San Antonio’s stingy defense continued its dominance on Saturday night in a 99-87 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at home. The Spurs now rank first in the league in limiting opponent’s scoring, putting the clamps on offenses to the tune of only 91.3 points per game. Tony Parker paced San Antonio on the offensive end with 22 points and Tim Duncan stuffed the stat sheet in limited minutes, contributing 7 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals.
“We take Tim for granted half the time,” said Coach Gregg Popovich after the game. “He is still the base of what we do. The rebounds that he gets and the shots that he blocks, he starts us there. He scores in the bottom, he shoots jumpers, and he does a little bit of everything for us.”
Conspicuous in his absence was Nets forward Kevin Garnett who sat out the contest to rest. Duncan’s rivalry with Garnett dates back to the 1999 playoffs when the Spurs opened the first round on Mother’s Day in the Alamodome against Garnett’s Timberwolves. Rumor has it that as Tim prepped for a pair of free throws Garnett mockingly wished him Happy Mother’s Day, either questioning his manhood or as some pretty twisted trash talk, considering Duncan’s Mother passed away from breast cancer in his youth. Duncan sank both free throws and the Spurs went on to win the game, eventually closing out the series in four games on the way to their first championship.
This is the same KG that once called Mavs forward Charlie Villanueva, who suffers from alopecia, as a cancer patient, so although never confirmed, the rumor persists. Barring additional rest, Garnett and Duncan are scheduled to square off for what could be the final time next week in Brooklyn. Duncan owns Garnett in head to head matchups with a 29-19 record, so expect him to go for win number 30 in New York.
“We take Tim for granted half the time,” said Coach Gregg Popovich after the game. “He is still the base of what we do. The rebounds that he gets and the shots that he blocks, he starts us there. He scores in the bottom, he shoots jumpers, and he does a little bit of everything for us.”
Conspicuous in his absence was Nets forward Kevin Garnett who sat out the contest to rest. Duncan’s rivalry with Garnett dates back to the 1999 playoffs when the Spurs opened the first round on Mother’s Day in the Alamodome against Garnett’s Timberwolves. Rumor has it that as Tim prepped for a pair of free throws Garnett mockingly wished him Happy Mother’s Day, either questioning his manhood or as some pretty twisted trash talk, considering Duncan’s Mother passed away from breast cancer in his youth. Duncan sank both free throws and the Spurs went on to win the game, eventually closing out the series in four games on the way to their first championship.
This is the same KG that once called Mavs forward Charlie Villanueva, who suffers from alopecia, as a cancer patient, so although never confirmed, the rumor persists. Barring additional rest, Garnett and Duncan are scheduled to square off for what could be the final time next week in Brooklyn. Duncan owns Garnett in head to head matchups with a 29-19 record, so expect him to go for win number 30 in New York.
