Simmons: Career Arc: Tim Duncan, Part 1

[bthewigwam]

I didn't see this posted, delete if so.

Career Arc: Tim Duncan, Part 1
The Duncan Show has been many things over the past 16 years, but it has rarely, if ever, been boring

The San Antonio Spurs picked Tim Duncan on June 25, 1997, about seven weeks before Matt Stone and Trey Parker launched their new animated series on Comedy Central. Sixteen years later, the Spurs and South Park are still chugging along like kindred spirits; in a goofy twist, Duncan's only fun nickname ("Timmaaaaaaaay") comes from that show. Both the Spurs and South Park generated so many classic moments over the years, they practically blend into each other now. They were lavished with critical acclaim while being overshadowed by more popular network shows (the Lakers and The Simpsons, respectively). Parker and Stone should have burned out years ago; Duncan should be washed up by now. Nope and nope. Every time they seemed ready to lose their relevance, they rallied back. You know, like right now.

Continue Reading....
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9362631/tim-duncan-part-1

[#2!]

This'll keep me busy for a while.
:tu

[bthewigwam]

I don't agree with everything he says here, and I also feel like there's a lot of smartass backhanded compliments. But all in all, decent article. SOOOO many memories in here. :drool:

"He fully mastered the Tim Duncan "I can't believe you just called that and I'm bulging my eyeballs like this because I'm hoping they fly out of my head and knock you unconscious" face." :lol

[urunobili]

:tu

Learned things I didn't know...

[tesseractive]

I don't agree with everything he says here, and I also feel like there's a lot of smartass backhanded compliments. But all in all, decent article. SOOOO many memories in here. :drool:

"He fully mastered the Tim Duncan "I can't believe you just called that and I'm bulging my eyeballs like this because I'm hoping they fly out of my head and knock you unconscious" face." :lol

There's a lot of wiseass stuff in there, because that's how he writes. But by the standards of the national media, the story is a freaking hagiography.

Not much in there that will be news to Spurs fans old enough to remember it firsthand, but the rest of the NBA world doesn't know the history of the Spurs, and it's awesome that he's putting it out there in loving detail in the most popular sports column on the internet. :tu

[Spur-Addict]

"Never found the right finals opponent"?? Bullshit. 2005 was a great finals, despite whatever ratings resulted from it. Seven game series where we trailed in the second half of game seven.

[tesseractive]

"Never found the right finals opponent"?? Bullshit. 2005 was a great finals, despite whatever ratings resulted from it. Seven game series where we trailed in the second half of game seven.
Both teams' defenses were ahead of the offenses, so you never got any of the epic battles when a great offense goes against a great defense. There were 5 games when the lose didn't crack 80 points, and 3 when the winner didn't crack 90. The only game where a team cracked 100 was a 102-71 blowout.

By the standards of a national audience (which is not to say I agree with them) a series like that gets filed under "unwatchable." (There's a reason that Stern got the competition committee to look into moves like banning hand checking and replacing the illegal defense rule with the defensive 3-second rule. Popular basketball = more scoring than that.) So, in context, "Never found the right finals opponent," means that they never found a great competitive series that a mass audience was really amped to watch. You know, like the current one -- which is why the media is raining down levels of hype right now, the likes of which Spurs fans have never seen before.

Feel free to say you don't care about a national audience because they're all a bunch of morons. You're certainly not wrong. But personally, I like the idea that people all over the country are going to remember the Spurs a little more like the way we do.

[dg7md]

Ugh, Bill Simmons. I don't know if I love or hate this guy but this article makes me appreciate him a whole lot more. Great read. Looking forward to the rest.

Perhaps I should listen to his podcast some more, then.

[Jenks]

Well since Simmons said all 4 of the Spurs titles deserve asterisks, will winning this year be the Spurs first real championship?

I love when he gets all defensive and pretends to not know why people think he's a douchebag.

[Spur-Addict]

Both teams' defenses were ahead of the offenses, so you never got any of the epic battles when a great offense goes against a great defense. There were 5 games when the lose didn't crack 80 points, and 3 when the winner didn't crack 90. The only game where a team cracked 100 was a 102-71 blowout.

By the standards of a national audience (which is not to say I agree with them) a series like that gets filed under "unwatchable." (There's a reason that Stern got the competition committee to look into moves like banning hand checking and replacing the illegal defense rule with the defensive 3-second rule. Popular basketball = more scoring than that.) So, in context, "Never found the right finals opponent," means that they never found a great competitive series that a mass audience was really amped to watch. You know, like the current one -- which is why the media is raining down levels of hype right now, the likes of which Spurs fans have never seen before.

