Gregg Popovich had a problem.
For almost a year, his Spurs had a single motivation: making right what had gone so horribly wrong the previous June, when they lost their chance at a fifth NBA championship in the most searing manner possible — by not securing a defensive rebound.
At the exact moment Ray Allen’s improbable, impossible 3-pointer went through the net, sending Game 6 of the 2013 Finals into overtime after San Antonio had blown a five-point led in the final minute of regulation, Tim Duncan was sitting on the Spurs’ bench, replaced by Boris Diaw. It was a substitution pattern that Popovich had gone to frequently late in games, to get a quicker quintet on the floor that could switch everything defensively in situations just like this one, when the opponent needed to make a 3.
At that exact moment, Tim Duncan, on his way to the Hall of Fame, had grabbed 9,953 defensive rebounds in his career. He said not a word afterward about Popovich’s strategy.
In Game 7, Duncan was on the floor in the last minute, after playing heroically, with 24 points and 12 rebounds. But with the Spurs down two, Duncan came across the lane for an easy shot, a three-footer — that he somehow missed. And then, Duncan missed the offensive rebound tip that would have tied the game as well. Miami got the rebound, and Duncan, for one brief moment, let his emotions show on the court, slapping the floor with his right hand in frustration.
Miami won Game 7, and The Finals. As Duncan walked from his postgame press conference to the bus, he looked shattered. The whole team did. The whole franchise did.
But they recovered. They faced Game 6 and Game 7, the games they gave away, on the first day of training camp the following season, and they used that hurt as fuel, roaring to a 62-20 regular season. Stretched to seven games by Dallas in the first round, the Spurs dispatched Portland in five games in the second, and faced Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.
The Spurs led the series 3-2 going into Game 6 in OKC. As ever with the Thunder, San Antonio had defensive issues. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were too quick for everyone on the Spurs’ roster except Kawhi Leonard, and while he was very talented already as a defender, he was still just 23 and he couldn’t guard both of them. Serge Ibaka was a load to handle on the glass, and after missing the first two games of the series with a calf injury — two San Antonio blowout wins — he returned for Games 3 and 4 in OKC — two Oklahoma City blowout wins. The switch in momentum was not coincidental.
The Spurs spanked the Thunder a third time at home to win Game 5, but OKC, behind Westbrook, Durant and Reggie Jackson, took a seven-point lead into the half. And this is where we rejoin Popovich and his problem.
Tony Parker had hurt his ankle again. He would not play in the second half. Popovich, walking back to the bench to start the second half (TNT was broadcasting the game, and the sideline reporter — me, in this case — always does a “walk and talk” with the coach of the team who’s behind, off-camera) was very matter of fact. Parker was hobbled. Danny Green had missed all three shots he’d taken in the first half. Popovich would ride Duncan in the second half, but he’d have to be careful. Duncan had been on a minutes limit for years; the Spurs were adamant about keeping him at 30 minutes per game, fighting his age and his increasingly balky knees. But they almost had to win this game; a loss, and Game 7 would be extremely difficult, even at home, against the younger, healthier Thunder, if Duncan and his aging mates had to rack up big minutes in Game 6.
The Spurs, with Green making a couple of 3s, rallied to tie the game early in the third, and then took a 10-point lead by the end of the period. They still led by six with 2:28 left to play after Duncan made two free throws. They needed to close.
They did not.
OKC rallied to tie, and sent the game to overtime.
Again, overtime.
At 34 minutes, Duncan was in the red. But there was no choice. He went out for five more.
And walked back into 2003.
Playing against the younger, springier Ibaka, Duncan drew a foul and made a free throw. He drop-stepped Ibaka on the block for two more. He grabbed a defensive rebound (!) with the Spurs down one, then drew another foul on Ibaka with 1:23 left, and made two free throws to put San Antonio ahead. He rebounded Westbrook’s miss at the other end. Still up one with 30 seconds left, the Spurs caught OKC in a mismatch, with Jackson switched on Duncan — who turned over his right shoulder for the series-clinching bucket.
