thank god
if anything, i think the media who picked up on that "bench chat" that pop and duncan were having during the end of game 4... should go back and say... he looked defeated... like he quit... and then came out and smacked out a 26pt 19reb game in game 5.
they would have if his name was shaq.
That's the thing that I don't get.
To hear most of the media talk today, you'd think that Tim had some long history of not playing well when it matters most, and that this was just some sort of confirmation of that problem. But that's not even close to the truth.
Tim played in his 16th Finals game last night, and its the first time, through all of those efforts, that anyone has deigned to suggest that he's a choker or lacks the for ude to get it done in the clutch. His great games with big plays in crunch time exceed the instances of crunch time struggles by a significant margin. Tim was exceptional in Game 5 of the 1999 Finals and he was down right dominant in Game 6 of the 2003 Finals, both close-out games.
Somehow, in the haste to bury Tim Duncan as a product of David Robinson -- a laughable idea in light of what most were saying circa 1999 and 2003 about David's success being attributable to Tim -- the only evidence to support the charge is a bad free throw shooting night in a hostile environment during a game in which he went 26-19-2-2. That's not much evidence that the guy is "overrated" or somehow unable to get it done when it matters most.
Bailed out or not, he's on the winning team. I don't know Duncan personally, but I'm sure that is all that matters to him.
First 36 minutes of the game: R. Horry - 0 pts 3 T/O.
Who really bailed out whom?
This is what the media fails to credit most about the Spurs. They play as a TEAM. When one player is not doing well, others have his back. Last night was Rob's turn.
But, no, let's make up a story so we can push some newsprint. Since most people aren't watching the games anyway, these clowns can get away with just about whatever they want and not get called. I was reading some "columnist" today who was talking about the Spurs "tradition of choking." My God, how many championships do we have to win before these assholes will stop beating that dead horse?
"In 1979, the Spurs were up 3-1 on Washington before losing the last three games." OK, guys, you were probably sucking on momma's teat in 1979, but you don't keep bringing that up. Enough!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playof...ilydime-050619
There are some who are going to say that Tim Duncan faltered near the end of the game and was saved by Robert Horry.
I think those people are nuts.
We're talking about a guy who went into a hostile arena where he hadn't had much success over the past two games and dominated.
We're talking about a guy who was aggressive like we haven't seen from him as he ripped down rebound after rebound.
We're talking about a guy who had more rebounds than Rasheed and Ben Wallace combined.
Does that sound like a guy who faltered?
Duncan had a monster game with 26 points and 19 rebounds, and while Horry will get all the pub because of his extraordinary game, it shouldn't overshadow the fact that Duncan was awesome. His eight offensive rebounds were amazing against one of the best and most athletic front lines in the game.
Let's not forget that Horry was in a situation to put them over the top because of Duncan's marvelous game.
– Tim Legler, from The Palace of Auburn Hills
Actually most of the "bagging on TD" was done by Spurs' fans in here.
yeah I was ripping him apart last night. If they would've lost I know that some people wouldve called for his head. I don't have the stats infront of me but he missed like 5 FT's in a row to help seal the game (let me know if im mistaking), not to mention a tip in that wouldve won it in Regulation.
I'm not saying he's not arguably the greatest player in the NBA today. What I am saying is just b/c he is a multi MVP in PO and Reg Season don't be afraid to criticize him when he deserves it. He was a beast throughout the game except from the FT line. And, I'm glad even he recognized last night that he got his ass saved by Horry.
One more thing did he even score in the OT?
I just don't see how you criticize a guy who has openly said that after three quarters his ankles are aching badly, but "what can you do" you just have to play -- it's the playoffs.
So if he has no lift at all by the third quarter, no one should be surprised that he can't hit shots. The Spurs are a team. RoHo sucked for the first 3 quarters and people were calling for his head. He obviously took over in the 4th and OT.
That's the thing. If TD was in LA or NY he would seem like the second coming of Willis Reed.
thats how i feel too. if he'd been somewhere the press was in love with... and had come back from 2 horrible games and done that to the wallaces... that would be the co-story. horry's game savers would have been just as huge, but no one would have said shaq choked at the FT line... or kobe couldnt tip it in over so and so...
big shot rob has saved their butts too... so its not like there isnt something to compare it to (media-wise)
Seriously, if Tim Duncan was a Knick or Laker he would be heralded as the greatest bigman ever right now.
He pretty much already is hailed as that, last I checked.
The "experts" are giving him his due props, hardly any of them really bash him.
Bill Walton called him soft last night before the game on National TV. I know that your response will probably be "Walton isn't an expert" but that's not the point. Walton said that if the Spurs lost this series that Tim's legacy would be in question and a lot of other crap.The "experts" are giving him his due props, hardly any of them really bash him.
I never really pay much attention to what the national pundits say, but that kind of crap was completely unnecessary. Even if Duncan choked this whole series, it wouldn't take away from what he's already done in his career.
correct, let me ask you a question since your a laker fan, hasn't horry, fisher, etc. bailed out kobe and shaq in the past as well?
if tim duncan had come out and played like he'd given up... or had the kind of game that would lead you to believe that... that would be different. because he had two bad games in a row, and basically it looked like the whole team fed off of that... alot of pressure was put on him to play well in game 5... and he DID. (not alot of credit is being given by the media) timmy leggs aside...
win or lose i dont think that 26/19 would ever go into the books as giving up??? but since the media picked up on that whole "pop talk" on the bench of game 4... they're not gonna let that angle go. and since he doesnt play for a media-favorite city, he's gonna get those questions tossed at him unfairly now.
i think to question his legacy or at least have a valid argument... he would have had to come out and looked beat. not played well. or would have had to have been outplayed by lesser players like the wallaces. (it would have been another blow-out loss too)
TD had a very good game. Hitting his FTs in the 4th quarter or even that putback at the end of regulation would have made it a great game.
BTW, add Tony Kornheiser to the list.
"Saved Tim Duncan from the biggest gag job in NBA history"
WORD!!!
We turned ABC off and listened to WOAI (even with the 30-minute lag) when some idiot (don't know who it was) before the game even started called Timmy "a s of his former self" or something stupid like that. We knew right then what those jerks were gonna say and no one wanted to hear it...
Spurs in 6 - and then we're headin' for downtown!
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