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that autograph story is hilarious. but not surprising.
-Mars
Duncan beats the clock
By Jeff McDonald
Playing with a 22-year-old rookie like George Hill (front) can make Tim Duncan, now in his 12th year, feel old.
As far as Tim Duncan is concerned, there was not much to remember about the night of March 29, 1998.
Most likely, he went through a normal morning shootaround at Market Square Arena. Nothing outstanding happened in pregame. The box score indicates Duncan scored 24 points in the Spurs' victory over the Indiana Pacers, but there's no reason for him to recall that now, either.
What is known about that day, for absolute fact, is this: At some point, Duncan signed an autograph for an 11-year-old boy.
To Duncan, the entire evening was as memorable as laundry day. To that 11-year-old boy, it is a day he will never forget.
I still have the card he signed, George Hill says now, beaming. I've been meaning to bring it up here and show him.
Hill is now the 22-year-old rookie guard who occupies the locker two stalls down from Duncan, his boyhood idol.
I do not like that story, Duncan said, suppressing a grin.
Duncan, the Spurs' 32-year-old All-Star forward, has been feeling ancient enough, after his NBA odometer recently passed 1,000 games. Hill might as well have presented Duncan with a case of Metamucil and a one-way ticket to Boca Raton and been done with it.
I think I made him feel old, Hill said.
Old age, of course, is all relative. If Duncan were an attorney, he'd be considered an up-and-coming hot shot. If he were a politician, he'd be too young to run for president.
Once a professional athlete passes the dreaded Three-Oh, however, he begins sizing up his career for a casket.
Yet at times this season, Duncan has been a walking flashback. Through 23 games, he is averaging 21 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 52.6 percent, all in line with his career averages. At times, it has been as if he is 22 again.
Monday, Duncan was named the Western Conference's Player of the Week, for a four-game stretch in which he averaged 22 points and 12.5 rebounds.
Through a season of trial and transition the Spurs played their first 14 games with either Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker injured Duncan is the main reason his team is 15-8 and loitering near the top of the Southwest Division.
Timmy never changes, said Parker, the eighth-year point guard who has played next to Duncan as long as anybody. He always is who he is.
Death, taxes and Duncan
To a sportswriter, attempting an annual piece on Duncan can be the ultimate challenge. Rarely is there anything new to report. It is a bit like a travel writer re-visiting the Grand Canyon. After the 12th trip, one exhausts all synonyms for the word magnificent.
The beauty of Duncan is his consistency, quarter to quarter, game to game, season to season.
I pride myself in being consistent every year, Duncan said. It ends up where I'm sitting around the same area (statistically) every single year. I'm very proud of that fact, and I hope to be able to continue to do that until I walk out of the door.
From the beginning, Duncan has been a different breed of superstar. He has never been a player who starred by playing above the rim.
Instead, he plays the game of a pool shark, built on guile and cleverness, knowing the angles and knowing his opponent better than his opponent knows himself.
Those are the skills that made Duncan the centerpiece of four NBA le teams. They are the skills that, many NBA observers believe, might allow Duncan to delay the decline that eventually comes to afflict every player.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich calls Duncan an anachronism, and for good reason: Duncan's bank shot is something straight out of the book of Norman Dale.
You don't see many people who are as successful as Tim with his level of athletic ability, Popovich said. He's not Mr. Athletic, and he knows that. He almost takes pride in it.
Life begins at 30
The NBA graveyard is littered with players whose production plummeted once they ventured too far into their 30s.
Shaquille O'Neal's scoring averaged dropped six points between his 30th and 31st birthdays. David Robinson, his back a wreck, never scored more than 20 points per game after turning 33. By the time he faced a 23-year-old Duncan in the 1999 Finals, Patrick Ewing was 38 and could barely hobble.
When Duncan's scoring average slipped to 19.3 points last season, the first time he'd finished below 20 without suffering a season-long case of plantar fasciitis, the whispers began. Had Father Time come for Duncan, too?
This season, for the time being, Duncan seems to have muzzled that talk. In the first 10 games with Ginobili and then Parker sidelined, Duncan eclipsed 20 points nine times.
Over the years, Popovich has done his part to help keep some tread on Duncan's tires. Duncan hasn't played more than 40 minutes per game since 2001-02. Last season, he averaged 34, the fewest of his career.
I've been blessed with some very good teams over the years, Duncan said. I'm not having to go out and play 48 minutes. I'm able to play my position and not worry about having to carry a team every night.
Not done yet
Still, Duncan doesn't need Hill to remind him he's much closer to the end of his basketball life than the beginning.
Unofficially, Duncan has played in 1,002 games. For record-keeping purposes, the NBA only recognizes the regular season, so as far as the league is concerned, Duncan has played in only 847.
Don't tell that to Duncan's knees, which have absorbed the pounding of 155 career playoff games as strenuously as those regular-season contests. There's a reason Duncan did not want to celebrate his milestone game last week against Atlanta.
I wish it was only 100 (games), Duncan said, and I still had 900 to go.
Popovich would agree. If Duncan had that much time left, it might cause the coach to revisit his vow not to chase Utah's Jerry Sloan to the 20-year mark.
Duncan says he has no specific retirement plans just yet. His current contract runs through 2011-12, by which time he will be 36. He has not ruled out signing another one.
I care to do it for as long as I can, Duncan said. That's all I can say.
For now, Duncan's career grinds on, 1,002 games and counting. He is older, but not old, at the top of the hill but not over it. He is aging. But like one of Popovich's prized fine wines, he is doing so gracefully.
that autograph story is hilarious. but not surprising.
