Damn man. They've already handed the team over to Manu after he finally showed up in a game this series
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080526&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos2
SAN ANTONIO -- Tim Duncan is underrated and Tim Duncan is overrated.
We don't give his career the full respect it deserves, yet sometimes we make the mistake of believing that, in 2008, the San Antonio Spurs are still about him. As Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals demonstrated, Manu Ginobili matters more than Duncan now. Ginobili returned to form, hitting for five 3-pointers and 30 points, and the Spurs got back into the win column with a 103-84 victory.
PLAYOFF UPDATE
WEST FINALS
L.A. Lakers 2, San Antonio 1
Game 4: Tue., 9 ET, at SAS
EAST FINALS
Boston 2, Detroit 1
Game 4: Mon., 8:30 ET, at DET
# The full playoff schedule
Duncan had 22 points, 21 rebounds and five assists, showing he's still the steady drumbeat. But now he's more a background percussionist like Ringo Starr than a showcase drummer like Sheila E. It was telling that when Ginobili was clearly off his game in Los Angeles, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he needed more from Tony Parker, not Duncan, even though Parker outscored Duncan 13-12 in Game 2.
Duncan's 30 points and 18 rebounds couldn't keep the Spurs from blowing a 20-point lead in Game 1. The Spurs didn't need any more than 16 points from him to beat the Hornets on the road in Game 7. They don't live and die with him anymore.
Other players still show deference to Duncan, as when Bruce Bowen said, "If we didn't have him out there, Tony and Manu and I wouldn't get what we get", but it was telling that the Spurs felt the need to mix up their offense and avoid predictably giving Duncan the ball every time downcourt in Game 3. Almost as telling as what Duncan himself said about Ginobili.
"He's the guy that we need to put the ball in the hole," Duncan said. "He needs to give us points that aren't easy. You can get up in situations where your offense stalls out or situations where you just can't put the ball in the hole. He is the kind of guy that we need to make plays for us."
Ginobili came through like a T1 connection Sunday, especially during a minute-long stretch in the second quarter when he scored nine points on a pair of 3-pointers and a layup-and-one.
Parker led the Spurs in scoring last season, the first time since 1998 Duncan wasn't atop that category. This year it was Ginobili, averaging 19.5 points per game.
"I had a great season this year scoring, so if you score so many points during the season then the team expects you to keep it up," Ginobili said.
He did it against the Hornets last series, leading the Spurs with a scoring average of 21.3 points, but he looked limited in the first two games against the Lakers, hobbling along with a bad ankle and trying to shoot with a torn fingernail that Kobe Bryant described as "nasty-looking" and "disgusting."
Ginobili said there weren't any physical changes this night, just the danger of being down 2-0 in the series, the loud hometown fans and the fact his first couple of shots went down.
The answer reveals why Ginobili doesn't rank higher in NBA lore. The greatest thrive in road playoff games. They can be judged just as easily by the still-high quality of their bad nights as much as their big nights. In these playoffs alone Ginobili has had shooting nights of 2 for 11, 5 for 15 and 5 for 13. In last year's playoffs he had pedestrian numbers of 16.7 points and 3.7 assists per game on 40 percent shooting during the Spurs' championship run.
Where does Duncan rank? How about second to Shaquille O'Neal among active playoff scorers --- and 31 points away from moving past Wilt Chamberlain into 12th place among the all-time playoff scorers. And he'll get there in about 10 fewer games than Big Wilt played.
People talk about the Spurs as four-time champions. Wrong. Tim Duncan is a four-time champion. Every other player from the 1999 team is gone. Only two other players are still in the league (Antonio Daniels and Malik Rose).
Even among the greatest of the greats, not many can say they won championships with an entirely different supporting cast. Ask Bill Russell which rings he prefers to wear from his extensive collection and he'll tell you the first and the 11th, because he's the only player who has both of them. Magic Johnson had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper every step of the way. Michael Jordan always had Scottie Pippen.
Here's the list of players who have won multiple Finals MVPs since they gave out the first one in 1969: Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Larry Bird, Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, O'Neal and Duncan.
Only Duncan and Abdul-Jabbar won the award with completely different support casts.
Looking at all of the names on that list makes you realize we sell Duncan short when we refer to him as the best power forward of all time. He really should be in the conversation of best big man -- period -- part of the argument along with Russell, Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem and Shaq.
The one thing you can't call him, though, is The Man for the 2007 Spurs. That title belongs to Ginobili. In that case, make it El Hombre.
and like you said... Duncan put down 20/20 and his effectiveness is being questioned...