NBA All-Star Notebook: Duncan too 'boring' even for interview

[Kori Ellis]

NBA All-Star Notebook: Duncan too 'boring' even for interview

Web Posted: 02/20/2006 12:00 AM CST
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA022006.8E.NBAnotebook.895ef23.html

HOUSTON — Spurs' All-Star forward Tim Duncan shared the interview room podium with Houston Rockets' forward Tracy McGrady after Sunday's 55th NBA All-Star Game at Toyota Center.

He may as well have stayed in the locker room. Only one question was directed Duncan's way, and at one point McGrady reminded the questioners, "Tim Duncan is up here, seated to my left, if anyone wants to ask him anything."

When it became evident Duncan's presence was more distraction than worthwhile, he got up, threw up his hands in mock disgust, and began to exit the room. That brought a wisecrack from McGrady about the nature of Duncan's fundamental game.

"Yo, Tim: Your game, it's effective, but it's boring. Come on, this is the All-Star Game, man. You want to see dunks, you don't want to see guys back down like Charles Barkley. You want to see those dunks, Alley Oops."

No embarrassment: Spurs' point guard Tony Parker had one immediate goal when he took the Toyota Center court for the first time as an NBA All-Star, with 4:41 remaining in the first quarter: Don't shoot an air ball.

"We've got a bet going on who is going to shoot the first air ball," Parker said before tip-off. "Hopefully, it won't be me. That would be nice."

To that end, Parker passed the first half-dozen times he handled the ball, and, indeed, his first shot was a "tear-drop" lay-in after a drive to the basket with 32 seconds left in the first period. It missed, off the back rim, so he didn't have to worry about that air ball.

His other pre-game thought: Fire up a shot from half court. He had made a half-court shot on Saturday in helping the Spurs/Silver Stars team win the All-Star Saturday Shooting Stars competition.

Parker said All-Star weekend had been everything he had anticipated, and then some.

"It's been great," he said. "I've been having a lot of fun, enjoying myself. It's just a great experience to be here and enjoy spending time with the other guys, practice with them. Then, all the atmosphere around it, all the parties, and having my family and friends around me."

Duncan helped usher Parker into the All-Star world, introducing him to the various events and his All-Star teammates.

"It's been good to be here with Tim," Parker said. "It's always nice to be here the first time with a teammate. He introduced me to everybody. I am just very blessed and lucky he was here so I could experience my first All-Star Game with him."

Photo opportunities: Duncan spent a few minutes during warm-ups for the second half posing with his daughter, Sydney, on the edge of the court for photos taken by his wife, Amy.

Spurs' director of media relations Tom James snapped a few digital pictures of the couple and Sydney, attending her first All-Star Game, but seeming relatively unimpressed with the proceedings.

Moments later, Allen Iverson's mother, Ann, called Kobe Bryant over to the same "photo-op spot" the Duncans had used and had a stage hand snapping pictures of her and the Lakers' star.

Gasol ailing: Memphis Grizzlies power forward-center Pau Gasol spent most of All-Star weekend fighting a flu bug. At one point, it was feared he might be too ill to play, but Gasol became the first player in Grizzlies' franchise history to appear in an All-Star Game when he entered in the first quarter.

The Spurs have to hope that whatever bug was ailing Gasol isn't contagious. Parker and Duncan sat next to him at the end of the Western Conference bench most of the game.

Worth noting: Working the game Sunday was veteran referee Dick Bavetta, who recently set a record for most games refereed in the NBA. The other referees were Greg Willard and Joe DeRosa. ... Former Spurs All-Stars David Robinson and George Gervin attended the game, seated in the rows just behind the West's bench.

[Kori Ellis]

I hope that people can figure out that the Duncan is boring quote from TMac is a joke. That 3-page thread about the subject where people were outraged is embarrassing for the intelligence level of this forum.

[Kori Ellis]

Q. Were you fouled in the last play against LeBron?
TRACY MCGRADY: Yes, absolutely, yes. (Laughter).

Q. There's no way you're going to shoot an air ball.
TRACY MCGRADY: No, especially not with the game on the line like that anyway.

Q. Could you talk about how you kind of needed a night like this, all you've gone through this year, was it good to have a night like this?
TRACY MCGRADY: It was just good to get out and have some sort of a scapegoat, so to speak, all of the things I've been dealing with personally, and you know, this was just an opportunity for me to have a peace of mind and just go out and have some fun.
Definitely took full advantage of that.

Q. All Star Games are fun, but you guys are competitors, was there ever a point where you're looking at it like, now is the time you turn it on and go, or is that from tip off?
TRACY MCGRADY: I think tonight the first two quarters was more entertainment than anything. Those guys, they came out in the third quarter and was ready to play ball. We saw that they turned it on and we made it a ballgame. That's what the fans come to see, excitement, and also competitiveness, and that's what we gave them.
Tim Duncan is up here, to my left.

