Tim Duncan: Last of the Dominant Big Men?

As everyone prepares for Game 5 of the NBA Finals tonight, I 'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge one of the greatest to ever play the game.

That's right folks, I am talking about none other than Timothy Duncan, power forward for the Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs.

In fact, regardless of whether the Spurs win or lose this series, we may be seeing the end of the dominant big man era in basketball.

Duncan, drafted No.1 overall by San Antonio out of Wake Forest(and perhaps the last college senior to ever be the first overall pick), would have an immediate impact for the Spurs as a rookie, averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. The following year, a lockout shortened season, the Spurs would win their first ever NBA Championship. Since that time, the Spurs have won three more titles, and they are currently working on their fifth ring.

As the years have gone by, Duncan has quietly gone about his business. And the hardware has kept piling up. He's been selected to the All-Star game 14 times. He's won the league MVP twice, and been named Finals MVP three times. If he wins a fifth ring this June, he will join Kobe Bryant as two of the most decorated superstars of their generation. As a big man, he will trail only the legendary Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics in that category.

And once he retires, it might signal the end of the dominant big man era in professional basketball. It has already become very transparent that teams don't need a big man to succeed in today's NBA, and Dwight Howard has proved with the Lakers that sometimes it can even be a detriment.

Sure there will be people who point to Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert as the changing of the guard. And he had a nice little performance in the Eastern Conference Finals. But until he consistently perform at the level he had during this season, I would say it's premature to call him a dominant big man.

Others would point to Kevin Love and Blake Griffin as examples of dominant bigs. To that, I say call me when either one of those individuals' teams advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. And don't even get me started on Griffin. Let's just say you need to be able to do more than dunk to be considered dominant.

Then there is last year's No. 1 overall pick, Anthony Davis from the University of Kentucky. Considered the best player in college basketball two years ago, someday he might develop into an all-star. Never mind that Duncan played at an All-Star level in his very first season with San Antonio. There will be other big men drafted No. 1 overall, no doubt, but it will be interesting to see what kind of an impact these kids will ultimately have in the league.

Detractors will point to the fact that Duncan has always had a tremendous supporting cast, including Hall of Famer David Robinson, Tony Parker, Sean Elliot, and Manu Ginobli among others. Yet those people also haven't followed the Spurs all that closely, either. Duncan has made each one of those players better the moment he stepped onto the court as a rookie in 1997. Nor can they truly appreciate the on court battles he did with the likes of Shaq, Dirk Nowitski, Dikembe Mutombo and others.

So whether the Spurs win or lose, enjoy the performance that Tim Duncan has put on throughout this postseason, and his career. We may never see one like it again.

Memo To David Stern: Please leave Pop, Spurs Alone

So in case you've been living under a rock for the last 24 hours, NBA commissioner David Stern has threatened to impose some sort of sanction against the San Antonio Spurs or their head coach, Gregg Popovich, in light of recent events.

And, in case your not familiar with what those events were, I will be happy to refresh your memory. Popovich sat starters Manu Ginobli, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker in last night's game against the Miami Heat. Popovich was trying to give his stars, who had just played four games in the last five nights, a breather before their home contest Sunday versus Memphis. Although San Antonio would eventually lose the game, the 105-100 result was more than likely closer than expected.

So now Stern and his cronies want to punish the Spurs for an action that was clearly the coach's discretion. I mean, come on, I understand the fans pay good money to see a quality product on the court. But I was wondering if someone could please explain to me how a five-point contest isn't a quality product?

Look, if we're going suspend/fine/otherwise punish coaches/teams for doing what is in their best interest, I have a few other suggestions. About 10 years ago or so I went to a Lakers-Celtics contest in Los Angeles but I didn't get to see Shaquille O'Neal play because he was hurt. How about giving me and the rest of the people who bought a ticket that night a refund? No? Well, I also went to see the Spurs play the Wizards a few years before that, but David Robinson didn't play because he was hurt. C'mon commish, you need to punish the Spurs for that, too. I'm pretty sure if Pop wasn't the coach he was at least the GM at that point.

