Tim Duncan: 'I know my time is winding down so I'm enjoying it more'
Father Time may be undefeated, but he's getting a pretty stiff test from Tim Duncan.
The 39-year-old power forward just keeps chugging along, most recently leading his San Antonio Spurs to a 3-2 series lead over the Los Angeles Clippers with a 21-point, 11-rebound, four-assist outing.
It made him the oldest player in NBA history to record three 20-point, 10-rebound games in a single series. He's averaging 17.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals and two blocks in the postseason, and schooling guys more than a decade his junior.
If it seems like Duncan is playing with a heightened sense of urgency, perhaps it's because he's sensing the finish line, even as it looks like he could play another decade.
"It's just a realization of mortality, I guess," Duncan told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. "I know my time is winding down so I'm enjoying it more."
With that in mind, you'd think he'd have really enjoyed blocking Blake Griffin in the final minute of Game 5 to maintain a two-point lead.
If so, he's not letting on.
"He was coming dead at me and my choice was either to go contest the shot or give up a dunk," Duncan said of the play.
But that's Duncan.
"He's a consummate pro. He never gets too high or low," Clippers coach Doc Rivers articulated after his team's Game 5 loss. "It's like he's the easy button they have on that old (Staples) commercial. He's their easy button. You knew tonight he was going to come and play. On nights where they don't need him, he's cool with that, too."
Duncan hasn't said anything publicly about whether he plans to play beyond this season, but his contract will expire after the playoffs, and the Spurs haven't been shy about their plans to target other power forwards in free agency. Whether this is his final rodeo or not, Duncan is taking nothing for granted.
"I know I am blessed to be out here," he said. "I know I am blessed to still be playing and feeling as healthy as I am. So I'm enjoying the ride."