Clippers Fall To Spurs In Game 2: The 5 Things We Learned
By Tom West
Tim Duncan does not age
April 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) grabs a rebound against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Tim Duncan just doesn’t know how to quit. It’s only two days till his 39th birthday and he’s still doing more every night to strengthen his already rock solid case for retiring as the best power forward we’ve ever seen.
He’s defeated father time itself, and game two was a perfect example.
Blake Griffin’s turnovers may have dealt a crushing blow for the Clippers, but the dominance of Duncan and his performance in overtime put L.A. to rest, as the Spurs tied the series at 1-1.
Duncan recorded 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 28 points on 14-of-23 from the field. What’s more impressive than all of that, is the fact that he played 44 minutes. Not only did most of those 28 points come from precise jump-hooks and turnaround bank shots high off glass — they came from a low-post clinic against arguably the most athletic center in NBA history, DeAndre Jordan. Who, for the record, is also 13 years younger than Timmy.
One shot he made with just under two minutes left in overtime, where he ran across the lane and used a gentle flick of the wrist to bury a floater over Jordan, was possibly the best thing he did all night. It gave the Spurs the lead at a critical point of the game, and to add insult to the Clippers’ injury, it reminded everyone that no matter how old Duncan is, he’s still the Spurs’ go-to scorer in the biggest situations that the playoffs have to offer.
April 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) moves the ball against the defense of Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) during the first half in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
His 44 minutes say even more about how ageless this man is, because despite having the likes of Kawhi on his team (an elite 23 year old athlete in his prime), he still played five minutes less than Duncan. Furthermore, to add to his immense understanding of the game, he played the last eight minutes of the game on five fouls. Which, when you’re trying to stop the fast paced Clippers’ and their high-flying dunkers from getting to the rim, it’s by no means an easy accomplishment.
To round off his night and add yet another piece of history to his resumé, Duncan also became just the fifth player in NBA history to record 5,000 playoff points.
So even if Jordan can block him a couple of times in the post, Duncan emphasised just how irrelevant father time is. As despite the fact that Blake and Jordan may be far superior athletes, the Big Fundamental is going to keep schooling them as long as he can.
Don’t expect it to stop any time soon.