http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14246638p-15064467c.html
Ailene Voisin: Duncan's sore foot difficult to ignore
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 22, 2006
SAN ANTONIO - The sexiest matchup features Mike Bibby and Tony Parker, the most intriguing, unpredictable personality belongs to Ron Artest, and the distance between the seedings - the No. 1 Spurs against the No. 8 Kings - already is generating chatter about historic upsets and hidden prospects for the gold-diggers from northern California.
But this series is about a foot, not a foot-in-the-mouth problem.
In other words, if the San Antonio Spurs are a bit defensive - and they are - it's probably because Tim Duncan has been treading tenderly on a sore right foot, leaving the defending champs typically underappreciated but far more vulnerable than usual.
True, as the postseason approaches, players spend more time on the training table than on their cell phones, and Manu Ginobili, Nick Van Exel, Kevin Martin, Francisco García and Artest, in fact, have their own assorted wounds to nurse.
This is different, though, because this is Duncan.
He dictates, he dominates. He's a series breaker.
With rare exceptions - and at the moment, none come to mind - the two-time MVP is the most complete player on the court, the one who makes all the important franchise decisions. More subtle than spectacular, he controls his environment with footwork, with the full complement of basketball skills. The bank shots, the blocked shots, the passes, the rebounds. The intuitive understanding of when to assert his authority and call for the ball, and when to entice crucial contributions from his teammates, with little or no motion wasted; indeed, energy is expended on a smile only occasionally, his other emotions revealed almost as infrequently.
Even on the eve of the series opener, it wasn't until someone mentioned Artest's prediction - Kings prevailing, of course - that the 6-foot-11, 260-pound Duncan reacted in a manner that, given his understated demeanor, qualified as a mini-eruption.
"Are all these comments in the playoffs?" he began, his voice leaping a couple of octaves, his left leg bouncing wildly. "You gotta play the game. It doesn't matter what people say. I can sit here and say all I want, but we gotta go out there and play the games. Let the games speak for themselves. ... We're not going to disrespect them ... or look past them. ... We understand our opponent."
Yet no one really knows Duncan, or rather, the extent of his discomfort from plantar fasciitis, an ailment commonly described as a painful arch and heel. Though the Spurs established a franchise record with 63 regular-season victories, considerable credit has been given to the emergence of Parker, a first-time All-Star, and a supporting reserve cast strengthened last summer with the addition of Van Exel, Michael Finley and Fabricio Oberto.
Still, at their postseason best, these are the Spurs.
Working inside to Duncan, then outside to everyone else.
Ginobili creating, often creating havoc.
Parker penetrating, passing, putting up teardrops.
Bruce Bowen looming, locking up opponents.
And defensively, few teams resist as stubbornly as the Spurs, both on the perimeter, where they contest jump shots, and in the interior, where they converge, rotate and recover, swarm for rebounds, and in general make opponents work double shifts for every single field goal.
But these are not those Spurs, at least not yet, mainly because Duncan has not been Duncan.
He has lacked explosiveness around the basket, missed an inordinate number of bank shots, especially from the left side, runs the floor like a much older player.
Or like someone with a bum foot.
"It was a tough season," he acknowledged. "My numbers are down, of course, and I've been up or down on the injury front. There were times where I wasn't as confident as others."
Bowen, however, noted that "he was hurt last year too," and suggested the Spurs have relied too heavily on Parker's brilliance, at times becoming infatuated with the jump shot.
"You gotta get back to the basics," he said, "and I like the way we were doing that during the latter course of the season. That's our foundation. Everyone understands that we benefit from what he (Duncan) does. And in order for us to benefit from what he does, we have to use him first and foremost. (But) he's not the type of person to say, 'Hey, hey, hey, y'all better get me the ball or else.' "
So here they come, they hope, the same old Spurs.
No excuses. No predictions, either.
