Spoiler:
Tim Duncan woke up on June 20, 2013. He was in a hotel room in Miami, Florida. Although he knew what day it was, and what he had to do that day, he checked his calendar. He had checked his calendar every day since October 31st, 1997, his NBA debut. It was what he always did. It worked.
That night, he would play in his 1391st NBA game. Game 7 of the NBA Finals would be exactly the same as his 1390th game, and every game before that. He would shower, eat breakfast, meet with his trainer, and begin shooting. He would eat lunch, meet with his coach, greet his teammates, and watch film of the previous game. He would eat dinner, put on his uniform, tie his shoes, walk out of the locker room, and join shootaround. Then he would play basketball.
It was what he always did. It worked.
Two days ago, the Spurs had lost game 6 to the Miami Heat. Ray Allen had hit a shot to tie the game with only five seconds on the clock. It was heartbreaking, deflating, the kind of thing that only happens in movies. The Spurs hung their collective heads on the way back to the locker room following the subsequent overtime period. But Duncan had seen great shots before. On May 5th, 2004, Derek Fisher had hit a shot to win game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Spurs, moments after Duncan had given the Spurs the lead with a shot of his own. The Spurs lost the series. On December 9th, 2004, Tracy McGrady hit a game winning shot against the Spurs after Duncan had missed a free throw. The Spurs lost the game.
Duncan had seen players like Tracy McGrady and Derek Fisher fall out of relevance. He had seen Ray Allen at his best, and watched his abilities decline until he was no longer able to make his team's starting lineup. He had played against a young Lebron James in the 2007 Finals, and had watched him grow into perhaps the league's best player, until James was finally ready to face Duncan once again. He had seen his peers, players like Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett, all of them accomplished players in their own right, slowly fade out of the spotlight. But here Duncan was, playing in his fifth NBA Finals, because he kept doing what he always did.
The Miami Heat were a great team, there was no doubting that. Duncan thought about the intensity they played with, the springs they seemed to have in their shoes, and felt a tinge of longing for his youth. He used to keep up with players like James and his teammate, Dwyane Wade. But he was older now, and wiser; he could beat them with his brain, his footwork, his years of experience. He would beat them, just like he always did.
Gregg Popovich had been Tim Duncan's coach for 1389 games. They had won four championships together. They knew the highs and lows of NBA life all too well. They were consistent, they worked hard, and they were smart. But most importantly, they trusted each other. They had a bond as strong as steel, forged through years of hard work. There was an almost tangible mutual respect and admiration; Popovich treated 'Timmy' as his own son.
With 28 seconds left in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, Gregg decided to take Duncan out of the game. Timmy trusted his decision. They had been making that substitution all season, as Timmy was not as quick as he was all those years ago, and the Spurs couldn't risk giving up an open 3 point shot. Duncan listened to Popovich. He always did.
Timmy watched from the bench as Ray Allen hit the shot that would prolong the series, the shot that snatched the Spurs championship dreams away just as they came within reach.
It was time for Game 7. The Spurs needed to win one game, and they would be Champions of the NBA for the fifth time. [28 seconds to tip-off] They had won 58 games during the regular season. In the playoffs, they had added 12 more. [13 seconds to tip-off] Since Duncan had joined the Spurs, they had won four games in the Finals four times. In fact, they had never lost a Finals series. [0.4 seconds to tip-off] The Spurs would follow their gameplan, execute their strategy, and win.
It was what they always did. It would work.
...
Tim Duncan woke up on October 30th, 2013. He pictured Ray Allen's game-tying three point shot, as he had done every day since June 20th, 2013. Then, like always, he checked his calendar. This time, however, he did something he had never done before. In the center of the circle he had drawn around October 30th, he wrote "REVENGE".
That night, he would play in his 1391st NBA game. Game 7 of the NBA Finals would be exactly the same as his 1390th game, and every game before that. He would shower, eat breakfast, meet with his trainer, and begin shooting. He would eat lunch, meet with his coach, greet his teammates, and watch film of the previous game. He would eat dinner, put on his uniform, tie his shoes, walk out of the locker room, and join shootaround. Then he would play basketball.
It was what he always did. It worked.
Two days ago, the Spurs had lost game 6 to the Miami Heat. Ray Allen had hit a shot to tie the game with only five seconds on the clock. It was heartbreaking, deflating, the kind of thing that only happens in movies. The Spurs hung their collective heads on the way back to the locker room following the subsequent overtime period. But Duncan had seen great shots before. On May 5th, 2004, Derek Fisher had hit a shot to win game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Spurs, moments after Duncan had given the Spurs the lead with a shot of his own. The Spurs lost the series. On December 9th, 2004, Tracy McGrady hit a game winning shot against the Spurs after Duncan had missed a free throw. The Spurs lost the game.
Duncan had seen players like Tracy McGrady and Derek Fisher fall out of relevance. He had seen Ray Allen at his best, and watched his abilities decline until he was no longer able to make his team's starting lineup. He had played against a young Lebron James in the 2007 Finals, and had watched him grow into perhaps the league's best player, until James was finally ready to face Duncan once again. He had seen his peers, players like Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett, all of them accomplished players in their own right, slowly fade out of the spotlight. But here Duncan was, playing in his fifth NBA Finals, because he kept doing what he always did.
The Miami Heat were a great team, there was no doubting that. Duncan thought about the intensity they played with, the springs they seemed to have in their shoes, and felt a tinge of longing for his youth. He used to keep up with players like James and his teammate, Dwyane Wade. But he was older now, and wiser; he could beat them with his brain, his footwork, his years of experience. He would beat them, just like he always did.
Gregg Popovich had been Tim Duncan's coach for 1389 games. They had won four championships together. They knew the highs and lows of NBA life all too well. They were consistent, they worked hard, and they were smart. But most importantly, they trusted each other. They had a bond as strong as steel, forged through years of hard work. There was an almost tangible mutual respect and admiration; Popovich treated 'Timmy' as his own son.
With 28 seconds left in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, Gregg decided to take Duncan out of the game. Timmy trusted his decision. They had been making that substitution all season, as Timmy was not as quick as he was all those years ago, and the Spurs couldn't risk giving up an open 3 point shot. Duncan listened to Popovich. He always did.
Timmy watched from the bench as Ray Allen hit the shot that would prolong the series, the shot that snatched the Spurs championship dreams away just as they came within reach.
It was time for Game 7. The Spurs needed to win one game, and they would be Champions of the NBA for the fifth time. [28 seconds to tip-off] They had won 58 games during the regular season. In the playoffs, they had added 12 more. [13 seconds to tip-off] Since Duncan had joined the Spurs, they had won four games in the Finals four times. In fact, they had never lost a Finals series. [0.4 seconds to tip-off] The Spurs would follow their gameplan, execute their strategy, and win.
It was what they always did. It would work.
...
Tim Duncan woke up on October 30th, 2013. He pictured Ray Allen's game-tying three point shot, as he had done every day since June 20th, 2013. Then, like always, he checked his calendar. This time, however, he did something he had never done before. In the center of the circle he had drawn around October 30th, he wrote "REVENGE".
