Time for Tim Duncan to be Tim Duncan again

Time for Tim Duncan to be Tim Duncan again

BY MITCH LAWRENCE

New York Daily News


AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - (KRT) - It's not that Tim Duncan didn't dominate Thursday night. He didn't even show up.

All you heard after Game 3 of the Finals was that Duncan would roar back off a stinkeroo game and remind you why he'll be in the Hall of Fame one day.

But Duncan and the Spurs had their heads handed to them, 102-71, so now we've got a real series.

Too bad we still haven't had a competitive game.

San Antonio is now in bad shape, even if the Finals is technically tied at 2-2. The Spurs have to spend two days in god-forsaken Auburn Hills, the land that time forgot, explaining why they've been so rotten in two games here. Then they get to make amends on Sunday. If they don't go crazy before that point.

At halftime, ABC reported that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had called his team's performance "the worst half he had seen by an NBA playoff team."

Afterward, he was asked if the report was accurate.

"It was right on the money," he said.

Then he had to sit and watch an equally awful second half.

"I don't think we're back to square one," Popovich said. "But it's disappointing that we played two games the same way, and did not learn from Game 3. Those were two bad performances."

This isn't to take anything away from the Pistons. They were magnificent. Larry Brown has coached about a million games in his life, but he came away from this one saying that it was the best game one of his teams had ever played.

"We were phenomenal," he said after his team committed only four turnovers, an all-time Finals low.

While San Antonio has regressed over the last four days, the Pistons have raised their defensive intensity and overall play. They're a totally different team than the one that didn't compete in Game 2 last Sunday in San Antonio.

"We're starting to play the way we need to play and the way we're accustomed to playing," said Detroit's Chauncey Billups, one of seven Pistons who scored in double figures. "It starts with our effort. When our effort is there, then our execution will come."

Detroit ran away with this game in the second quarter, when the Spurs couldn't even get the ball up the floor without a Piston stealing it and heading the other way for an easy transition basket. In the third quarter, the Spurs cut the lead to 13, but Lindsey Hunter did an Isiah Thomas imitation, pouring in jumper after jumper, for nine points, as the Pistons went up by 74-57 entering the final period.

All Duncan could do was watch. He started out going hard to the basket, but once he got challenged by the Wallaces, Rasheed and Ben, he backed down.

"I can think of about five shots I should have made," Duncan said after missing 12 of 17 shots and scoring only 16 points. "Not that it would have changed the game drastically. But they were momentum swingers."

Everyone expected that Duncan would personally get the pendulum swinging back to the Spurs. He's always done it after an off night. After Game 3, the Spurs went out to dinner. Seated near Duncan was Sean Elliott, the former small forward who is now the team's radio analyst. From the time they got there until it broke up at 3 a.m., Duncan smoldered.

"The other night at dinner, he did not say one word," Elliott said. "He was royally p.o.'d, to say the least. But that's the thing about this team. Out of all the teams I've been around, even the one that won it all in `99, this one hates to lose more than all the others. It starts with the coaches and goes right to the players."

It starts with Duncan, who was approached by Popovich before Thursday night's game.

"I sat next to him and said, `Do I need to say anything or do you already know what I'm going to say?' " Popovich said. He might as well as have been talking to the great Sphinx.

Duncan sat stone-faced, never offering a reply.

"I said, `It's been great talking to you.' " Popovich said. "And I went the other way. And that was our meeting."

Now, Popovich may need to remind his superstar exactly what he needs to do. Go strong to the basket. Take charge. Be a monster on the defensive end. Stop getting outplayed by Detroit's big men.

But most of all, start being Tim Duncan again.

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Now, Popovich may need to remind his superstar exactly what he needs to do. Go strong to the basket. Take charge. Be a monster on the defensive end. Stop getting outplayed by Detroit's big men.

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Amen.

Well I've only seen a half of game four (so far) and Duncan clearly looks like a deer whose caught in the headlights right now. The worst thing for the Spurs at the moment is to have game five up in Detroit. If it was the old format, it would be back in the SBC Center...oh well.

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"I said, `It's been great talking to you.' " Popovich said. "And I went the other way. And that was our meeting

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maybe its time to slap his fuckin face and say wake up, and listen.


Im tired, and I agree with Aggie.

"Duncan will fix himself.

Did he fix himself in 01???

What about 02???

His standing around no upfaking no taking it strong bullshit is just that.

BULLSHIT.

COME ON DUNCAN PLAY LIKE A FUCKING MAN!!

He's taking himself out of the games. When fouls don't go his way he's giving up. Foul calls were almost even on thursday. It wasn't a lopsided game from that standpoint. It was about the Pistons wanting it more. You can tell by the way they are yanking down the rebounds that they want it more. Hey Spurs you hate losing? You're a better basketball team. You have more weapons. More playoff experience. More All-Stars. Stop getting so frustrated and beat this short-benched team into foul trouble. remember, out of 12 players you have a total of 72 fouls.
Use them, and make them use theirs.
Foul hard, pass, take the shot when you have it, take care of the ball. That's what you haven't done for the past two games.
Do it.

what's he doing duncan??
there is five pistons in area
sa play like suns if we win
shot 3 point 20 or 30 and fast break
pop must do something not duncan

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Originally Posted by T Park

maybe its time to slap his fuckin face and say wake up, and listen.


Im tired, and I agree with Aggie.

"Duncan will fix himself.

Did he fix himself in 01???

What about 02???

His standing around no upfaking no taking it strong bullshit is just that.

