The San Antonio Spurs are not worried about a long layoff in the playoffs after winning their series against the Grizzlies in four games and no matter who the team plays, whether it be the Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers, they will be prepared to go on the road or win at home if they need to.
The Heat and Pacers are playing Game 7 on Monday night to see who will advance to the finals and the spurs are hoping for Indiana to get home court, but their main focus is on winning a championship, even if it is against Miami. The Heat are the new guard and the Spurs are the old dynasty and that is the matchup the NBA is hoping for. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are playing extremely well and Parker is coming into the game after scoring 37 points in the team's last victory against the Grizzlies,. Duncan has been excellent all playoffs and he continues to play like an old man possessed by his younger self.
Tim Duncan, a stalwart of all four Spurs NBA titles during his 16 seasons in San Antonio, said he and his teammates are naturally keeping an eye on the Miami-Indiana series. Point guard extraordinaire Tony Parker, who leads the Spurs in points and assists during the postseason, said he was not worried about rust settling in. Duncan, as a second-year power forward, partnered with center David Robinson for the Spurs' first title in 1999, and went on to triumph with Parker and swingman Manu Ginobili of Argentina in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
A resurgence by the 37-year-old, 6-foot-11 Duncan and a stunning season by Parker helped bring the Spurs back. Duncan, a 14-time All Star and three-time NBA Finals MVP, averaged 17.8 points this season and was named to the All-NBA First Team after slipping to 15.4 and 13.4 points per game the previous two seasons. Popovich said he had challenged Parker this year to play like an NBA All Star every night, and he had met the challenge.
"I don't even think about it. It is what it is," the Frenchman said. "It's going to be a very good team that we're playing. Indiana and Miami two very good teams."
If the defending NBA champion Heat advance, the opening game will be in Miami. Should Indiana pull off the upset, homecourt advantage would swing to the Spurs, who would host the opener of the best-of-seven finals.
"It doesn't really matter," insisted Parker. "At that stage of the competition you have to win on the road if you want to go all the way."
Popovich said Duncan had a special drive to succeed.
"The greatest players have that drive," he said. "There are about eight or 10 of them in this modern era starting with Magic (Johnson) and (Larry) Bird and Michael (Jordan) that have unbelievable character and professionalism.
"And the do it longer and they do it at a high level because it's just how they're built with that competitiveness and heart and feel the responsibility of their teammates."
(Reuters Quotes)