Q. Were you out there against the Pistons as a unit and could you tell that they were a unit?
TIM DUNCAN: I could definitely see it whether I was up there or not. I don't think I was up there for too long a time but you could definitely see the game change when they were running all together.

Q. Could you feel your teammates trying to get you the ball and get you the MVP tonight?
TRACY MCGRADY: That was the whole strategy. That was a nice game tonight. Obviously those guys did a great job. First of all, just their kindness to want me to get the MVP. And they were doing their best to try to give me the ball at every opportunity down the court, free me up and give me shots. It was there if we would have won the game.

Q. Did you guys have to teach Yao the dance movement in were you worried about him out there?
TRACY MCGRADY: Yeah, he we were a little skeptical about doing that because we didn't know if Yao was going to cop out on us, if he was going to shy away and not participate.
He looked pretty smooth doing it.

Q. Can you talk, also, just about his game, it was a quiet night for him and being out there with him?
TRACY MCGRADY: This is more of a guard's game, guys like myself and LeBron, D Wade and Allen Iverson; it's a guard show. It's hard for big men to get touches because we handle the ball 95 percent of the time. Every now and then we throw the ball inside to the big guy.
It's really no excitement in throwing the ball to them down there. So that's
TIM DUNCAN: (Throwing up hands, shrugging shoulders, exits interview room.)

TRACY MCGRADY: Your game, it's effective (looking at Tim), but it's boring.
Come on, this is the All Star Game, man. You want to see dunks, you don't want to see guys back down like Charles Barkley, you wants to see threes, dunks, alley oops. Shaq tries to give you flashes every now and then, but he's rusty. (Laughter) Tell him I said that, too. Has he been on the podium yet?

Q. Getting back to the dance at the start of the game, who won that battle, the Eastern guys or you guys? And was that something that came from the league or was it you guys?
TRACY MCGRADY: Actually, they surprised us. We was just standing in the back and watching the introduction and we saw them do their little routine, so right then and there, we had to come up with something quick.
I think Steve Nash came up with the idea of doing that, and everybody was down. So, you know, we have creative minds, we came up with a great idea pretty quick.

[MI21]

Yep, T-Mac and Timmy always seem to joke around. They have had a couple of interviews together here and there for Adidas, and there was obviously no beef.

[angel_luv]

Parker said All-Star weekend had been everything he had anticipated, and then some.

"It's been great," he said. "I've been having a lot of fun, enjoying myself. It's just a great experience to be here and enjoy spending time with the other guys, practice with them. Then, all the atmosphere around it, all the parties, and having my family and friends around me."


Photo opportunities: Duncan spent a few minutes during warm-ups for the second half posing with his daughter, Sydney, on the edge of the court for photos taken by his wife, Amy.

Spurs' director of media relations Tom James snapped a few digital pictures of the couple and Sydney, attending her first All-Star Game, but seeming relatively unimpressed with the proceedings.

What a great family memory. When I saw Sydney at that one home game, I thought how neat it was that there she was a baby sitting courtside watching her daddy play ball.


Spurs' All-Star forward Tim Duncan shared the interview room podium with Houston Rockets' forward Tracy McGrady after Sunday's 55th NBA All-Star Game at Toyota Center.

He may as well have stayed in the locker room. Only one question was directed Duncan's way, and at one point McGrady reminded the questioners, "Tim Duncan is up here, seated to my left, if anyone wants to ask him anything."

When it became evident Duncan's presence was more distraction than worthwhile, he got up, threw up his hands in mock disgust, and began to exit the room. That brought a wisecrack from McGrady about the nature of Duncan's fundamental game.

That was nice of Tracy to try to involve Timmy.

I love how good humored Timmy is.

:tu :tu :)

[Brutalis]

I think it's a little disrespect to Tim though. Nobody giving a crap he's offering his time to the media. I know he has to but still.

The man is a top 5 player of all time and nobody has anything to say to him? Ok.

[ca®lo]

i dont think mcgrady meant any disrespect to tim at all.

its all a joke.

if tim or some spurs fans got offended by that.. then heat fans should also be bummed about tmacs comment about shaq :)

[WalterBenitez]

You how Timmy is, probably isn’t the best player to watch at ASG, not as funny as Shaq :D, TMac jokes all the time at the end of the day I prefer a "boring" player with rings and not a funny guy with no ring :rolleyes

[boutons_]

The problem with the "Tim is boring" joke-y comment is that it contains, like a lot of humor, a kernel of truth. A lot of people, especially in the "NBA demographic", think that Tim IS boring.

[Solid D]

The real context of T-Mac's comments were that "It's a guards' game". Tracy was saying the All-Star Game is for the guards to show their flash. That's why you see them with the ball 95% of the time. They occasionally throw it in to the big men but it's not flashy enough to watch Charles Barkley back it down on the post.

