Now It’s 12 Years On

by

Not Shaq. Not Kobe. Not KG.

Only Tim Duncan.

Tim Duncan put up 20 and 19 in last night’s playoff-like season finale. 2o points, 19 rebounds and tremendous interior defense is typical postseason fare for TD. And so too is the postseason. Of all the stars of the current era, it’s only Tim Duncan whose team has never missed the playoffs. It’s 12 years on. 12 consecutive trips to the playoffs.

In San Antonio, everything is measured in championships. No one gets too excited about another pedestrian playoff appearance. These things are expected. A couple weeks back when the Spurs clinched, we all yawned. But this was, perhaps, the worst regular season of the Tim Duncan era. 54-28 is scraping the bottom of the injury tarnished barrel. This season felt like a nadir. The Big 3 missed over 50 games.  The team never developed a rhythm. It just punched its way to 54.  It was a struggle. Last night’s OT victory against the Hornets was, in many ways, an ending fitting for the start. On the season the Spurs played in 18 one possession games and 6 overtimes, 3 of which doubled-up the extra stanzas. But for the Spurs to have fought their way there is no less glorious than if they had arrived on cruise control. This regular season was remarkable in its own way.

Let’s not lose sight of these easily overlooked achievements, even if they’re only silhouettes standing against a much brighter light. Let’s not take them for granted.  Greatness is measured in the “small” things too.

  • Ken

    So much of the credit needs to go to Pop. A team in flux; stars injured and out; relying on a shoot-first, average passing, average defending point (that all sounded bad about Tony, but I love him); aging players, rookies hitting wall; d-league players coming and going; consistently inconsistent; losing first game of the season for the first time in Timmy’s career; starting 1-5; begin counted out; and all the time, steady at the helm, is Pop. Watch that final play in regulation again. See that every player is in perfect position. No panic, just professionalism. I was certain Mason would panic and hoist up a three, but no, good coaching prevailed, he waited for the play to develop, 7 seconds is a long time.

    Thanks, Pop!

  • Latin_D

    And since we’re talking about giving Pop the credit he’s due, I think we need to remember his biggest victory so far: effectively bringing Udoka back from that near-useless end-of-the-bench limbo and into the rotation, after most of us (and yes, I was one of ‘em unbelievers) had given up on him. Last night’s clutch dunk was, to quote Tony, “unbelievable”.

    If only Hill got some playing time.

  • NL

    Agreed. I do believe he’s the best coach in the league and will go down as one of the greatest. His humility and demand for discipline and hard work is unique and hard to come by in a league full of bloated egos. That says a lot about who they bring into the program.

    While there are many justifiable candidates for COY, Pop is certainly deserving of some consideration.

  • Will

    Incredible 12y run in the playoffs, and 11th season in a row of entering the playoffs with HCA…

  • ChillFAN

    The Spurs can savor this win, not just because it is brilliant==executing yet again like champions–but because it’s perfect for us, we are now open on our court in a bracket without the Blazers or the Lakers.

    Not that awards matter, but the coach in Cleveland deserves COY. George Karl would be second because he guided the Nuggets to success despite all-star changes and Melo’s new role. Yes the Spurs overcame injury, but Denver had more question marks this season than San Antonio.

    Mavericks:
    Dirk and Jason Terry are playing on another level right now, really stepping up. Duncan’s play is a real X factor. Parker can torch them, and Spurs own the advantage at bench. To me, a Dallas and San Antonio match up can go either way–its all about coaching adjustments.

  • NickyDubs

    So I don’t recall what we tried earlier in the season, but who do you think we’ll send at Dirk?

  • SpurredOn

    NickyDubs, excellent question. I’m thinking this is a Bowen series. He’s fresh and has had success vs Dirk. He’ll also have the respect of the refs as the officials babied Dirk in the ’06 series. Bowen can also spend time on Howard which I guess leaves Bonner for Dirk. MB is tall enough and clunky enough to get a hand in Dirk’s face and force him into help but Bonner gets no love from the officials. I could see him in foul trouble within three minutes of each game, especially in Dallas.

    I wonder if Pop’s plan will be to make a choice: contain Howard or Dirk, live with what the other does (until late in the game when Bowen has to be on Dirk) and make sure finding Terry on the break is priority #1. When the Mavs beat us all three play very well, thus the Mavs shoot above 50%. Shutting down one and containing a second means the third option can’t beat us alone.

  • Will

    Actually what I like so much about the 3rd seed is that if (as I believe) the Hornets beat the Nuggets, the Spurs will have HCA in the 2nd round.

  • ChillFAN

    Will, the Nuggets have problems rebounding, so maybe (huge MAYBE) the Hornets could get an edge there. Chris Paul will provide a lot of points with Billups guarding him, but even Jordan never won a series singlehandedly. I just don’t think the Hornets have the depth to make it happen, while JR Smith was peaking off the bench at the end of the season for the Nuggets. I see Nuggets in five.

    Spurs should focus on series at hand, but we fans can dream. This year’s Mavs and Nuggets are similar to the 2008 Suns and 2008 Hornets.