He played 39 minutes, and finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds, on a 38-year-old knee. But he’d willed the Spurs back to The Finals, and a rematch with the Heat.
“You know what, it’s unbelievable to regain that focus, after — exactly — that devastating loss we had last year,” he told me in the postgame interview. “But we’re back here, and we’re excited about it. We have four more to win, and we’re going to do it this time.”
And, they did.
All of the above — the elation, the frustration, the will, the mental toughness, the competitiveness, the leadership, the silence, all of it — is why Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward to ever play the game.
Duncan’s retirement last Monday, at age 40, was not a surprise. He had played several seasons effectively despite having problems with his left knee, finding a brace that gave him support and mobility. But this past season, his right knee started acting up, too. Never blessed with great verticals, Duncan had almost no lift at all by the time the playoffs came around. Even though the Spurs won a franchise-record 67 regular season games, they were run over by the Thunder in six games in the Western Conference semifinals.
There was, of course, no fanfare whatsoever as Duncan’s retirement came in the form of a press release by the team. There was no farewell tour and certainly no press conference. The only thing that mattered to Duncan was what he did on the floor, not what people thought about what he did on the floor.
His Spurs teams won 71 percent of their regular season games over 19 seasons, and never missed the playoffs. They won 62 percent of their postseason games, won five NBA championships, and made six Finals appearances. Duncan won two league MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards and made 15 All-Star teams.
He finished his career in third place on the NBA’s all-time defensive rebounds list (11,232) fifth place in blocked shots list (3,020), sixth in total rebounds (15,091), 10th in minutes played (47,368), 13th in Player Efficiency (24.22) and 14th in scoring (26,496).
But the numbers never do justice to Duncan’s presence, his impact in helping set the team-first culture that David Robinson and Avery Johnson began to instill before his arrival, and maintaining it through several different iterations of the Spurs after he and Popovich assumed control, and were quickly supported by emerging stars Parker and Manu Ginobili — all of whom took less money than they could have gotten on the open market to stay with each other.
They were a Super Team way before LeBron James went to Miami, or Kevin Durant went to Golden State. They just didn’t have a catchy nickname.
It would take a book — not that Duncan will ever write one — to detail everything that he meant to the Spurs’ organization and to the league, even as he eschewed most endorsements and commercials (with the exception of the hilariously cheesy ones he and the other Spurs have done over the years for HEB, a local grocery store in San Antonio). For now, let’s just listen to a few people who played with and against Duncan over the years, who saw up close what true, quiet greatness looked and sounded like.
Young Tim
Jerry Stackhouse (played against Duncan in college, with Stackhouse at North Carolina and Duncan at Wake Forest): He was really the only player in the ACC, or the in country, that gave both Rasheed (Wallace) and I problems on both ends of the floor. His size and timing for blocking shots was unbelievable. On the offensive end he was just basic but basically unstoppable!
Mario Elie (played with Duncan 1998-2000): I caught young Tim. It was good to be part of it in ’99 when Dave sort of passed the torch to him. Dave was like man, this kid is too good. He kind of passed the keys to him. And 19 years later, you see what happened. Really early in his career, he was low maintenance. Just a businessman. A good, good dude. You know Tim don’t say three words to him unless you initiate the conversation. He never showed emotion, but inside of him he was one of the most fierce competitors I ever played with.
Malik Rose (played with Duncan 1997-2005): Not that you doubted how good he was going to be but it was more obvious how competitive he was. He and David Robinson had a quiet tug of war going on from day one. Nothing disrespectful, but it was clear they were going to battle over top big.
