Day 24: RIP the Tim Duncan Era

I am a Houston Rockets fan first and foremost. But they have not been a serious contender for awhile, so I can be a fan of my adopted home, San Antonio. Here is Adrian Wojnarowski’s summary of the San Antonio Spurs during the Tim Duncan era:

“The Spurs haven’t been the team that David Stern wants to promote because they never drew national television ratings. They don’t do drama and soap operas. Popovich never kissed the commissioner’s ass and it cost him the Olympic coaching job. The Spurs have been the team that the high school coaches watch with notebooks and pens, and tell their kids to watch over Blake Griffin. They’re the champions of the purists. They stand for something – substance over style, subtlety over gaudiness.”

“Champions of the purists.” Absolutely. If you are a serious student of basketball, a serious fan who is not distracted by flashy plays and Hollywood personalities, then you cannot dislike the Spurs. If you do dislike them, then I would posit that you do not really understand great basketball. Since the Tim Duncan era started in 1997, The Spurs have won four championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007). They have done it with relentless work ethic, a tenacious defensive personality (something they lacked this season), and free from scandal or drama. Coach Gregg Popovich does not court the media like a Phil Jackson. Stars Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker (save this year’s tabloid divorce from Eva Longoria) are not often in the headlines for activities off the court. They have just won. A lot.

The key to the Spurs is that Popovich and Spurs management have been able to surround their stars with great role players, be they Bruce Bowen and his nasty defense, Steve Kerr’s three point magic or Robert Horry’s playoff miracles. It also has to do with the character of the players that have been here in the last decade and a half. David Robinson was the man when Duncan came along. Robinson was mature and smart enough to cede the spotlight and become the #2 guy upon Tim's arrival. It paid off. Robinson got his championship before he rode off into the sunset because of his willingness to do that. Likewise, especially this season, Duncan has realized that Ginobili and Parker need to be the go-to guys, and he let that happen. Duncan has shown leadership on this team by taking criticism. Popovich is one of the few coaches in the NBA today who is the boss of his team. And that all starts with Duncan. Duncan is a star, but has allowed Popovich to coach him, even to yell at him from time to time. It trickles down. The other players on the team also have to listen to Popovich if the man at the top of the pecking order does. If they don’t fall in line, they aren’t a Spur for very long.

Many in this city felt that maybe they had one more championship in them. Afterall, they have held the first seed nearly the entire season. San Antonio has a special relationship with the Spurs in part because it is the only major league team here. To be honest, the Rockets run a long third in the hearts of Houstonians (why, I can never understand. They are the only major league team to bring that city a championship). But in SA, The Spurs are woven deep into the fabric of the city.

But this series with the Memphis Grizzlies has shown that that one more River Parade was all wishful thinking. The Spurs are old. Tim Duncan is probably on the verge of retirement. Ginobili and Parker are both old as well (in NBA years). With a lockout looming for next year, this may be the last time we have seen these three together on the court. Hats off to the scrappy, young, brash, hungry Grizzlies. (Reward: they will be destroyed by the OKC Thunder in the next round). They deserve this win, they were clearly the better team this series, regardless of seed. But let’s take a moment to honor Tim Duncan and the Spurs of the last 14 years for winning four championships with class, a team-first mentality, and hard work.