Repost: Tim Duncan, grumpier with age

Enjoyed this. Totally love the sense of humor. Love the Spurs.

Timmy's a Bears fan? That's awesome.

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The wave of milestones keep rolling in, and so far as Tim Duncan is concerned, he’d rather they not be. In the San Antonio Spurs 95-78 victory over the Portland Trailblazers the Spurs longtime franchise player played his 1,000^th game and took sole possession of 29^th place on the NBA all-time scoring list, surpassing Walt Bellamy.

If Duncan had his way he’d rather not have just accomplished either, let alone be reminded.

“I was not aware, I would rather not be told that,” Duncan said after the game. “It just means I’ve been playing for a long time and am getting really, really old. I wish I’d only played 10 games and had 1,000 more ahead of me.”

Getting old is never fun. Teammates get a little bolder in taking shots at you, like when reserve big man Matt Bonner laughed about his beloved New England Patriots blowing out Duncan’s Chicago Bears while the game played in the locker room television.

“When my NFL team is beating his NFL team that bad,” Bonner joked, “he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”

And at a certain age mentioning “Duncan” and “not having a leg to stand on” in the same sentence becomes a fearful thought in any context. But if you can roll with the punches, eventually there are some perks with advancing in age.

For one, everyone eventually stops trying to correct you, chalking up any stubbornness or slightly deviant behavior to being older and set in your ways.

For example, with the San Antonio Spurs cruising on their way to another blowout victory and a Duncan-less fourth quarter, Duncan took it upon himself to drift on towards the scorer’s table and reinsert himself into the game.

“He put himself in, he ignored me. I told him to sit and he said, ‘to hell with you, I’m playing’,” said San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. “He’s been hard to coach for a long time and it’s finally starting to slip out bit by bit.”

Between sarcastically rooting for Devin Hester falling down in the open field (the Bears still had a chance Duncan quipped), and talking about the fourth quarter, Duncan warned (in jest, obviously) it was a moment that will only repeat itself in the near future.

“Oh, I’m very hard to coach, very hard,” Duncan reiterated. “And it’s going to get tougher. As the minutes continue to drop and I’m not in the fourth quarter I’m going to become unbearable on the bench and pretty much annoy him to the point that he has to put me in. That is my goal.”

But even at 1,000 games in, Duncan is still no grouch when measured up to his head coach, who views holding a Blazers team to 78 points as “70-something reasons to complain”. Fortunately, Duncan is still up to the task of butting heads.

“I think his philosophy this year is to try to not play me in the fourth quarter at all, whether we’re winning or losing,” Duncan said. “I think he thinks our team is better off without me out there. I just try to disprove him at some point.”

Read more: http://www.48minutesofhell.com/tim-duncan-grumpier-with-age#ixzz18FkrQhdL

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/tb/b7zgr

Repost: Buck Harvey: Ginobili keeps ‘the old man’ working

Enjoyed this one. Simply love the Spurs organization.

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The Spurs put a contract in front of Manu Ginobili last spring. But before he signed, he had a question for Gregg Popovich.

How much longer do you plan to keep coaching?

“He told me just five months,” Ginobili deadpanned Wednesday night. “That’s why I stayed.”

At 21-3, the jokes come easy. Easier than the wins. The Spurs survived Wednesday after losing an 18-point lead, because Ginobili stepped back on the Milwaukee Bucks at the buzzer and did what he’s seemingly done all season.

So go back to last spring, when Ginobili’s contract was on the table.

Why wouldn’t Popovich want to hang around to watch this show as long as he could?

As Ginobili’s game-winner fell, and the arena rose, Popovich stood like a man with a mess of papers still on his desk. Even with this win, even with this record, Popovich has work to do.

Yes, Ginobili saved them. “But you wouldn’t be in that position,” Popovich said, “had you played the 24 minutes before that.”

Popovich has time to correct these things — after his career timetable was set last spring by Ginobili.

“It was a long conversation,” Ginobili said. “But I wanted to know if he was planning on coaching just another year, or the length of my contract. I wanted to know.”

