Thursday, May 7th, 2009...1:30 pm
Duncan Named to 12th Straight All-Defensive Team
Via the Express-News:
For the 12th time in his 12 seasons, Spurs forward Tim Duncan found his name listed on one of the NBA’s All-Defensive teams Wednesday. In doing so, he etched his name deeper into the league record books.
Duncan, an eight-time member of the All-Defensive first team, earned a spot on this year’s second team.
He is the only player in NBA history to claim a dozen All-Defensive nominations. Duncan had shared the previous mark of 11 with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
A few days ago I was talking with John Krolik about how Tim Duncan’s career will be remembered when he eventually retires. As an observer of the Spurs, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I’ll say when that day comes, mostly because I currently have no idea. The funny thing is achievements like this push those words further away rather than bring them closer.
What can you say about a player who has appeared on 12 straight all-defensive teams? What adjectives do you use? Consistent. Dominant. These words don’t seem to capture the blessing it has been to watch Duncan define his era.
Basketball is a highly expressive game. More and more people are beginning to recognize the sport as a canvas on which the beautiful and the tactical engage one another. But few people talk about this beauty outside the context of offense. They do not realize that acts of negation also contain the capacity for creativity. Although oftentimes characterized as an empty skill that merely accompanies the more vigorous elements of the game, brilliant defense can overwhelm the notion of craft and inhabit a more expansive aesthetic realm.
Duncan’s artistry is quiet and ghoulish. He is like a contemporary Giacometti, molding his opponents into frail, lifeless figures who seem devoid of hope. There is time left on the clock; they must go on. But as they direct their attention into the painted area, and their eyes meet his, they know they can’t go on.
Congratulations Tim.
7 Comments
May 7th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
And unlike so many good defenders of his era, Timmy has never relied on athleticism to make up for the mental errors that so many make - he just doesn’t MAKE many mental errors, consistently being in the right place to make the right play.
May 7th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
For the record, apart from a host of other reasons, posts like this are why I read 48MoH. Bravo, Timmy AND Graydon!
May 8th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Duncan not winning a single DPOY was the most unexplainable thing about the NBA awards in the last decade, topping even Nash winning 2 MVPs.
May 8th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
[...] More here: 48 Minutes of Hell » Blog Archive » Duncan Named to 12th Straight … [...]
May 10th, 2009 at 4:31 am
i think duncan is easily the best power forward of all times and with this achievement he claims to be the best defensive player of the history. and in my opinion he’s one of the greatest 15 players in nba history. man!he’s such a tremendous player.i mean he is just duncan, aka the big fundamental…
May 13th, 2009 at 7:00 am
Another reason to watch the upcoming All-NBA teams, apart from Parker likely to get his first mention, is to see where Duncan will be.
He currently has 11 All-NBA mentions (in 11 seasons…), including 9 All-NBA first team.
Record for All-NBA selections: 15 for Abdul-Jabbar, 14 for Malone, 13 for Shaq, Shayes / Cousy / West / Olajuwon tied with 12.
Record for All-NBA frst team: 11 for Malone, 10 for Cousy / Pettit / Baylor / West / Abdul-Jabbar / Jordan.
One more All-NBA selection (especially a first team one) and Duncan would move into VERY select company. He will probably reach or beat Malone’s record of 11 first team selections.
June 28th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
[...] do not often talk about defensive plays as acts of self expression, although I have repeatedly argued that they can be seen as such. Bowen is one of the players who makes this conception possible. Game [...]
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