Buck Harvey: The Kings recover just in time — and Duncan does, too

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tim Duncan stretched for what he couldn't touch. But he reached something anyway.

He couldn't get to Kevin Martin's game-winner, the ball just arcing over all fingertips. But even as this series is extended — even if Friday rearranges the order of things — don't the Spurs have to celebrate the return of Duncan?

Gregg Popovich didn't take that tone afterward. After his Euro-backcourt flinched — with Manu Ginobili committing what he called the "worst turnover of my career" — Popovich looked at Duncan's statistical line and groaned.

"I feel like we wasted it," Popovich said.

Popovich used to say the same at the end of David Robinson's career, and that fits. Duncan has looked, at times, as if he's on a downward slide.

It seems to be going around. Shaquille O'Neal wobbled the night before in Chicago, playing perhaps the worst playoff game of his career. He looked like a man who knows he will earn $20 million a year until 2010 no matter what he does, though he didn't sound that way later. "I'm very, very humiliated," O'Neal said.

Friday night was supposed to be Duncan's turn. He's on the same pay scale, after all.

The Spurs have never believed any of it, even as Duncan went through a series of 14-point scoring nights this season. They say his foot is not a problem now, nor is his age.

They say it's still about the mysterious doubt inside of him, and they point to last year as an example. Then he wobbled worse, returning from a severely sprained ankle, and he struggled in the opener against Denver.

But his game came back just in time. In Game 4 in Denver, when the Spurs all but clinched the series, Duncan scored 39 points. That also came against big men, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby, who are more athletic and defensive-oriented than Sacramento's big men.

Given that, why had Duncan looked so human in the first two games? Partly because looks are deceiving. Duncan was fine in the first game, playing about 24 minutes in a blowout. But his 11 points also made him just one of seven Spurs in double figures, and that's not a role he's known for.

He struggled in Game 2, scoring 14 points. But he rebounded and stayed in the game with five fouls, culminating with the back pick that freed Brent Barry for his three.

Still, he stumbled with his own footwork, and seemingly lost all confidence in his jumper. Other superstars have the arrogant belief that they are the best. Shaq does, for example, a reason he took the night off in Chicago.

But Duncan? After all the years, after all his success, he still goes through these crises, then comes out the other side.

The same happened Friday, and this happened partly because the Kings threw fewer double teams at him. Allowed to work in the low block, he did what he's done for a decade, which is put opposing big men in foul trouble.

Another vision of the past came from teammates. They didn't keep up. Outside of Rasho Nesterovic and Beno Udrih — the Croatian Couple :wtf — Duncan was mostly by himself in the first half. He stopped Bonzi Wells' assault of the rim, blocking him at least three times. And once, with a Kings' double team coming at him, Duncan turned to the baseline for a smooth jump hook that looked like something out of 2003.

If the Spurs are to defend their title, if they are to go deeper than this first round, they need this from Duncan.

He stayed at it, defending on one end, posting on the other. He threw in two free throws in the final minutes, then ducked between a double team to tie the game at 90. When other Spurs joined him, most notably Michael Finley with a clutch 3-pointer, it should have been enough to win.

Then Ginobili was stripped. Duncan took off to make one final save, only to have Martin throw in a layup as improbable as Barry's 3-pointer on Tuesday. "I don't even know how he got it off," Duncan said afterward.

He lost, all right. As he found his game.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c...s.398a64e.html

While it is nice to finally have Buck say anything nice about Rasho and Beno, does he have any clue at all about just what a huge faux pas he made here?

croation couple?? buck harvey :(:( did he even do any research b4 writin this up?

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Originally Posted by TDMVPDPOY

croation couple?? buck harvey :(:( did he even do any research b4 writin this up?

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:lol :wtf :(

:wtf :flipoff :flipoff :flipoff

:cuss

:pctoss

Slovenia vs USA

preview of non proffesional journalism - or how Pop puts it.. You are a biased fan.

Quote:

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I so hate him more, if he was trying to piss me off.

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Yeah, that's it, Buck was sitting around trying to figure out how he could piss someone on a Spurs board off :rolleyes

It was late, he had a deadline to make, and he tried to come up with some cute anecdote. Get over it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aggie Hoopsfan

Yeah, that's it, Buck was sitting around trying to figure out how he could piss someone on a Spurs board off :rolleyes

It was late, he had a deadline to make, and he tried to come up with some cute anecdote. Get over it.

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I guess you don't get how insulting that is. Pick up a book and read some history of the region.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

I guess you don't get how insulting that is. Pick up a book and read some history of the region.

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???
i don't know about any historical problems between slovenians and croatians.

it's just stupid - like calling amercans canadians.

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Originally Posted by velik_m

???
i don't know about any historical problems between slovenians and croatians.

it's just stupid - like calling amercans canadians.

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Rasho's background is Serbia-Montenegro. There was never a problem between Serbia and Croatia????

true, but Rasho is not the one acting insulted in this forum.

Kori, I know there's some 'history' there (understatement). Buck fucked up. There will be a retraction/correction in the paper tomorrow. I'm just saying people shouldn't be acting like Harvery was trying to piss them off. He fucked up. Shit happens.