Popovich had always kidded he’d retire when Tim Duncan did, and Wednesday restated why he’d always said that. Duncan’s seven blocks were necessary, especially since Milwaukee’s Andrew Bogut had seven.

Popovich has also said in the past that he could see staying as the franchise transitions out of this era. For all of his outside interests, the game has a pull on him. His own contract likely does, too.

But Popovich never talked about how long, exactly, until Ginobili wanted to know. Asked about that Wednesday, Popovich responded as Ginobili did. With humor.

“Manu asked me a few questions before he signed,” he said. “I gave him whatever baloney I had to give him to get him to sign, and now I guess I’ve got to follow through somehow or another.”

There are probably times with this team that Popovich feels like he could coach forever. There will eventually be days, too, when he feels like he has been. But as long as Ginobili is upright, with an angle at the basket, the job should be tolerable for Popovich.

It was Wednesday. The Spurs cruised early, with ball movement and energy. Popovich felt sure enough to sit Ginobili to start the second half.

Popovich said he did it to save Ginobili some minutes. And when Ginobili was asked afterward why he thought he didn’t start the second half, his answer said a lot about their relationship.

“Ask the old guy with the white hair,” Ginobili said.

Also telling about them is what happened after the lead had dissolved and the game was tied. Ginobili had thrown in a 3-pointer for the lead in the final minutes but had been blocked twice afterward. When Popovich called for a pick-and-roll with 9.5 seconds left, Ginobili had another idea.

“I called for an iso,” Ginobili said.

Ginobili said he preferred, after being blocked twice, to play against one defender instead of two. So Ginobili drove left, then used his step-back jumper, which he says he’s been working on.

Bucks coach Scott Skiles thought Ginobili walked. The refs didn’t.

Popovich was scheduled hours later to get on a charter jet to Denver for a game the next night. These are the times when relaxing near a vineyard probably sounds appealing.

But Ginobili’s contract doesn’t end until 2013. By then, Popovich will be 64 years old.

By then, too, Ginobili will have done something else worth watching.

bharvey@express-news.net

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/tb/b7t6g

A Good Day

I had a good day today.

I woke up pretty late, I should've gotten out of bed before 8am to take my medicine but I couldn't. Got up a bit past 9. Ate breakfast with Ate Nic.

I did my laundry. I was home alone for several hours.

Ate lunch - reheated the yummy beefsteak (I finished it already) and the yummy banana concoction. Talked to Jel while eating.

Finished checking a couple of DVDs.

Spent time with a good friend. Brian swung by 5:30-5:45-ish. Took me to Giordano's for dinner. We almost finished the 14" thin crust cheese pizza (only left 2 pieces). Drank rootbeer.

I wanted a cookie but we couldn't find a cookie place so we hung out at his place. It was nice seeing his parents again. It was cool seeing their Christmas decorations; Bry put them up, it was real cool.

We talked, somewhat caught up with each other. He rearranged his room again. I took a picture of his new "wall". My drawing wasn't there anymore but it was nice to see our pictures.

Caught a glimpse of Smallville Season 10. Tried watching but gave up.

Played Battleship. I was down 2 ships but it was a come-from-behind win (Phew). I thought my streak was going to end, hehe.

Ate pudding - after I watched him prepare his lunch.

Talked some more - DVDs, shopping, etc. I asked lotsa questions as usual, hehe. Looked at his list of movies to watch. Pencil scheduled our next meeting.

He gave me a short lecture on the American Electoral System - I had to ask about it, hehe.

Played Mancala. I won the first round, he won the second.

Took pictures with him and his mom.

I gave his mom a hug before leaving.

It started snowing.

He drove me home. He stayed for a while, just to say hi to everyone.

Thanked him for dinner, gave him a hug, told him I missed him and I'll see him again soon.

Texted and thanked him again for the evening.

Went online - did some errands (E-mails, FB, LX)

Checked the Spurs game - we won. :)

Talked to Jeff for a bit.

Finalized meeting with Ms. Castro

"Hung out" with Ate Nic

***

What I loved about the day:

Spending time with Brian

Spurs won

Seeing Jeff and Tito Beboy again even if I didn't get to spend time with them

***

Thanks Papa.