"We'd rather fly low and come up big when we need to," added Bowen, with a slight smile.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: Duncan's sore foot difficult to ignore
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 22, 2006
SAN ANTONIO - The sexiest matchup features Mike Bibby and Tony Parker, the most intriguing, unpredictable personality belongs to Ron Artest, and the distance between the seedings - the No. 1 Spurs against the No. 8 Kings - already is generating chatter about historic upsets and hidden prospects for the gold-diggers from northern California.
But this series is about a foot, not a foot-in-the-mouth problem.
In other words, if the San Antonio Spurs are a bit defensive - and they are - it's probably because Tim Duncan has been treading tenderly on a sore right foot, leaving the defending champs typically underappreciated but far more vulnerable than usual.
True, as the postseason approaches, players spend more time on the training table than on their cell phones, and Manu Ginobili, Nick Van Exel, Kevin Martin, Francisco García and Artest, in fact, have their own assorted wounds to nurse.
This is different, though, because this is Duncan.
He dictates, he dominates. He's a series breaker.
With rare exceptions - and at the moment, none come to mind - the two-time MVP is the most complete player on the court, the one who makes all the important franchise decisions. More subtle than spectacular, he controls his environment with footwork, with the full complement of basketball skills. The bank shots, the blocked shots, the passes, the rebounds. The intuitive understanding of when to assert his authority and call for the ball, and when to entice crucial contributions from his teammates, with little or no motion wasted; indeed, energy is expended on a smile only occasionally, his other emotions revealed almost as infrequently.
Even on the eve of the series opener, it wasn't until someone mentioned Artest's prediction - Kings prevailing, of course - that the 6-foot-11, 260-pound Duncan reacted in a manner that, given his understated demeanor, qualified as a mini-eruption.
"Are all these comments in the playoffs?" he began, his voice leaping a couple of octaves, his left leg bouncing wildly. "You gotta play the game. It doesn't matter what people say. I can sit here and say all I want, but we gotta go out there and play the games. Let the games speak for themselves. ... We're not going to disrespect them ... or look past them. ... We understand our opponent."
Yet no one really knows Duncan, or rather, the extent of his discomfort from plantar fasciitis, an ailment commonly described as a painful arch and heel. Though the Spurs established a franchise record with 63 regular-season victories, considerable credit has been given to the emergence of Parker, a first-time All-Star, and a supporting reserve cast strengthened last summer with the addition of Van Exel, Michael Finley and Fabricio Oberto.
Still, at their postseason best, these are the Spurs.
Working inside to Duncan, then outside to everyone else.
Ginobili creating, often creating havoc.
Parker penetrating, passing, putting up teardrops.
Bruce Bowen looming, locking up opponents.
And defensively, few teams resist as stubbornly as the Spurs, both on the perimeter, where they contest jump shots, and in the interior, where they converge, rotate and recover, swarm for rebounds, and in general make opponents work double shifts for every single field goal.
But these are not those Spurs, at least not yet, mainly because Duncan has not been Duncan.
He has lacked explosiveness around the basket, missed an inordinate number of bank shots, especially from the left side, runs the floor like a much older player.
Or like someone with a bum foot.
"It was a tough season," he acknowledged. "My numbers are down, of course, and I've been up or down on the injury front. There were times where I wasn't as confident as others."
Bowen, however, noted that "he was hurt last year too," and suggested the Spurs have relied too heavily on Parker's brilliance, at times becoming infatuated with the jump shot.
"You gotta get back to the basics," he said, "and I like the way we were doing that during the latter course of the season. That's our foundation. Everyone understands that we benefit from what he (Duncan) does. And in order for us to benefit from what he does, we have to use him first and foremost. (But) he's not the type of person to say, 'Hey, hey, hey, y'all better get me the ball or else.' "
So here they come, they hope, the same old Spurs.
No excuses. No predictions, either.
"We'd rather fly low and come up big when we need to," added Bowen, with a slight smile.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
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