Antonio Daniels (played with Duncan 1998-2002): In 1999, that was both of our second years in the league. That dude, against the Knicks in The Finals? And just that whole playoff run? You know how you can kind of sit back and watch a player and say ‘He’s got it’? And you don’t see it that often. Not got it like, this guy’s going to be good. But got it like, this guy’s going to be transcendent. This guy’s going to be special. And there aren’t that many players who come along like that. It wasn’t just the on-court physical ability. It was the humbleness. It was just the silent leader, let me go about my business. Somebody asked me the other day, name one time you saw Tim lose his cool. I couldn’t come up with one. I’ve known Tim for 19 years, and there hasn’t been one time where I’ve seen him lose his cool. Even when we played Minnesota and Kevin Garnett mushed him in the back of the head. Tim just turned around and gave him that classic Tim look, put his ear to his left shoulder, like, ‘Come on, man. Let’s just play.’
Opponent Tim
Brian Shaw (played against Duncan 1996-2003, mainly with Lakers): Competing against him was fun, but frustrating at the same time, because you knew he was always going to be in the right place at the right time both offensively and defensively and that he would make the right play no matter what … He seemed like every teammate that he played with loved to play with him. Unparalleled IQ when it comes to the game and never let his opponents know if he was rattled because he was always on an even keel.
Mike Conley (played against Duncan and the Spurs in the 2013 Western Conference finals): It was truly a dream come true and truly an honor to play against Tim Duncan. And just to have played against him and competed against him in the regular season, but when the games actually meant something in the playoffs. In the Western Conference finals, you got to see the best of Tim Duncan. That’s what was amazing to me, to see even in his early, late 30s, he was still doing more than most power forwards in the league. Such a team guy, such a professional. He’s a guy that me and Marc (Gasol) look up to, and I know a lot of guys on the team do, and around the league do, too…It was crazy, being in the conference finals for the first time. And we’re going against a team that’s been there, it seems, every year. The first few games we went into overtime with them, and it seemed like every close game, Tim Duncan would do something that would have you going like, yeah, that’s Tim Duncan. That’s what he does. Makes a block, or (gets) a rebound, a bank shot, or just does something that will seal the deal. That was what was memorable about that playoff series. We gave everything we had. And always, when push came to shove, Tim Duncan was the guy who would make the plays that would turn the tide for them and ultimately win the series.
Jerry Stackhouse: We had some classic battles during my time in Dallas, none bigger than our second round playoff matchup in 2006.
What was most amazing to me was how he was the focus of our defensive game plan. We forced him to pass the ball and he was a willing passer. However, when you check the box score at the end, he still had at least 25 points and double figure rebounds. That’s true greatness!
I have tremendous respect for the San Antonio Spurs organization and what they’ve been able to accomplish over the past 20 years. There have been two or three common denominators in their success, but only one has contributed points, rebounds, assists and has blocked shots, all while being one of the most humble athletes I’ve ever met. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s the greatest power forward to ever play the game!
Teammate Tim
Mike Budenholzer (Spurs assistant coach, 1996-2013): Not sure I have an anecdote to capture Tim or our time together…
Amazing player… Amazing teammate… Amazing person!!! We are all grateful to have been near to see and witness his greatness daily… His consistency and the consistent success of the Spurs is something I believe will never be replicated… To be that good for that long… May be the most amazing achievement … More so than the championships possibly… To come to work and know you’re in the mix for championships for 19 years straight… Wow!!! Of course winning four is special… But to always genuinely be in the mix… That is beyond amazing in my mind!!!
Lucky to have been around him…
Gary Neal (played with Duncan 2010-13): The most memorable thing about Tim was his sarcasm. He is very sarcastic. It was in 2010; I had just signed with the Spurs. We were still in preseason in New Mexico City playing the Clippers. I was having a terrible three months after summer league, couldn’t make a shot in the workouts, in the pick up games and even in preseason.
So at the end of the game we’re down two. Pop lets Manu draw up a play. Manu draws up a play for me to take the last shot! And Tim was always the last person to shake your hand at the end of the timeout and he told me “Don’t miss.” At the time it didn’t sink in because I was new and didn’t really know the fellas that well, but he was being sarcastic as hell!! So after the game I was so excited that I went up and thanked Manu for drawing the play up and went to Timmy and Tony and thanked them and Timmy looked at me and said ‘Don’t worry, G. You might be around for a while.’ Just a good-hearted fun ass dude… the best teammate too man. You wouldn’t believe how humble and approachable he always was.