Once T-Mac started dissing post players, Timmy got up and left. Why not, if nobody wants to ask him any questions and with Tracy lightheartedly going off on low-post players? Once Tim got up, that's when T-Mac started firing off about how Tim's game is boring, as a parting shot, and he also included Shaq and said Shaq had a little flash in him but he's "rusty".

Edit: I just now looked back at the thread and saw Kori posted the interview dialogue. I guess my memory was okay from last night.

[ShoogarBear]

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!!! HOW DARE McGRADY CRITICIZE DUNCAN, WHOSE SNEAKERS HE IS NOT FIT TO SNIFF!!!!!!!! HOW DARE THE MEDIA AGREE WITH HIM!!!!!!! BOYCOTT STERN!!!!!!!! BOYCOTT STEPHEN A.!!!!!!!!!! BOYCOTT DAN COOK!!!!!!!!!!!!

[1Parker1]

Moments later, Allen Iverson's mother, Ann, called Kobe Bryant over to the same "photo-op spot" the Duncans had used and had a stage hand snapping pictures of her and the Lakers' star.


:lol Does anyone else find it funny that AI's mom is a Kobe fan?

[orhe]

awts :D no he's son is a kobe fan like mother like so :D

[ShoogarBear]

AI's mom is still kinda young, and she was maybe hoping Kobe would give her a little sumpin-sumpin.

[Sportman]

I should say TIM DUNCAN is a very boring player, what´s more i wouldnt choose him for this kind of games because he doesnt do anything for entertaining people, nevertheless if i have to choose one player for winning a championship he WILL BE ALWAYS that player.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!!! HOW DARE McGRADY CRITICIZE DUNCAN, WHOSE SNEAKERS HE IS NOT FIT TO SNIFF!!!!!!!! HOW DARE THE MEDIA AGREE WITH HIM!!!!!!! BOYCOTT STERN!!!!!!!! BOYCOTT STEPHEN A.!!!!!!!!!! BOYCOTT DAN COOK!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mark this Grade-A Troll Reproduction.

You've got the misspelled words AND the broken English.

Extra points would have been added for proper use of "OMGWTFBBQ".

Good show.

[KEDA]

OMGWTFBBQBYOB.!!!!!!


DAN COOK NEEDS TO RETYRE!!@@!!!!!111

LONG LIVE DAVID CHANCELLOR!!!!!@@1111

HES THE BESTEST eVAR!!!!!11

[ShoogarBear]

I mark this Grade-A Troll Reproduction.

You've got the misspelled words AND the broken English.

Extra points would have been added for proper use of "OMGWTFBBQ".

Good show.
I hesitate to ask: Okay, what did I misspell and where is the broken English?

[polandprzem]

But Timmy wasn't looking like a guy in the happy mode.

I would left also.

"they want me to talk with the media but the media doesn't want to ask"

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I hesitate to ask: Okay, what did I misspell and where is the broken English?

Oh, god.

I mis-read your use of "whose."

I have an excuse, I was in the hospital this weekend.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I think it's a little disrespect to Tim though. Nobody giving a crap he's offering his time to the media. I know he has to but still.

The man is a top 5 player of all time and nobody has anything to say to him? Ok.

Well, it was pretty stupid of the NBA media people to pair Tim with TMac, who was the hometown boy and the guy that AJ did everything in his power to get MVP for.

[E20]

I loved Timmy's shoulder wave thing. He was cracking up at Yao :tu

[ShoogarBear]

Oh, god.

I mis-read your use of "whose."

I have an excuse, I was in the hospital this weekend.
So I guess I'm just a grade B troll reproduction then. :depressed

[E20]

I saw the postgame interviews video, pretty funny. :lol

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

So I guess I'm just a grade B troll reproduction then. :depressed

No, it just means I'm not as good with copy editing as I thought I was.

Time to go back to ACES (http://www.copydesk.org/) .

[polandprzem]

I think I'm invisiable :depressed

[dbreiden83080]

You know i feel like the mainstream media resents Timmy. He has been so good for so long they are forced to talk about him and they hate that. He gets in the way of their golden boys of the NBA, Lebron, Kobe, AI, Shaq. It is almost like they try and paint the picture that Timmy is not as great as his 3 rings because he is not a great quote.

[reader]

Come on now, Duncan does not want to be a good quote. If he was, they would continue to hound him for quotes. Lang Whitaker in one of his links columns mentioned some reporter trying to ask him questions and he gave surly answers until the reporter went away, then happily chatted with Lang. I love Duncan's sense of humour, very dry and understated.


