Henry Abbot of True Hoop trashes Duncan.

[HarlemHeat37]

Abbott isn't a Duncan basher btw, he's written some good pieces about Tim before..he was also one of the contributors to the article about the value of Duncan's blocks earlier in the season, so it seems like he has really high expectations for Duncan, even though it seems kind of stupid IMO..

[Blackjack]

that late 4th quarter layup by a one eyed Nash was pretty disgusting to see, since Duncan was practically frozen under the basket.

You wouldn't be talking about a play in which he had to choose between leaving Amar'e and contesting Nash, would you?

Abbott isn't a Duncan basher btw, he's written some good pieces about Tim before..he was also one of the contributors to the article about the value of Duncan's blocks earlier in the season, so it seems like he has really high expectations for Duncan, even though it seems kind of stupid IMO..

I don't think Abbott's done anything to suggest he's a Duncan hater in the time I've read him, but this is one of his poorer takes. Ridiculous, really.

Al Horford wasn't going to anchor this Spurs defense as well as Tim. In fact, without really thinking about it, I'm not sure there are more than 2 to 4 pivots that could do a better job than Tim did.

But because the Suns killed the Spurs with small ball and did the smart thing by going at Tim -- probably their most favorable advantage at the time -- all of a sudden Tim's a liability. Yeah, he's a liability in that cir stance. But that cir stance wouldn't exist if they had the ability to make a post-entry pass in Game 2, they actually made a point of getting him the ball (regardless of his free-throw shooting) and they used more movement and had the requisite spacing to free him up and open lanes/shots for his teammates.

It's not some revelation the Spurs were flawed and that the talent was a bit ill-fitted -- I was just talking to El Nono about a conversation we had in January on the subject and I started a thread on the same thing after a Chicago loss in the second game of the season. That's not to extol my basketball a en -- I certainly wasn't the only one -- but anyone who follows the game would be aware of that. To say Tim should've destroyed this team offensively and not take that into account or the reality of his game at 34-years-old, is just foolish.

The Suns were a nightmare matchup for the Spurs because of their personnel and style of play. It's a simple as that -- how is it that the biggest discrepancy between the two teams was the bench and their three-point shooting but Duncan's "inep ude" defensively is the takeaway?

[TDfan2007]

Tim's defense this series was pretty solid. He couldn't have defended Amare any better, and averaged about 3 blocks per game. I was hoping for a better performance on the boards, but that was it. His pick and roll defense was as good as you'll see from a 34-year-old big man.

Tim's offense was the biggest disappointment to me. No fluidity in his moves, weak shots, an inability to back down CHANNING FRYE, horrendous FT shooting, and the disappearance of his bank shot/jumper. Offensively he was pretty much useless outside of pick and roll situations and even then he wasn't as effective as he should have been. It was really weird to see. Tim was bobbling passes and travelling after a catch in ways that I've rarely seen before. His hands and footwork have always been top notch and shouldn't just disappear with age.

I personally think losing all that weight killed his post game. It stopped him from getting good position. But his knees probably would've given out earlier had he not lost the weight so who knows...

So yeah, defensively he played well enough for us to win, but Tim was nowhere near effective enough offensively. I guess we can't expect him to be anymore

[senorglory]

I agree w/ Mr. Abbot.

Well, then with all due respect, you may suck my balls as well.

[senorglory]

It's one thing to argue that Duncan's skill-set has declined, but quite another to call him a "defensive liability." Calling Duncan a liability is purposefully antagonistic, and completely unsubstantiated. No longer has the mobility to cover both picker and roller? To guard perimeter and interior? That would make him average at worse.

"Liability on defense" would mean that team defense suffers for having Duncan out there. Anyone want to make that argument? Negate his 11 blocks in round 2? His steals? Discount all the rotations he did make? So far Abbot and Arnovitz have only made an argument that Duncan is no longer superlative.

Does anyone imagine that the other Spurs players are sitting at home right now, thinking, Man, if only Duncan weren't such a defensive liability. What an asshole.?

[da_suns_fan]

Every player on the team was a defensive liability.. we got killed with constant bad defensive rotations. :|

I think thats overblown..the Suns scored 19 points in the first quarter in games 3 and 4. Nash had a ton of turnovers. I thought the Spurs defense was good enough, I thought they just missed a lot of shots and thats why the series was so short.

[spurs1990]

Tim Done-cun

You fanboys need to believe your lying eyes.

[Supergirl]

The Mavs series was a drain on Manu and Tim -- and it showed against the Suns. Those guys aren't getting any younger.

Nash is a couple of years older than Timmy, which makes what he did that much more impressive.

Yeah, but Nash doesn't play as hard as either of those guys, he makes most of his shots from the outside. Jumpshooters always last longer in the NBA than big man, because of the beatdown their bodies take. And Manu beats his body down just by his style of play.

Also, Nash's main offensive plan is to see how much he can get away with, how many extra steps he can take on every play. He does it quite well.

I agree with the first statement though - Duncan and Manu both looked worn down in the Suns' series. it's like the Mavs series forced them to run out of gas after about 24 min in every game of the next series. It's a serious problem for the offseason.

[Jason R]

Duncan could have made up for sucking on defense (and he did suck) by being aggressive offensively. But would he attack? NO! Would he demand the ball when his guards were taking bad threes and couldn't get in the lane or couldn't finish? No he would not!

Duncan played like a passive weenie and his team followed suit. So, we are where we are. We'll try to implement Mahinmi next season and hopefully get a young wing who can stroke it a little bit as but as far as this past series...Duncan and his guys just didn't want it bad enough.

Ever think, maybe he couldn't?

[Sisk]

Abbott chose the Spurs in both series, BTW

[jonnybravo]

Remember how the national media types used to trash David Robinson, calling him soft or the little mermaid? They have been waiting for the day Duncan loses a step so start looking for the same treatment going forward.

that is unless they can somehow grab another

Good grief, Tim Duncan is almost universally heralded as the top 4 of all time and beloved by the media. That is so contrived it's absurd.

[senorglory]

Abbott chose the Spurs in both series, BTW

Maybe he's just depressed, and lashing out then.



Like me.

[Sisk]

Maybe he's just depressed, and lashing out then.



Like me.

Could be. Dallas got everyones hopes up, like mine, and the Suns came in and crushed them.

[Budkin]

I'm pretty sure Abbott is a big fan of the Spurs, so I'm guessing he's just disappointed like the rest of us are.

[Ghazi]

lol @ Dirk being the most disappointing player in the playoffs.