Feel free to say you don't care about a national audience because they're all a bunch of morons. You're certainly not wrong. But personally, I like the idea that people all over the country are going to remember the Spurs a little more like the way we do.

I understand everything that you've said. And I've had this sort of discussion over the years numerous times. I just disagree with what brings out the best in a team. A seven game series going to the very last game, to the last quarter by definition is bringing out the best in a team, and is riveting. That to me is the right finals opponent. And I also disagree that only one type of basketball is riveting, and brings out the best in a team. I wouldn't say the national audience is composed of idiots, I'd say they're just intolerant and are there primarily to be entertained. It's unreasonable to have the national audience view The Spurs the way we do, just like I will not view The Lakers the same way the national audience does. So in that sense, I don't even bother with that aspect of things.

[GrandeDavid]

Hopefully folks will finally get off Bill Simmons' back for falsely claiming he's a Spurs hater.

[ajballer4]

Good read. Can't wait for Part 2 this afternoon

I like Simmons' writing, but him on ESPN halftime is just awful

[bthewigwam]

I'll have to wait to read part 2 as I'm mid flight and I have to haul ass to the arena. :downspin:

[SAScrub]

Elliott playing the 99 playoffs while needing a kidney transplant should be a 30-for-30.

[ajballer4]

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9364555/tim-duncan-part-2

Part 2

[CosmicCowboy]

Simmons is hilarious in print and awful on TV.

[Spursmania]

I love the compilation of events from year to year. Helps me remember the bad and great times.
Please pray for the Spurs---there has to some great bb ahead in these finals and a little luck in there too to make it all work out for the Spurs. Winning a 5th title would be such a phenomenal ending to the big threes relationship, etc...
I can't even think about it...

[Spursmania]

Simmons is hilarious in print and awful on TV.

"he'd make love to the Spurs if he could...":rollin

[Keepin' it real]

I understand everything that you've said. And I've had this sort of discussion over the years numerous times. I just disagree with what brings out the best in a team. A seven game series going to the very last game, to the last quarter by definition is bringing out the best in a team, and is riveting.

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, because Game 7 of the 1994 Finals between the Knicks and Rockets was anything but riveting. The whole series was rather bland.

[Keepin' it real]

Best Game You Definitely Remember: Game 7 at San Antonio … or as it's also known, "The Best Game 7 of The Duncan Show." You had Duncan at his best (41 and 15) and Dirk at his best (37 and 15).6 (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9364555/tim-duncan-part-2#footnote6) You also had Parker and Manu dropping 47 combined, only Manu went from hero (the go-ahead 3 with 32 seconds left) to goat (inexplicably fouling Dirk on the 3-point play that saved Dallas's season). Dallas took care of business in overtime and that was that. The following is not hyperbole: Because of start-to-finish drama, consistent entertainment, star power, unexpected twists, history-altering significance, excellence of play, sheer rewatchability and such a memorable Game 7, this was THE best professional basketball series of the 21st century. It's amazing. But yeah, the Spurs were boring.

I totally agree. The entire series was epic. For me, this was way more heart-breaking than .4 because the Spurs would surely have beaten the Heat, finally had their 3-peat, and laid to rest any "dynasty or no dynasty" discussions. I still get a little sick to my stomach thinking about that series. It was that good.

[Spur-Addict]

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, because Game 7 of the 1994 Finals between the Knicks and Rockets was anything but riveting. The whole series was rather bland.

That it is indeed. But I think we need to appreciate all types of beauty. I like an offensive display as much as the next, but I love a slugfest.

[tesseractive]

Twitter took off in 2009, giving Spurs fans a new forum to bitch about any media guy who said or wrote anything other than "The Spurs are incredible, I wish there was a way to make love to them because I'd totally do it." Spurs fans have a chip on their shoulders, and rightfully so — people have been crapping on their team for 15 years. Also, any city with one team acts irrationally whenever anyone even comes close to criticizing its team. (Cut to Portland fans nodding.) The Spurs have great fans — I loved their crowds during the Memphis series. Relentlessly raucous. Like a hockey crowd. I enjoy how diligently they stick up for their boys, and it doesn't hurt my feelings when they tell me to have sex with myself. Which is often. And no, I didn't write this because I'm staying in San Antonio all week and they could poison my food.

