Tim Duncan

If you were going to guess the two San Antonio Spurs that outscored LeBron James in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, it would be easy, right? Tim Duncan? Manu Ginobli? Tony Parker? Try Danny Green and Aberdeen native Gary Neal. Green led all scorers with 27 points, and Neal was right behind him with 24 points , a playoff career high. Neal, a Calvert Hall graduate, went 6-of-10 from 3-point range, helping the Spurs to a superb 16-for-32 night from beyond the arc and a 113-77 win over the Heat.

If you were going to guess the two San Antonio Spurs that outscored LeBron James in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, it would be easy, right? Tim Duncan? Manu Ginobli? Tony Parker? Try Danny Green and Aberdeen native Gary Neal. Green led all scorers with 27 points, and Neal was right behind him with 24 points , a playoff career high. Neal, a Calvert Hall graduate, went 6-of-10 from 3-point range, helping the Spurs to a superb 16-for-32 night from beyond the arc and a 113-77 win over the Heat.

Since claiming their first NBA championship little more than four months ago, the San Antonio Spurs have experienced distractions that would cause less-experienced teams to lose focus and coaches less confident than Gregg Popovich to lose sleep.It began in August, when starting small forward Sean Elliott underwent a kidney transplant that left his career in doubt. It continued earlier this month, when the Oct. 1 deadline to lock up NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan to a long-term contract passed without any attempt to re-sign the third-year center.

Grizzlies are toast Shandel Richardson Sun Sentinel One of the teams in this series is finished, and it's not the Spurs. The Grizzlies had their chance to close out one of the league's top franchises in recent history and failed. The Spurs will win the next two games and probably cruise in the following round because of this second chance. Big shots such as Gary Neal's 3-pointer at the end of the regulation have changed playoff series before. Just ask the 2002 Kings.

Dave Odom was there the last time."I remember sitting on the bench next to Terry Holland before the game, saying, 'I hope they both play well, but we win,' " Odom recalled this week. "In the first half, they tried to dunk everything. It wasn't a pretty sight."Odom, then an assistant at the University of Virginia, was talking about a showdown between Cavaliers All-American Ralph Sampson and Georgetown prodigy Patrick Ewing early in the 1982-83 season at the Capital Centre.Though the Cavaliers won, the Sampson-Ewing matchup didn't live up to its billing.

SAN ANTONIO - The other day, David Robinson was asked about his willingness over the years to defer to Tim Duncan as leader of the San Antonio Spurs. Given the track record of players his age, 37, who perhaps stayed too long at the party and were unwilling to get off the dance floor when it was time, the question wasn't all that far-fetched. Yet, Robinson faced the questioner with a look that said, "Duh, isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" "Right from the get-go, I knew his [Duncan's]

Good morning -- Don King -- Will you be promoting Joey Crawford vs. Tim Duncan?

"As long as Tim Duncan is around, I'm a pretty good coach." Gregg Popovich San Antonio Spurs coach

Cavaliers @Spurs 8 p.m. [TNT] A rematch of last season's NBA Finals, which attracted some of the worst TV ratings in the history of major sports championships. Anyway, you do get to see his majesty, Cleveland's LeBron James, take on the Cerberus-like attack of San Antonio's star trio - Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

Spurs@Lakers 9 p.m. [TNT] The Lakers - leading the Western Conference finals 3-1 - will try to finish off the defending NBA champions at home tonight. The Spurs' grind-it-out style and Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have been unable to keep up with the league's Most Valuable Player, Kobe Bryant.

Spurs are cracking Ira Winderman Sun Sentinel Hasn't Tony Parker just answered that, with all due respect to George Hill? For months now, as the Spurs have extended their dominance, there has been lingering doubt about the ability of such a veteran roster to endure. With Parker out two to four weeks, are we starting to see the first cracks? And that doesn't address the minutes being rung up by Manu Ginobili, who annually stands as the league's most significant question mark at this stage of the season.