What's that, Commissioner Stern, cat got your tongue? That's what I thought. The proposals I made are just as ludicrous as the proposed sanctions you are about to levy on today's Spurs. I will admit, I am not a huge pro basketball fan, but if I do watch I sometimes root for the Spurs. Most people don't like them because they aren't flashy enough, but, as I have said before, I like the fact they play fundamentally sound team ball for the most part.

And yes, as a fan, if I was in Miami (not entirely out of the question, as I spent the last week two hours northwest of South Beach. Of course, I didn't get a ticket, as I was unaware the two teams played) and I had gone to the game, I would be upset that some of my favorite players were not even dressing. But at the end of the day, I would be happy that my team was in a position to possibly win the game.

So, commissioner Stern, leave Pop and the Spurs alone. There is no rule that says a NBA head coach can't sit his stars if he feels its in the best interest of the team. This is just another attempt by you to unnecessarily throw your weight around, and another reason why once avid fans like myself are becoming more indifferent by the day.

NBA Playoffs: San Antonio Spurs not flashy, just fundamental

Welcome back, fans. It has been a nine month hiatus since my last post, and for that I apologize.

The NBA playoffs are now down to their version of the final four, and in the west, there couldn't be two more contrasting styles of ball.

On the one hand you have the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by the high octane offense of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. And the passionate play of sixth man of the year James Harden and center Kendrick Perkins

On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is the San Antonio Spurs, 101-98 winners of last night's game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. They aren't flashy, as you more than likely won't see them on a ESPN Sportscenter highlight reel. The Spurs big three, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli, are as humble a trio you'll find in the league, each deferring to the other during post game interviews. And to round out the team you will find role players like Thiago Splitter, Danny Green, and Matt Bonner, guys who might not make the starting rosters of half the teams in the NBA this season, yet who are essential to the Spurs starting the playoffs 9-0 and two series away from their fifth championship in franchise history.

That's right folks. Of the remaining four teams, the one that fans, media, coaches, and even other players don't want to see win it all isn't the Miami Heat. Not by a long shot. No that would be the Spurs. A team that plays a brand of ball that is as drab as some as the black and white uniforms they wear. Whose star players have personalities as about exciting as their head coach, Greg Poppovich, who can be seen walking the sidelines with the same stoic expression whether San Antonio is winning or losing. Maybe one day after he has retired from the game 'Pop' as his players call him will enter the World Series of Poker.

Yet of all the four teams remaining, the San Antonio Spurs are also the ones I'll be rooting for to cut down the nets next month. In this day and age where it seems basketball, especially at the professional level, has become a collection of one on one battles, the Spurs still play the game the way it was designed to be played. As a team. The spread the ball around the court, looking for the best available shot. They play team defense, not measured by the number of blocks or steals they garner, but rather by rebounding and taking away their opponents' path to the basket.  And, last night's game notwithstanding, they understand that limiting turnovers goes a long way to winning a basketball game.

So the Spurs, just like their big man, Tim Duncan, aka 'Big Fundamental,' play fundamentally sound team basketball. So what? Flashy is in. Rim shaking dunks and blocked shots are what make the NBA fun to watch, right? That is what is wrong with the game, however. Fundamentally sound basketball is now a punchline, rather than something that gets proper attention. Of course a thunderous dunk every now and then is exciting, but  how about going back to the other end of the court to play defense once in a while? How about making free throws in the crucial moments of the game rather than complain about officiating?

And teams from other leagues can learn from the Spurs as well. The NFL is a prime example. Guys like James Harrison and Brandon Merriweather can complain all day long the league is out to get them, yet at the end of the day if they practiced fundamentally sound tackling there wouldn't be an issue. Proper form tacking requires the defender to wrap the guy with two arms, his head up, driving his shoulder into the offensive player. How hard is that? The kind of thing they taught me in middle school football over 20 years ago.

So while the rest of the nation(save for the city of San Antonio) roots for OKC vs Miami, I will be quitely hoping the Spurs' big three get what could be their last chance for a championship.