Buck Harvey: Saved again, Duncan leans on an old power
Web Posted: 06/21/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c....2ca73e09.html
San Antonio Express-News
How could he leave Robert Horry open? In the closing seconds of Game 5?
Tim Duncan had no excuse.
That was in 2003, in the second round, when the Spurs were also matched against the defending champions. Horry had the game-winner lined up then, too, from the same angle on the court as Sunday, but as a Laker.
Horry saved Duncan that day with a miss, just as he saved Duncan against the Pistons with a make. Duncan, having left Horry to double Kobe Bryant, escaped the same beating that Rasheed Wallace takes today.
But Duncan was still beaten up in 2003, just as he is now, as a superstar whose status requires constant review. Two years ago his hands looked as sweaty as Shaquille O'Neal's head, and Duncan went to Los Angeles for Game 6 with everyone wondering if he really deserved his MVP trophy that season.
What happened?
The Spurs should hope for the same tonight.
The Spurs should also be bracing for a brawl. The Pistons showed few cracks in their first loss in a week, and they likely have something else going for them. In their hearts, don't they know they were the better team Sunday night?
They've also been down in the playoffs too many times to be nervous about this one. To use the Pistons' own catchphrase, this is what they do.
But this is what Duncan does, too. He's the most complete player in the game, a marvel of calm and power and skill, and yet his failures often come with body language that invites criticism.
Sunday, again, it was about free throws. When Duncan kept missing, just as he did in Game 4 in the Phoenix series, everything else he did against the Pistons was diminished.
Duncan isn't exactly Michael Jordan, now is he?
He's not. But he also finished with 26 points Sunday night, as well as 19 rebounds against the NBA's most rugged frontline.
As for him missing free throws: If this isn't his strength, is it called "choking" when he misses? Duncan can get the yips in Atlanta in January, too, when no one is watching.
But that doesn't stop the questions about his toughness, and the same happened in 2003 against the Lakers. His legacy was at stake then with statistical proof. Over the first five games of that series, Duncan went 5 for 20 in fourth periods.
That Game 5 in San Antonio took that further. Duncan led the Spurs that night with 27 points and 14 rebounds, similar numbers to Sunday, but he and the other Spurs went cold late in the game. They blew a 25-point lead, with Kobe Bryant going for 19 points in the final 13 minutes.
Calling a timeout, Duncan slammed the ball in disgust. Again, who was the MVP?
Then Duncan drifted to Bryant on the final play, leaving Horry open and proving that 'Sheed isn't the only one who can space out. As David Robinson said that night, "Horry is not the guy you want shooting an open 3-pointer with the game on the line."
The SBC Center waited for the heartbreak that the Palace waited for Sunday. Gregg Popovich said then the shot caused "a giant gulp and the lowering of the heart organ to the belly."
Larry Brown, with his own intestinal issues, probably felt similarly affected Sunday night.
Horry's shot in 2003 went into the cylinder, just as it usually does for him, only to come back out. Forget winning two lotteries — isn't this the sign that the Spurs franchise has been blessed?
The Spurs headed to L.A. knowing they'd been lucky. The series, Robinson said then, "Ain't over by any stretch."
When Robinson used "ain't," everyone knew he was serious.
Just as serious was Duncan. But the mental profile didn't stop there.
With a reprieve, Duncan went on the road with an assortment of emotions: Euphoric that the Spurs were up 3-2, yet anxious because he hadn't played well.
It's a powerful mix, and it was then. Duncan reacted by eliminating the three-time champions by outscoring the combination of O'Neal and Bryant in the second half.
Duncan ended with 37 points and 16 rebounds, and then went on to his second le. His MVP status was secure.
But his reputation won't be until he's retired. So he's back tonight, forced to prove again that this is what he does, with the same emotions in play that were there in 2003.
Should the Pistons want this?
Horry knows better than anyone.
Don't sweat it Timmy...it's a team game. And Jordan needed help too.
I wonder if David Robinson is ever going to get credit for basically winning game 5 for us in the final 5 minutes. he was in Shaq's head for the entire game...but he owned him late.
timmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaay!
timmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy!
timmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa yyyyyyyyyyyyy!
YOU DA MAN!
pretty awesome article. i think the reason tim duncan is always going to be questioned (until he retires) is because he has been so successful. shaq, who people argue is the most dominant center the game has seen since wilt, or even better than wilt is faced with taking miami (at least once before he retires) to the the finals.
if he never does, some sports writers will always point to the fact that he couldnt do it without kobe... or phil... or something... and then again even if he does, maybe people will give another player like wade the credit for shaq? its probably not fair either way, so maybe its just media bias. but i do think big games like this make that GOAT status easier to give to a player.
game 6 he can come out and take the mvp again, like he has twice before... alot of players arent talented enough to do that, or are never in a position to be able to do it, to see how they would react in games like these. eventually there has to be a point where people stop mentioning malone and barkely in the same breath because duncan has 3 les... or pet because it was a different era... etc.
I disagree Detroit was the better team in Game 5. The Spurs could have put the game away if Duncan hit even one of those free throws or stuffed in that easy chippie of Ginobili's miss.
It was their game to lose and they practically almost did.
how could detroit be the better team in game 5 and the spurs be in position to put the game away? i think you mean that the spurs were the better team and duncan missed freethrows like he does sometimes, that could have made it easier to win? or maybe that gino missed on purpose so that duncan could get the tipin.. but he missed it jumping off of two bad ankles?
That's what I just said.how could detroit be the better team in game 5 and the spurs be in position to put the game away? i think you mean that the spurs were the better team and duncan missed freethrows like he does sometimes, that could have made it easier to win? or maybe that gino missed on purpose so that duncan could get the tipin.. but he missed it jumping off of two bad ankles?
oh ok i read that wrong. i agree. i think the spurs were stronger in that game. if anything we should have had a bigger lead and not had to rely on freethrows or tipins... but some of those turnovers were just good hard play.
I don't think this franshise is blessed. Many years of woulda, coulda, shoulda, plus .04, sometimes you get the breaks, sometimes you don't.
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