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Originally Posted by velik_m

true, but Rasho is not the one acting insulted in this forum.

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I know. But the article is insulting to Rasho.

Rasho doesn't have a Croatian background. And considering the history between Serbia/Croatia/Bosnia etc I would think that someone could look it up and see that he's not Croatian before writing it.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

I know. But the article is insulting to Rasho.

Rasho doesn't have a Croatian background. And considering the history between Serbia/Croatia/Bosnia etc I would think that someone could look it up and see that he's not Croatian before writing it.

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:princess

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Originally Posted by ploto

Rasho has ties to Bosnia, as well.

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he's a full blooded Yugoslavian! :lol

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Originally Posted by velik_m

he's a full blooded Yugoslavian! :lol

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Wow! That is really bad.

I'm shocked and dissapointed in Buck

It seems like he used Croation to go with couple, like he couldn't think of a catchy noun to go with Slovenian .

:loser

Slovenian Stars immediately comes to my mind. :)

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Originally Posted by angel_luv

Wow! That is really bad.

I'm shocked and dissapointed in Buck

It seems like he used Croation to go with couple, like he couldn't think of a catchy noun to go with Slovenian .

:loser

Slovenian Stars immediately comes to my mind. :)

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Well I don't think they are a "couple" either. :lol The whole thing was weird to write.

Very true :lol

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Originally Posted by Corso

He probably wrote it late at night on no sleep and a stomach full of sugar -- give him a break

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I wrote a e-mail to correct the mistake. Mr.Harvey corrected his mistake in his article. He corrected the mistake very soon and efficiently, so I have to give him his due. He is obviously a nice fellow.

:tu

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Originally Posted by zeleni

I wrote a e-mail to correct the mistake. Mr.Harvey corrected his mistake in his article. He corrected the mistake very soon and efficiently, so I have to give him his due. He is obviously a nice fellow.

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he was fast because i emailed him earlier :lol

:rollin

Quote:

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Wow! That is really bad.

I'm shocked and dissapointed in Buck

It seems like he used Croation to go with couple, like he couldn't think of a catchy noun to go with Slovenian .

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shocked?

oh good lord.

Ok how about

the slovenian sluts?

slovenian stiffs?


That one fits better.

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Originally Posted by velik_m

he was fast because i emailed him earlier :lol

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:lol

:tu

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T Park

shocked?

oh good lord.

Ok how about

the slovenian sluts?

slovenian stiffs?


That one fits better.

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:makemyday :nutkick: :trolls:

"Another vision of the past came from teammates. They didn't keep up. Outside of Rasho Nesterovic and Beno Udrih, Duncan was mostly by himself in the first half."


http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c...s.398a64e.html

:tu

"Slovenia's bilateral relations with its neighbors are generally harmonious and cooperative. However, there remain a few unresolved disputes with Croatia related to the succession of the former Yugoslavia, including demarcation of their common border. In addition, unlike the other successor states of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia did not normalize relations with the "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" (Serbia and Montenegro) until after the passing from power of Slobodan Miloševiæ (although the Slovenes did open a representative office in Podgorica to work with Montenegrin President Milo Ðukanoviæ's government)."

Link

And that's Croatia and Slovenia for an American.

Well the article is very good...Duncan's back everyone!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ploto

The Spurs have never believed any of it, even as Duncan went through a series of 14-point scoring nights this season. They say his foot is not a problem now, nor is his age.

They say it's still about the mysterious doubt inside of him, and they point to last year as an example. Then he wobbled worse, returning from a severely sprained ankle, and he struggled in the opener against Denver.

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Last night at Kori's I got my head bitten off because I said I wish Duncan has what some other players around this leauge have. Mainly the bravado you see from players like Kobe, Shaq, and AI.

I don't know how anyone can't see how Duncan just doesn't force the issue the way some players do. He doens't have the desire that others show unless he gets extremely angry. Its a shame, because as great as he is it would put him in a totaly different leauge.

Even members of his own organization see it. I love Tim, but I do wish he had that in him.

I get what you are saying (I heard today about the debate you and GMoore had :) )

but I believe that Tim just does it differently. He is not as demonstrative as others but that is not a sign of less talent. He is never going to be a screamer or yeller but not being a yeller does not mean he is a worse player than AI, Shaq, et. I would like to see him call for the ball more though. I think at times he is almost too unselfish.

Quote:

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Last night at Kori's I got my head bitten off because I said I wish Duncan has what some other players around this leauge have. Mainly the bravado you see from players like Kobe, Shaq, and AI.

I don't know how anyone can't see how Duncan just doesn't force the issue the way some players do. He doens't have the desire that others show unless he gets extremely angry. Its a shame, because as great as he is it would put him in a totaly different leauge.

Even members of his own organization see it. I love Tim, but I do wish he had that in him

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I think D Rob had the same problem.


Its a shame.

Duncan could've gone for 40 last night if he had that bravado.

Guys like him and Robinson just dont "have it"

Stop the presses.