Season 50, Game 27
Spurs 113, Pelicans 100
22-5, 2nd in the West
On the night of Tim Duncan’s jersey retirement, the Spurs honored TD in the most fitting way possible: winning.
We could fill pages and pages with words describing the importance and greatness of Duncan and tell only a fraction of the story. But his most lasting legacy on the court is that the team still wins… and wins and wins and wins. How many superstars stay with one team, are great the entire time, and when they retire, leave the franchise set up to prosper in his absence?
One. #21.
For the superstar (plus-plus-plus, as Tony Parker noted in the after game ceremony) who only ever wanted his team and teammates to be great, it must bring Duncan such joy to know that the winning doesn’t stop with him. For a player who takes such satisfaction in the accomplishments of others, it must thrill Duncan that the team is still so successful, barely missing a beat with his absence.
It’s still a shock not to see Duncan on the floor or even the bench. We hear stories about him at practices, perhaps even seeing some shaky cell-phone video taken from 60 yards away of him working out with the team at a practice. But even as his physical absence is felt, his presence still looms over everything this team does.
And so it is that LaMarcus Aldridge has his most dominant game of the season (clearly responding to my calling him out after the last game), rarely settling for the jumper, instead taking it hard into the post and right at Anthony Davis. I’ve never seen him play more aggressively (or more like TD), and he set the tone for the game and the win early, with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in the first half. If we get this LMA for the rest of the season, we’re in great shape.
And so it is that Pau Gasol, after a few days of battling Duncan in practice, comes out and racks up double-doubles, making his presence felt on both ends of the court. He had 12 rebounds in the first half, as the Spurs went on to out-rebound the Pelicans 49-37.
And so it is that Kawhi Leonard continues to Kawhi, growing into one of the best players in the entire NBA.
And so it is that Danny Green is rediscovering his shooting stroke, perhaps remembering Duncan imploring him to “rip it!” so often in those runs to the NBA Finals, the confidence-booster that turned Green from an end-of-the-bench NBA washout to a starter on a championship team.
And so it is that Parker and Manu Ginobili came out and played like they were six years younger, making every shot they threw up. You knew these two were going to bring a little extra juice on this night.
And so it is that Jonathon Simmons beasted in the 4th quarter, making sure the game didn’t slip away from the Spurs in garbage time. And Patty Mills continues to evolve from a shooter to a fully formed NBA PG. And David Lee and Dewayne Dedmon and Davis Bertans and every other new Spur who never even got a chance to play with Duncan find a supportive and welcoming home in the culture that he built. There’s a reason the Spurs always get the best out of every role player, and Duncan still factors into that.
The Spurs are winners because Duncan is a winner. Even with Duncan gone, the team still embraces everything he is, and the team lives on in his image. Humble, selfless, and great.
The jersey may be retired, but the spirit remains.
As for the ceremony, it was everything you could hope for. It was understated, funny, authentic, and heartfelt. What you’d expect from the Spurs. There were plenty of laughs, and just enough tears. Even for the most die-hard of fans, it was a rare glimpse into the humanity of an organization that mostly hides that part of itself away.
If you didn’t get a chance to watch it, do. It’s rare to get to say good-bye to the greatest player in franchise history when he is still so fresh in our minds and our hearts.
The Spurs play in Houston tonight, the first night of a tough 3-game road trip before the Christmas Day game back home against the Bulls. Rockets, Clippers, Blazers. 3 games in 4 nights. This will be quite the test for this team.
Go Spurs Go.