:lol

[roycrikside]

the first half of the article was a complete hatchet job on Robinson, which he's always done. In the second half, it was better, but he got some facts wrong (Crawford was suspended in '07 not '08, the no-call on Barry was in Game 4, not Game 5)...

[Sean Cagney]

"Never found the right finals opponent"?? Bullshit. 2005 was a great finals, despite whatever ratings resulted from it. Seven game series where we trailed in the second half of game seven.

Yeah this is a JOKE! When he said after game one I am just glad the Spurs finally are playing a good team in the finals! I was like this dude! Pistons back to back finals and coming of a LA whipping a year before, the series goes 7 with us and down to the end and it was not a great finals? What was he watching.
I totally agree. The entire series was epic. For me, this was way more heart-breaking than .4 because the Spurs would surely have beaten the Heat, finally had their 3-peat, and laid to rest any "dynasty or no dynasty" discussions. I still get a little sick to my stomach thinking about that series. It was that good.
I still have not gotten over 06. .4 did not take me forever to get over although the shot was bs., the Spurs in 06 I was sure would repeat and were going to blow through the opponents after the Mavs, the thing is they hit their rivals at the wrong time and it was a long drawn out battle we lost in the end. One play decided the series, literally.

[Spur-Addict]

Yeah this is a JOKE! When he said after game one I am just glad the Spurs finally are playing a good team in the finals! I was like this dude! Pistons back to back finals and coming of a LA whipping a year before, the series goes 7 with us and down to the end and it was not a great finals? What was he watching.

It's an outrage really. As being an analyst of the game you'd figure he would've been a little more astute with his comments.

[SpursRock20]

Simmons with the goods:

"After [The Spurs potentially winning the Finals], everyone's attention would shift to questions like "Is Miami gonna blow it up?" and "Where's LeBron going in a year?" and "Who's signing Dwight?" and "Is Chris leaving the Clippers?" and every other sexy story line that never ends up being about the San Antonio Spurs.Just know that, if/when it plays out that way, Popovich's crew will lay in the weeds like always: steering clear of the limelight, saying nothing, subtly tinkering with their nucleus, preparing to defend their fifth title, hoping people will continuing talking about anyone else but them. Even if that sounds boring … we know better."

Sums up the article rather nicely. And people here still think he hates the Spurs.

[DDS4]

I think there's a bit of resentment/bitterness from Bill Simmons because he knows that the Celtics had chances to draft each one of the big 3 at one point or another. He's always admired the Spurs style of play, Duncan, and Spurs chemistry.

And you're right, he's awful on TV. Much better on his podcasts.

[Sean Cagney]

It's an outrage really. As being an analyst of the game you'd figure he would've been a little more astute with his comments.

He writes good articles but he is heavily opinion driven at times and even bias. That series was the best Finals in the last decade IMO, quite easily being how game 5, 6 and 7 went, those were all down to the end.
Simmons with the goods:

"After [The Spurs potentially winning the Finals], everyone's attention would shift to questions like "Is Miami gonna blow it up?" and "Where's LeBron going in a year?" and "Who's signing Dwight?" and "Is Chris leaving the Clippers?" and every other sexy story line that never ends up being about the San Antonio Spurs.Just know that, if/when it plays out that way, Popovich's crew will lay in the weeds like always: steering clear of the limelight, saying nothing, subtly tinkering with their nucleus, preparing to defend their fifth title, hoping people will continuing talking about anyone else but them. Even if that sounds boring … we know better."

Sums up the article rather nicely. And people here still think he hates the Spurs.

He doesn't hate them, but he is wrong at times.

[Spur-Addict]

That series was the best Finals in the last decade IMO, quite easily being how game 5, 6 and 7 went, those were all down to the end.

:toast Absolutely.

[GaryJohnston]

I don't remember ANY Spurs fan arguing that we draft Keith Van Horn over Duncan...If so, it was far less than "some."

[therealtruth]

The Spurs definitely have an asterisk this year. Westbrook. Every title team has an asterisk. Even Kenny Smith says the Rockets lucked out in '94 because the Sonics lost in the first round.

[tesseractive]

The Spurs definitely have an asterisk this year. Westbrook. Every title team has an asterisk. Even Kenny Smith says the Rockets lucked out in '94 because the Sonics lost in the first round.
If we beat the defending champion Heat starring the best player in the world, I think we can dispense with any ideas about an asterisk.

[AaronY]

Hopefully folks will finally get off Bill Simmons' back for falsely claiming he's a Spurs hater.

[south side spur]

I recently just came across this article thought it was an interesting read.