The Tim Duncan Game... which is it?

[xcoriate]

I've watched a few of the classics over the offseason, you know how it is? You want to remember what the glory of past championships was like after the terrible end of last season :depressed

Anyway, there are some awesome TD games that I thoroughly enjoy watching now that I have copies of them (yay for me) over and over again.

So tell me, what are your favorite games for Duncan?

Is it the near quad-double whilst holding Kenyon Martin to 3-23 to clinch the 2003 championship?

How about the explosion to destroy the Laker dynasty? Single handedly dismantling every player on the lakers with 40+ points and more moves than I've had "cold and flu" tablets over the last few days.

For me it's out of these two... although I can't really decide which or in your opinion is there another thats on a par with those games and deserves to be known throughout history as "The Tim Duncan Game"? Just as Game 5 of the 2005 finals shall be forever known as "The Robert Horry Game"?

I wonder if there's any others I'm missing :fro

[themvp]

I like the most Tim´s performance from Finals 2003, Game 6, to clinch NBA Championship. Man, what a game from Tim. 21+20+10+8. Unbelievable!

[polandprzem]

Well i was not so lucky to watch all Tim Duncan games.
But as we can speak about the favorite games it has to start with the playoffs or the Finals.

Game 5 of the 1999 Championship series was great, realy outstanding. Not only because of Tims offense but also the defens I remember the block on Spree when he and Dave smashed the ball into the glass and it stayed there between the glass and the rim. (also game 1 and 2 were awesome, and whole series that year against LA esp. game 3 and 4)
game 6 of the 2003 championship - great Finals for Timmy - he was the leader the creator defensive stopper and made great passes. (game one also awesome)
game 7 of the 2005 championship and Duncans heroic fight with the pain and crowding Pistons defense - the clutch passes was what made it.

That is for now

[Texas_Ranger]

Game 6 from the 03 NBA finals, when Tim almost had a quadruple-double. That game was great.

[easjer]

I'm a fan of Game 6 of the 2005 Conference Semi's against the Sonics when he hurt his other ankle and the crowed cheered, so he got up, and ran it off while the Klassy crowed booed. And then went on to win that game. Talk about fire in the eyes, man.

Also, games 5 & 7 of the 2005 finals stick out in my mind.

But 2003 wasn't a bad year for Timmy and the playoffs.

[Tobias]

The ".04 game." Everybody forgets that Duncan hit what would have been a career shot just before..

[101A]

Game 1 Round 1, his rookie season. TOOK OVER 4th quarter against Phoenix. It sent chills down my spine; anticipating what was to come.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Game 5 in 99 is one that jumps to mind. In his second year in the league, in his first NBA finals in Madison Square Garden he completely took over the fourth quarter. Talk about a coming out party. It's not even his best performance but it was the first that undeniably identified him as a winner, IMO. (My wife's pick of the Seattle ankle recovery is a very close second.)

I think one of the difficult things about picking out a game for Tim versus other greats is that so many of them have those moments and images that get burned into your brain. You say Robert Horry I can think of three individual shots off the top of my head that stand out, as opposed to Duncan, who may be the only person in the world capable of "quietly" collecting a near quadruple double in the NBA finals. I remember watching every minute of that game and being completely dumbfounded when I saw his final stat line.

[Spurminator]

2003 Finals Game 6 has to be the one. If only he'd had two more blocks...

But my favorite Tim Duncan game that is not as well remembered is this one:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/1999/05/02/jazz_spurs/

To me, this was the pivotal game that finally got the Spurs over the Jazz hump and into the annual conversations on Championship contenders. It also established Duncan as one of the game's best players.

It should have also solidified his first MVP award, but thanks to early voting Karl Malone got his second undeserved trophy.


By the way, props to CNNSI for keeping old recaps. There's even a highlight video linked at the bottom (but you may need glasses).

[Drachen]

Game 6 in the 03 finals. Damn those two blocks. I have always said that this would have been the perfect "torch passing" from DRob to Tim because Duncan would have taken over something else. David is the last NBA player to record a Quadruple Double (at least he was then). If Tim came in on David's last game and did that, then it would have been perfect.

[phyzik]

I like the most Tim´s performance from Finals 2003, Game 6, to clinch NBA Championship. Man, what a game from Tim. 21+20+10+8. Unbelievable!

Thats the one in my mind.

I hope all this recent talk from Pop that Tim is back in MVP form and in the best shape he's seen him takes Tim back to THAT level.... that would be.... I cant even think of an awesome enough word to describe it.

[FromWayDowntown]

2003 Finals Game 6 has to be the one. If only he'd had two more blocks...

But my favorite Tim Duncan game that is not as well remembered is this one:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/1999/05/02/jazz_spurs/

To me, this was the pivotal game that finally got the Spurs over the Jazz hump and into the annual conversations on Championship contenders. It also established Duncan as one of the game's best players.

It should have also solidified his first MVP award, but thanks to early voting Karl Malone got his second undeserved trophy.


By the way, props to CNNSI for keeping old recaps. There's even a highlight video linked at the bottom (but you may need glasses).

That was a great game, caping a weekend that made it clear that the Spurs could actually win a title.

But the one that I'll absolutely never forget was another game against Utah, in SLC, a couple of weeks earlier than that. Duncan went off on a night when almost nobody else had it. He scored a boatload of points, and was great in the second half as the Spurs totally shut down the Jazz on their home floor for the first time in forever. I still think that it marked the point at which the Spurs turnaround that season became absolutely believeable. They had been blown out at home by the Jazz at the end of February -- the game that sent them to 6-8 -- but had gone on that ridiculous run. But in that run, they hadn't really had to face any major challenges and, particularly, not the mental challenge of winning in Utah. After a tight first half, the Spurs turned the tables on the Jazz by being the better executing team in the 2nd half and the 4th quarter, both of which weren't exactly Spurs trademarks to that point. But they won the game because of Duncan and his remarkable performance.

It's one I'll never forget.

Spurs 83, Jazz 69 (4/20/99) (http://www.basketball-reference.com/games/boxscore.cgi?date=1999-04-20&tm1=SAS&tm2=UTA)

[duncan2k5]

come on guys...its not all about stats. 2003 might have been his best statistical game...but we had the nets gone. game 7 2003...we were supposed to lose. being down by 9 with everything looking terrible for the spurs, 3rd quarter halfway done, and me dreading listining to post-game comments on how detroit oversomes adversity. then "it" happened. tim duncan seemed to say "f*ck it" in his head, and pounded the shyt out of detroit's defense. damn near fouled them all out. chip-chippied the lead down, till in the fourth quarter when he was not only scoring, but finding teammates for dagger shots. and who could forget the "almost 3-pointer to tie it up (or give us the lead or something to that extent). thats my favorite

[Winnipeg_Spur]

For me it's got to be game 6 of the 2003 western semis. The Lakers were virtually invincible at this point, coming off three straight championships and Timmy just took it to them, in LA no less. Beautiful to watch.

[RogerIsEatingASandwich]

Game 6 Western Confrence Semis Vs. Lakers in 03'
Game 6 NBA Finals 03
Game 7 2005 NBA Finals

...i'll add more later

[v2freak]

Definitely the near quadruple-double

[Cant_Be_Faded]

ehhhhh it has to be game 6, 2003, against the lakers...in the fourth quarter he went 1 on 1 against Shaq on both ends of the court and blocked him, scored repeatedly, and made shaq miss alot, this was all the backbone of our final game winning run to make every laker on the bench cry like little bitches.