BULLSHIT.

COME ON DUNCAN PLAY LIKE A FUCKING MAN!!

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Question. Why the fuck do you care? You gave up on the Spurs.

Be gone WL'd.

The Spurs are the Earth, and Tim Duncan is the Moon. His attitude effects the tide of the whole organization.
On Sunday the gravity of his resolve must force a tsunami, or his team is done for.

Until someone on this team proves they can hit a jump shot again, expect to see more of the same from Duncan. The man is playing like a shell of himself on offense and defense.
After watching this series against the Pistons and god knows how many other games it has become blatantly obvious to me. The Spurs ARE the WORST passing team in basketball. Why do we run the pick and roll when Tony has no f'n clue that Duncan is coming off the back side wide open. When Tony does see him its too late and it gets intercepted. Then, Duncan runs into a triple team with (fill in the blank) standing wide open at the top of the key. I lost count of how many times Manu would go around the screen and see Ben Wallace and just stop in his tracks. Split the damn double team! You did it all season!

I am as down on Duncan as any of you are right now but noone is more down on him than he is on himself. Parker and Ginobili HAVE to get back to their game 1 and 2 form or nothing is going to change.

Today TIM is not in .But a super star never make three bad game .Hope next game he can find the feeling Of the really MVP.

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"I said, `It's been great talking to you.' " Popovich said. "And I went the other way. And that was our meeting

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If that's not coaching greatness defined, I don't know what is.

Hmm, he's playing like shit, I just won't talk to him about it.

I guess that's what you do when you don't have answers.

well if pop will not
tp and manu need to go to him
fuck it where is amy's number?

Duncan needs to play the way he used and what made me fall in love with his game in his college days. I hate to say it but he is being a pussy out there. He needs to tighten his balls and go get it.

I think Tim is caught up in all the hype about how great he is. If no one (POP), can talk to him, then bench him till he figures it out. Why do we have a coach if he can't talk to him? Tim is acting spoiled,(because he is) and only an attitude change will cure that! His attitude is affecting the whole team. There is no shame in losing but to be completely dominated like we were is unacceptable! I hope he takes inventory and wakes up or this thing will be over shortly! Realistically, the Spurs have one more chance to play like champions or join the fishing ranks. The choice is Tim's!!!!!!!

tim is a creature of habit. when he's knocked out of his comfort zone he does tend to get frustrated. unfortunately a lot of the time he directs his angst inward instead of outward. what is frustrating him is that he is not getting any calls. such is life. its a road game and youre not going to get those.

i dont think the answer is for pop to rip into him. if pop does that we arent going to get anywhere. at this point it is up to tim. he has to throw caution to the wind and bring it.

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Originally Posted by violentkitten

i dont think the answer is for pop to rip into him. if pop does that we arent going to get anywhere. at this point it is up to tim. he has to throw caution to the wind and bring it.

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I agree. And I have a question for Aggie:

Since you seem to know so much about great coaching, what would you say to Tim?

Tim is either coasting or distracted. I favor the latter. He needs to remember how much he's getting paid and suck it up.

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Originally Posted by violentkitten

tim is a creature of habit. when he's knocked out of his comfort zone he does tend to get frustrated. unfortunately a lot of the time he directs his angst inward instead of outward. what is frustrating him is that he is not getting any calls. such is life. its a road game and youre not going to get those.

i dont think the answer is for pop to rip into him. if pop does that we arent going to get anywhere. at this point it is up to tim. he has to throw caution to the wind and bring it.

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YEP

TD is being harrassed by two of the best in the business. I believe he will step his game up to the challenge. It's time to pretend like the zebras aren't even there and take it to the hole like this is street. And that goes for all our Spurs...not just TD. And where is nazr on the glass? 5 rbs is unacceptable.

I wonder what's going on with Tim psychologically. It's like he's in some kind of clinical depression or something. although with Duncan it's hard to tell.

"Tim is either coasting or distracted"

I remember feeling like I was on drugs just before and after the birth of my first child. NOT good family planning scheduling by the Duncans.

The news about PJ's wife must have had some effect on Tim.

Maybe we'll hear after it's all over how bad Tim's ankles were, but not word was said in the playoffs to avoid any excuses or whining or distractions.

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Originally Posted by bigzak25

TD is being harrassed by two of the best in the business. I believe he will step his game up to the challenge. It's time to pretend like the zebras aren't even there and take it to the hole like this is street. And that goes for all our Spurs...not just TD. And where is nazr on the glass? 5 rbs is unacceptable.

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Nazr played hard. Nazr was FUCKING INVISIBLE to the refs. He was getting hacked in their more than any player on either team, and never got a foul called. He also missed some easy layups and dunks.

Beno was a close second. He got mugged by Ben and Chauncy both several times with no calls.

when is his wife due? I don't know, he just seems really depressed. It's almost as if he just found out it's not his baby or something :depressed
...ooh, what if he just found out it's Ben Wallaces baby. That would do it.

I think it may be time for Tim to get some sort of counseling.

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Originally Posted by Jelly

when is his wife due? I don't know, he just seems really depressed. It's almost as if he just found out it's not his baby or something :depressed
...ooh, what if he just found out it's Ben Wallaces baby. That would do it.

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:lmao

tim needs to grow some testicles.He's playing like a sissy.thinks he should get a call every time someone touches him. Just when I feel like you cant say enough good things about him he goes MIA for 3 straight games(yes it is 3 straight manu just made up for him in game 2).