done it. I don’t see why it would be different.”

Duncan in need of good vibes vs. L.A. (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/11/duncan-in-need-of-good-vibes-vs-l-a/)
Jeff McDonald

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/11/duncan-in-need-of-good-vibes-vs-l-a/

[Spursnlego]

I'm guessing around $90,000,000.

:lol

[TDfan2007]

Plenty. There's no difference between Tim now and Tim of two years ago offensively. Defensively, he's actually better, especially when playing the PnR. He's Robert Horryed the shit out of the regular season. The only thing I'm worried about from him is rebounding (i.e. his lift in going after rebounds). He's having more trouble grabbing contested boards this year than years past.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

After this year, he has 1 more season.

[spurs10]

More than what we could pull from our collective asses. Timmy is Timmy, when it all comes down to it....I remember when I was so disappointed of his play in game 7 vs Pistons then, bang, he turns on the switch and away we go!
That was a sight to see...for me that's as good as it gets. Now, the drama of the 4th quarter was about to give me a heart attack, but Tim sure took control of his destiny. Good times!
:flag::lobt::flag:

[duncan228]

Last stand for Spurs’ Duncan? (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/16/last-stand-for-spurs%E2%80%99-duncan/)
Jeff McDonald

Maybe it’s the creak in his knees, warning him that the end is near. Maybe it’s the cold hand of Father Time on his back, nudging him toward the door.

Maybe Tim Duncan believes what the rest of the NBA seems to, that the Spurs’ title window is closing, if it hasn’t been slammed shut and padlocked already. There is a prevailing notion the playoff run that begins today against Memphis might be the venerable Spurs captain’s last good chance to pursue a fifth championship ring.

And maybe it is.

“Until the next one,” Duncan said. “Every year, we’re given our last chance. We’ll take this one as it is.”

Keep reading... (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/16/last-stand-for-spurs%E2%80%99-duncan/)

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/04/16/last-stand-for-spurs%E2%80%99-duncan/

[duncan228]

For anyone that may have missed it, Duncan's interview with the quotes from McDonald's piece.

http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/110415_duncan

[duncan228]

Quotes, hit the link for the whole piece.


Spurs' Tim Duncan coming toward end of fabulous career (http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/17/3006059/spurs-tim-duncan-coming-toward.html)
By Dwain Price
Star-Telegram

..."Tim's been a great ambassador of the sport,'' Dallas Mavericks center Brendan Haywood said. "In my mind he's the greatest power forward of all time. He has the numbers, the rings, the MVPs, the All-Star games, the hardware."


..."He's got to be No. 1, and if not he's right there with No. 1," Mavs power forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "He has the rings to back it up, the stats, and he's an amazing player.

"What's made him tough is he has the whole package down there. He's very bottom-heavy, so it's hard to keep him out of the lane."


..."He probably is at the tail end of his career, but just his presence in being out there is priceless," New Orleans Hornets power forward Carl Landry said. "What he can do as far as rebounding, passing, you have to respect that.

"Some nights he might draw a double team, some nights he might not. But just his presence is something that his team needs, and that's why they're No. 1 in the Western Conference right now."


...Like Duncan, Hornets point guard Chris Paul played collegiately at Wake Forest. So the two players will always share a common bond.

"He's the greatest power forward of all time," Paul said. "He went to a great college before he got to the NBA in Wake Forest University, and he's somebody who's been a mentor to me, and somebody I've always looked up to."


..."He plays with both hands, he had the little face-up bank shot, he can finish in the air, so there's nothing really he couldn't do," Nowitzki said. "And he was one of the best defenders around the hoop from the power forward position.

"The numbers have been going down, but I think that's more a credit to the other guys -- [Manu] Ginobili and [Tony] Parker and all these guys shooting the ball around him -- running a lot of screen-and-rolls. I guess he deferred more to the other guys, but that doesn't mean he can't still get big numbers."


..."Everybody slows down a little bit, but he's a skilled guy," Haywood said. "His game was never based on jumping above guys and doing 360 dunks.

"And even though he's slowing down a little bit he's still better than most. I still think he has several years left, and when he walks away the game's definitely going to miss him."

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/17/3006059/spurs-tim-duncan-coming-toward.html

[chazley]

I'd be shocked if we didn't get 20-10 from Tim. Apart from his obvious decline in athleticism, he has looked fantastic to me all year, and his defense is as good as it has ever been. The fact he can take this group of guys and make it a top-3 defense when he's on the floor is unreal.

[duncan228]

Tim Duncan and the still undanced cadence of vanishing (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/tim-duncan-and-the-still-undanced-cadence-of-vanishing)
by Timothy Varner
48 Minutes of Hell

http://www.48minutesofhell.com/tim-duncan-and-the-still-undanced-cadence-of-vanishing