Antonio Daniels: We used to play full court one on one, full court, in the evening. Where he couldn’t shoot in the lane, and I couldn’t shoot in the lane. I wasn’t allowed to go around him and shoot a layup, so I had to work on pulling up. And he wasn’t allowed to back me down and score. So he had to work on playing against a guard, facing the basket, so work on his handles, step back, stop/pop, those kind of things. But those are things people don’t see. When players get better, year after year, people just assume. When they talk about LeBron, they talk about Steph Curry, they say, ‘That’s just God-given ability.’ No! These dudes are working. They are putting in effort, and time, and sweat. But people don’t see that. And Tim was one of those guys. After hours, he’s doing what he needs to do. But still remaining committed to the things in his life that mattered.
Malik Rose: Timmy is the epitome of what you see is what you get. No facades. No fronts. No frills. He’s who he is and doesn’t change for anything or anyone. Always loved how he was never a jerk or diva type athlete although he had the cache and stats to be one. Through it all he was always genuine and sincere.
Brent Barry (played with Duncan 2004-08): I could tell you about the time in 2004 when I was being courted as a free agent to join the San Antonio Spurs and I walked into R.C. Buford’s office at the practice facility. After a quick hello R.C. left the office space to find something to drink for the two of us in advance of our meeting. After he stepped out of the office I could hear the unmistakable sound of a loud basketball in an empty gymnasium bouncing on the hardwood. I stood up from my chair and made my way over to the plastic blinds that lined the inside of the window. I pulled down enough lines with my index finger to peer through to the practice court. And there on the opposite side of the spacious gymnasium was Tim Duncan in the middle of July shooting bank shots on the left side of the court from 12 feet away. No music on in the gym, no headphones in his ears, no rebound or underneath the basket, just him and his work.
At that moment, not having spoken to R.C. yet about the role that I would play, at that moment not having talked to Coach Popovich and how I might fit with their culture, at that moment I realized why I wanted to play in San Antonio. It was because of Tim.
New players to the Spurs always marveled early when they saw Popovich light into Duncan with the full force of his anger — “Going Serbian,” as they call Popovich’s tirades down there — full of cuss words and spittle and rage when he blew a defensive coverage or didn’t shoot when he was open. It was one thing to cuss out an undrafted free agent; it was quite another to light up Duncan, in front of everyone. If Duncan ever went back at Pop, it’s just another of the industry secrets the Spurs managed to keep from the public over the years.
Mario Elie: It was amazing. This is your best player, not responding and reacting. Number one pick. Never said, ‘Come on, Pop,’ or anything. This guy would just smile at Pop and go out and do something about it. Tim would just accept it. And once he accepted it, it just trickled down to the other 15 guys. That’s why Pop was able to do what he did, because Tim allowed him to coach.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu (played with Duncan 2008): When I was playing for the Spurs I specifically remember missing a defensive assignment. I had just been called up from the D-League and had broke into the rotation, so mistakes couldn’t be made on my part.
Pop subs me out and gives me an ear full, and rightly so. I go to the end of the bench thinking that my Spurs days were numbered.
A few minutes of game time go by and TD makes the exact same mistake on defense, Pop subs him out and gives him an ear full too. TD just stood there and listened to Pop, and when done he simply said “You’re right coach” and sat down next to me.
His response and acceptance of his mistake is the epitome of who he is as a pro and a person. I know he and Pop came to agreement years ago that TD would allow Pop to coach him and always use him as the example. When I saw the greatest power forward ever be receptive and respond in such a professional manner it dawned on me that the term “attitude reflects leadership” could not be truer.