-Mars
A decent article by Jeff McD, whaaa?
wowTo Duncan, the entire evening was as memorable as laundry day. To that 11-year-old boy, it is a day he will never forget.
“I still have the card he signed,” George Hill says now, beaming. “I've been meaning to bring it up here and show him.”
how time flies. nice story.
it reminds me of that story of a young Tony Parker adolizing the Admiral when he was still a rookie here
Last edited by milkyway21; 12-16-2008 at 12:31 AM.
great article... thanks again duncan228... awesome story
...
i didnt see that picwhat is timmy doing to him
I think timmy's trying to grab him by the hair....
32 is not really old for a Big. Karl Malone won an MVP at 35. Most Centers tend to last until 34-35 before experiencing their first major drop-off.
Tim's game isn't really built more on strength and fundamentals as opposed to quickness and athleticism, which are less likely to leave him with age, so it's possible he could last into his late 30s as force.
It wasn't without error - Patrick Ewing facing Duncan in the '99 Finals?
looks like Tim driving an ice pick into George's skull for that autograph story.
if it was perfect, then we'd know that he really didn't write it.
-Mars
This is false!David Robinson, his back a wreck, never scored more than 20 points per game after turning 33.
From NBA.com
Born: 08/06/65
2003:
Scored 20 points @ Orlando 1/31/03
2001-02:
scored a season-high 27 points along with 8 boards and a season-high-tying 7 blocks in 40 minutes at Orlando on 2/3 had 25 points (12-19 FG, 1-1 FT) in 37 minutes at Phoenix on 2/24
2000-01:
- posted his 13th career 20-20 game, finishing with 29 points and a season-best 22 rebounds in 41 minutes vs. Detroit on 1/6
- scored 20 or more points 12 times with a season-high 34 vs. Dallas on 4/10
Wow... keep forgetting how good he still was in his last years... Miss him so much!
Last edited by Quasar; 12-16-2008 at 09:43 AM.
Did he face Ewing in the playoffs at all that year?
Ill say this, when the POs started last season, it was Timmy who looked old. (then again playing against Amare and Shaq, then Tyson and West can make anyone look old). But from the way he looked, he didnt look like the Timmy of old. Some say he had a fever come at the wrong time. I just think he got outplayed 2 vs 1 every night he played. But the way he came out to start this season, has been outstanding. It tells me that maybe it wasnt a fever. Maybe it was the fact he was being doubled teamed and just couldnt score at will. Im a big Timmy fan, but the FO hasnt done a thing to make me think that the same thing wont happen again. If they double Timmy then they shut the paint down. And like last season it will knock us out again. Matt has helped but imo, Matt will find the bench come PO time. I hear Ian is playing in practice. I hope he doenst hurt himself, so we can finally see what this kid has to offer. And I dont mean playing for the scrubs in Austin.
Yeah, you are right. In 1999-00, he averaged 17.8 points at the age of 34. So I'm sure a lot of those games were over 20 points. But I think McDonald was trying to say David never averaged 20 points at that age.This is false!
From NBA.com
Born: 08/06/65
2003:
Scored 20 points @ Orlando 1/31/03
2001-02:
scored a season-high 27 points along with 8 boards and a season-high-tying 7 blocks in 40 minutes at Orlando on 2/3 had 25 points (12-19 FG, 1-1 FT) in 37 minutes at Phoenix on 2/24
2000-01:
- posted his 13th career 20-20 game, finishing with 29 points and a season-best 22 rebounds in 41 minutes vs. Detroit on 1/6
- scored 20 or more points 12 times with a season-high 34 vs. Dallas on 4/10
Wow... keep forgetting how good he still was in his last years... Miss him so much!
David also averaged 30 minutes a game (and 80, 80, 78 games a year) at ages 34, 35 and 36. So I think Timmy has some good years ahead
he was injured during the finals
wouldn't the phrase "more than 20 points per game" refer to the season average rather than individual games?Yeah, you are right. In 1999-00, he averaged 17.8 points at the age of 34. So I'm sure a lot of those games were over 20 points.
David also averaged 30 minutes a game (and 80, 80, 78 games a year) at ages 34, 35 and 36. So I think Timmy has some good years ahead
Yeah I clarified in my post that was what McDonald was saying.
ah, saw it now
Oops I missed the "Per game".... was reading too fast - that's what happens when you're reading articles while you're in the office!
my first thought exactly.......whaaaa? x2
it's good to know that guys that depend on their athleticism like Amare and KG will fade away while a guy like Duncan will keep plodding along putting in 20 and 10 nights until he is almost 40.
looks like Tim driving an ice pick into George's skull for that autograph story.
EXACTLY!!!
i think Tim could easily play til 40 because his game is based more on footwork, timing, and basketball IQ. He's not as prone to injury and his body won't take a beating the way Amare's will.
But I disagree with you about KG, as I think his game will allow him to play into his late 30s. I don't think you can equate his game with Amare's.
Duncan228 would like it to be known she hates having "plodding" used to describe her husban... favorite player she has no connection to. From now on insert said word with scooching.
His 'lift' on rebounds and shots may decline from 1 inch to 1/2 inch as he gets older. That's sure to cause a serious drop in his stats.Yeah, you are right. In 1999-00, he averaged 17.8 points at the age of 34. So I'm sure a lot of those games were over 20 points. But I think McDonald was trying to say David never averaged 20 points at that age.
David also averaged 30 minutes a game (and 80, 80, 78 games a year) at ages 34, 35 and 36. So I think Timmy has some good years ahead
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