The year after, they made a surprise visit to the 2nd round but lost convincingly to the Phoenix Suns. In 2009, the Spurs finished as the #3 seed in the West, yet fell in the first round to the #6 seeded Dallas Mavericks. Duncan was still continually an all-star, throughout this stretch.ĭuncan’s decline began around 2010 when the Spurs were just not the same team anymore. The Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Hornets, and the Los Angeles Lakers were also in the race to make it to the NBA Finals. The Spurs were still dominant in the few years after that, but it was obvious that they weren’t the favorite out of the West anymore. In 2007, the Spurs won another championship, with Tony Parker this time earning the Finals MVP nod. His teammates, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, also were entering their primes at that moment, making key plays as well. In 2005, the Spurs won their third championship in 7 years, with Duncan winning his third straight Finals MVP. He played with fundamentals and that led to wins. In the following years, Duncan proved he was one of the best forwards in the league. Tim Duncan put up an absurd stat line in the Game 6 win with 21 points, 10 assists, 20 rebounds, and 8 blocks! They would go on to face the New Jersey Nets, that year, in the NBA Finals. He led the Spurs to the #1 seed and they finally beat the Lakers who were coming off a threepeat. On the other hand, Duncan also had an amazing season winning his 2nd straight MVP award. He made an immediate impact averaging around 8 points on solid efficiency during his rookie season. In this same summer, Ginobili went on to average 14 points and 4 assists in the 2002 FIBA World Championships in only around 22 minutes of playing time. On July 17th, 2002, the Spurs signed Ginobili to a 2-year deal. Eventually, changes and improvements had to be made.Įmbed from Getty Images Entering His Prime Despite this, they still lost to the Lakers in the playoffs for the second straight season. In 2002, Duncan won his first MVP award at age 25, averaging almost 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists a game. In 2001, the Spurs selected Tony Parker with the 28th pick, who made an immediate impact on the team. Duncan earned 113 first-place votes giving him a near-unanimous Rookie of the Year.įor the next three seasons, San Antonio failed to make it to the finals but managed to be a strong team through that run. Within their first season, the Spurs were already a playoff team, losing in the 2nd round to the Utah Jazz. With David Robinson’s season-ending injury the year prior, it was a blessing San Antonio ended up with Duncan. Early YearsĪfter playing all 4 years at Wake Forest, Duncan was selected #1 overall in the 1997 NBA Draft. Tim Duncan being inducted into the 2020 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame was well deserved and really puts his illustrious career in retrospect. With San Antonio not being the biggest market, the “Twin Towers” brought back relevance with their first championship in 1999. Even with all his individual success, he was always a team-first player helping his team win five championships. One of his signature moves was the bank shot, as he perfected it to the highest level. He is most known for playing by the fundamentals as his nickname was “The Big Fundamental”. He would leave the NBA as one of the greatest big-men of all time. Tim Duncan came into the NBA as a lanky big man who could give David Robinson some help.
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