Pop’s willingness to coach all his players the same way, whether it be the greatest power forward ever or a player on a 10-day contract, has given him the respect of all those who have worn a Spurs jersey.
This along with TD’s humility and professionalism has allowed Spurs to become the most successful/ consistent franchise over the last two decades.
Brent Barry: I can also tell you about being in Denver and playing against the Nuggets and throwing a lob pass to Francisco Elson at the end of the first-quarter with too much time on the clock. A wide-open teammate that I threw a perfect lob pass on a relatively high percentage play to get a late two-point shot to add to our advantage at the end of the first-quarter that was not completed. And how the Nuggets came down and had the opportunity to score in the first quarter, and the clock management that I as a cerebral player had botched in this particular instance. I’ve never had a coach more upset about a completely seemingly innocuous play than the net lob pass in Denver. And no matter what coach has ever yelled at a player, there’s a surreal genius in the madness that someone with the gravitas of Coach Popovich has in those moments.
Pop lit into me like the Fourth of July and not one of my teammates didn’t notice or didn’t hear the particular exchange. Exchange is probably too strong a word because I said nothing.
As the first quarter timeout finished and I found my new place to start a quarter on the bench I sat next to Tim. He said a couple words but more importantly set with his arm around me for the next two minutes as the second-quarter got underway; his big hands on my shoulder felt like a fathers hands on his five-year-old son protecting him pulling him in and letting them know not to worry everything was going to be all right but that he had been there too.
I share that story only because this is really the essence of Tim. In the quietest moments, in the minutes spent behind closed doors, on the uninterrupted walks to and from practice on the road…. His authenticity and realness filled your being.
Gary Neal: We are playing OKC. Ibaka is blocking everything at this time! So I’m a rookie. He’s the HOF’er. I’m playing pick and roll. He rolls. I’m all emotional; the arena is going crazy. I come off the pick and roll throw a bounce pass to Timmy and he takes one dribble and attempts to dunk it. Ibaka comes from the weak side and blocks it, and the ball goes out of bounds. So we’re walking to the sideline and I’m like “Timmy, you have to dunk that.” He looks at me and palms my head and with a big smile he says, ‘G, I tried.”
Legacy Tim
Antonio Daniels: For me, I will stand by these words. To me, he’s the best teammate in professional sports history. And I truly do mean that. And I’m not saying that because of our 20-year friendship, and I’m not just talking about for me as a teammate, I’m talking about everybody who was blessed to play with him, for the sacrifices that he made for this organization. Stars just don’t do that. That’s just unheard of. And I don’t like comparing and contrasting players, who’s better and who had a better career. Look at the state that the San Antonio Spurs are in today. That says a lot, because of the sacrifice that he’s made financially, the sacrifice he made physically for this team over the last five-plus years. They’re not in the Lottery. This team still has championship aspirations, for a reason. Usually when someone of Tim Duncan’s stature retires, there’s usually a really bad time for that organization. Look at the Lakers now, after Kobe retired. Usually when someone has ‘Era’ next to their name, generally, things start to really spiral downward in the wrong direction. But look at where Tim left this organization, after 20 years, 19 years of sustained success. Look at where he left them.
Brent Barry: And every teammate that has had Tim Duncan falls into the trap of taking him for granted. We know the league has done it for many years and we know the fans have done it for many years but to think as players that we could ever do that might just say a little something about how much Tim cares about himself and concerns himself with others.
I implore people to listen to the subtleties of their compliments to what Tim Duncan is and what he’s represented during his career. But I would also tell you that there are plenty of us who can never put into words the quiet greatness he represents. The inner peace of knowing himself. And the complete confidence one can have in saying there will be no one like him again.
Mario Elie: That’s the way I expected him to go out. No fanfare. Just a little tweet or something.
MORE MORNING TIP: With new contract, Conley ready for Memphis makeover | Your questions: Superteams of old vs. Superteams of today
Longtime NBA reporter and columnist David Aldridge is an analyst for TNT. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter.
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