Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili still figuring out their Spurs afterlife
ESPN’s broadcasting crew of Mike Breen, Stan Van Gundy and Mark Jackson spent the better part of the second half discussing whether the Oklahoma City Thunder’s series-clinching blowout of the San Antonio Spurs would mark the final game of 40-year-old five-time NBA champion Tim Duncan’s storied career.
To put it a little more bluntly, Jackson practically fired the flaming arrow at Duncan’s viking funeral.
But Duncan being Duncan and the Spurs being the Spurs, mum was the word on the legend’s future, as was the case with 38-year-old brother in arms Manu Ginobili, allowing the Thunder’s statement win to rightfully serve as the NBA storyline for a night. Of course, the media still had to ask the questions.
“I’ll get to that after I get out of here and figure life out,” Duncan told reporters in defeat. “That’s it.”
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It’s long been held Duncan will decide under the cover of darkness on a cool summer’s night, probably whilst perched in a rocking chair and sipping on one of coach Gregg Popovich’s Pinot Noirs. There will be no Kobe Bryant-esque retirement tour. It will be an understated reflection of his two-decade dominance.
Same goes for Ginobili, who added: “I’ll take my time as always. That’s it.” That’s it? Well, there’s more:
“It’s been an amazing run. We all enjoy playing with each other. I’m so proud of having played with those guys for so many years and winning so many games, and even playing with the new guys. If there’s a reason why you always want to come back and keep being part of this, [it’s] because of the amazing chemistry, the good times and the good people that you play with and spend time with. It’s not always about winning a game or winning a championship. But you learn from losses, and it’s important to enjoy every day. Being a part of this team, I’m very proud of it, even if sometimes it doesn’t go our way.”
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“If I was miserable every day and I couldn’t stand the guys next to me, it would be an easy decision. It could have happened two years ago. I really appreciate everybody: the team, front office, coaches, everything. So it makes it different.”
There’s the rub. These Spurs like each other. Four titles, five trips to the finals and nine conference finals appearances can do that to a team. Popovich has always contended he’ll be depressed when he looks around the practice facility and doesn’t see Duncan or Ginobili in the gym, and the same probably goes for those two whenever their storied careers come to a close and they really have to figure life out.
Don’t pour dirt on them just yet. Both own player options for 2016-17 — Duncan for $6.4 million and Ginobili for $2.9 million — pennies pinched when viewed as a portion of their respective $234.7 million and $108.2 million career earnings. Even still, all they have to do is pick up the option, and they’re back.
The bigger question is whether they have any basketball left in their legs. Both submitted respectable numbers while averaging a career-low minutes during the regular season, but the Western Conference semifinals were a different story. Their production decidedly dipped, and the more athletic Thunder overwhelmed a tired-looking Spurs team in Game 6, epitomized by Serge Ibaka’s block of Duncan:
For the record, Popovich wasn’t about to answer any questions about their careers, either, quickly squashing any conversation Breen, Van Gundy and Jackson might still be having about Duncan’s future.
“Why do you say that?” Pop said when asked if this was the future Hall of Famer’s final game during his postgame press conference. “Do you know something I don’t know? I just wanted to make that clear.”
That’s it. Now get out of here and go figure your life out.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