Any upset would be an upset Mark Heisler Los Angeles Times Upsets? What upsets? Nothing that happens in the West can even qualify as an upset, unless the Thunder knock off the Lakers, which isn't going to happen. If the No. 7 Spurs knock off the No. 2 Mavericks, does that qualify as an upset? Not as far as I'm concerned, with the Spurs in Tim Duncan preservation mode winning 50 games to the Mavericks' 55. But if you think it does, that would be my pick. Nobody thinks the No. 5 Jazz beating the No. 4 Nuggets would be an upset, do they?

Shaq & Kobe & Timmy ... as the tagline for "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" went, imagine the possibilities. It only seems as if Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers, the Spurs and whichever team Shaq is with have been duking it out forever. It's actually 11 years, since the spring of 1999, when the Spurs won the first of their four titles, after which the Lakers won the first, second and third of their four titles in the decade ... with the grand showdown yet to come?

WASHINGTON - - Tim Duncan scored 23 points and reserve Roger Mason Jr. added a season-high 20 to lead the San Antonio Spurs to their fifth straight victory on Saturday night, 97-86, over the Washington Wizards, who remained enveloped in a gun controversy surrounding Gilbert Arenas. Tony Parker had 12 points for the Spurs, whose winning streak matches a season high. San Antonio has won four straight on the road and nine in a row against the Wizards. Duncan's jump hook gave the Spurs an 81-80 lead with 6:21 left in the game, and he followed that with two free throws as part of a decisive 12-2 run. Caron Butler scored 24 points and Arenas added 23 for the Wizards, who have dropped four straight.

Now, for our eagerly awaited NBA Decade Awards, or at least they might be eagerly awaited if they came around more often than once in 10 years. Of course, the most glamorous award goes to the Team of the Decade, so here goes: Tie: Lakers and Spurs. History isn't remembered by decades but eras, which might not fit neatly into decades. The Lakers' 4-3 edge in titles over the Spurs this decade hardly demonstrates that they ruled, since it's 4-4 over 11 years counting the Spurs' title in 1999.

Spurs@Lakers 9 p.m. [TNT] The Lakers - leading the Western Conference finals 3-1 - will try to finish off the defending NBA champions at home tonight. The Spurs' grind-it-out style and Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have been unable to keep up with the league's Most Valuable Player, Kobe Bryant.

MEET TIM DUNCANTim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs was the 1998 Rookie of the Year and the only rookie to play in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. He has learned a lot from his teammate, and mentor, David Robinson. "It's great to play with David," says Tim. "He works so hard."Tim graduated from Wake Forest University in 1997. Staying in school for four years helped make Tim a stronger all-around player. Tim's court smarts will spur San Antonio on!SPORTS FUNNIESQ. What hockey player has a hard time keeping clean?

WASHINGTON - - Tim Duncan scored 23 points and reserve Roger Mason Jr. added a season-high 20 to lead the San Antonio Spurs to their fifth straight victory on Saturday night, 97-86, over the Washington Wizards, who remained enveloped in a gun controversy surrounding Gilbert Arenas. Tony Parker had 12 points for the Spurs, whose winning streak matches a season high. San Antonio has won four straight on the road and nine in a row against the Wizards. Duncan's jump hook gave the Spurs an 81-80 lead with 6:21 left in the game, and he followed that with two free throws as part of a decisive 12-2 run. Caron Butler scored 24 points and Arenas added 23 for the Wizards, who have dropped four straight.

Between the Ravens' coaching search, baseball's steroid woes and all things Terps, we don't get many chances to talk NBA in this town. It's a reality that fans of professional basketball have to accept. But fantasy sports, bless them, create a community without boundaries, one that need not be moored to parochial concerns. So, in this space, we're going to look up, realize that the NBA regular season is almost half over and delve into some intriguing story lines. 1. The young point guards have arrived.

Cavaliers @Spurs 8 p.m. [TNT] A rematch of last season's NBA Finals, which attracted some of the worst TV ratings in the history of major sports championships. Anyway, you do get to see his majesty, Cleveland's LeBron James, take on the Cerberus-like attack of San Antonio's star trio - Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.