Q. Can you talk, also, just about his game, it was a quiet night for him and being out there with him?
TRACY MCGRADY: This is more of a guard's game, guys like myself and LeBron, D Wade and Allen Iverson; it's a guard show. It's hard for big men to get touches because we handle the ball 95 percent of the time. Every now and then we throw the ball inside to the big guy.
It's really no excitement in throwing the ball to them down there.


I really like how he left Tony and Nash off his list of exciting guards, although I thought Nash was really quiet. I looked at the stats, he played the most minutes of anyone on the West and he shot 1/2. Not enough shots for him when playing with Kobe and Tmac.


Q. Getting back to the dance at the start of the game, who won that battle, the Eastern guys or you guys? And was that something that came from the league or was it you guys?
TRACY MCGRADY: Actually, they surprised us. We was just standing in the back and watching the introduction and we saw them do their little routine, so right then and there, we had to come up with something quick.
I think Steve Nash came up with the idea of doing that, and everybody was down. So, you know, we have creative minds, we came up with a great idea pretty quick.

You think these guys are not competetive? Note how they had to react to the Eastern introductions with a show of their own. Oh yeah, again Tmac, Nash comes up with the idea, but now, "we have creative minds, we came up with a great idea pretty quick", I guess that's why it is a team game.

As I said in another post, if Tmac shot better than 2/7 from the F/T line, the west could have won.

[PM5K]

I hope that people can figure out that the Duncan is boring quote from TMac is a joke. That 3-page thread about the subject where people were outraged is embarrassing for the intelligence level of this forum.

Even still, nobody asked him questions but I'd imagine if you knew the right questions to ask you'd get some interesting responses....

[Kori Ellis]

Even still, nobody asked him questions

Yeah, that happens pretty often (not just to Tim). I remember last year early in the playoffs, some player came out and no one asked him anything. So after 3 minutes of cold silence, he just left. :lol

[Phenomanul]

Yeah, that happens pretty often (not just to Tim). I remember last year early in the playoffs, some player came out and no one asked him anything. So after 3 minutes of cold silence, he just left. :lol


Man, that IS... cold.....

[Summers]

Totally off-topic, but that reminds me of some reporter who was trying to ask Chauncey Billups a question during the finals. First he said something like, "Joe Smith, ESPN, I mean!, Uh... the LA Times (or whatever)"... Then... a full, maybe 20 seconds of him going, "Uh... are you, uh... is it...?" Chauncey finally said, "You want us to come back to you man?" :lol

[Summers]

Forgot to say, surely someone got a pic of Timmy and the LF! I wanna see!

[milkyway21]

speaking of Duncan's humor, anybody can tell the story behind this photo? there was a GameTrak on this during the All-Star game timeout/break , i just missed the dialogue between Tony and Tim. I heard some commentators were laughing while watching the two.

http://spursinfo.com/photos/spurs/allstar06/gallery1/allstar06_12.jpg

[gospursgojas]

speaking of Duncan's humor, anybody can tell the story behind this photo? there was a GameTrak on this during the All-Star game timeout/break , i just missed the dialogue between Tony and Tim. I heard some commentators were laughing while watching the two.

http://spursinfo.com/photos/spurs/allstar06/gallery1/allstar06_12.jpg



Tony and Tim where playing a lil one on one during warm-ups... They were arguing about whether the score was 2-2 or 3-2, Tim. Tim won the agument of course.

Back to the interview with Tmac... I think its cool how they thought of their dance routine in like 5 mins

[pache100]

Well, it was pretty stupid of the NBA media people to pair Tim with TMac, who was the hometown boy and the guy that AJ did everything in his power to get MVP for.

AJ wasn't the only one who tried to get MVP for TMac. The rest of the West team tried everything they knew to get it for him. I think Lebron was the "chosen one" by the league before the game even started. just like I think Nate Robinson was the pre-determined winner of the Slam Dunk contest (Iguodala clearly had the best dunk). Even Kobe disagreed with that.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Tim's current level of boringness is due to the press making him boring.

Such disrespect.

[polandprzem]

People don't know what boring is.

You just can't be bored with Timmay :fro

[milkyway21]

Tony and Tim where playing a lil one on one during warm-ups... They were arguing about whether the score was 2-2 or 3-2, Tim. Tim won the agument of course.

Back to the interview with Tmac... I think its cool how they thought of their dance routine in like 5 minsthanks :D

[SoCalSpursFan]

T-Mac meant well.

How can he disrespect a guy with 3 more rings than him?

I like T-Mac and hope someday he can find a way for that team to win. I mean, after all, they have the STARTING ALL-STAR Center Yao Ming! :rolleyes

[vsnba]

I am not a basket fan but i started watching game because of Tim Duncan. Basket ball is all about how they play and how they win. I looked starts behavior because they are model to lot of kids

[alamo50]

Just shows you how hilarious Timmy is.
I laughed my ass off when he raised his hand and left the stage.

:lol