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Pacers admire Duncan's quiet brilliance
Tim Duncan had 24 points and 17 rebounds in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. He set crushing picks and made expert passes on nearly all the Spurs' possessions, and he blocked two shots while playing stifling defense.
"Boooring," Robert Horry said. Duncan was the most valuable player in both of San Antonio's previous trips to the finals, and he's easily the most important player in this series. With another ring, he would have one of the most impressive resumes in league history — and he's only 29, with perhaps another decade of strong play ahead. "Boooring," Horry said again. Horry was only joking to prove a point, of course. While Manu Ginobili got a wealth of attention for his strong second-half performance in the Spurs' 84-69 victory, Duncan's quiet brilliance was an afterthought in the minds of fans, the media and even the players talking about the game. "Everybody knows Tim is the most important player on this team," Horry said. "But after a while, if you're watching us, I can see how you forget about what he means. He doesn't draw attention to himself on the court, and he doesn't draw attention to himself when the buzzer sounds, either." Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday night. Nobody doubts Duncan's supreme talents, but even the former Wake Forest star realizes he'll probably never get top billing in this personality-driven league. Even in the most important games of the year, one of Duncan's flawless bank shots will never draw as much attention as Ginobili's acrobatics or Rasheed Wallace's scowls. Duncan simply doesn't think about basketball — or life — in such a way. Earlier, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Duncan still was essentially the same pleasant guy drafted by the club eight years ago. And Duncan has never cared whether he gets endorsement deals, magazine covers or other markers of fame. He prefers a simpler life centered on basketball, his family and his charity work. "I think I'm focused," said Duncan, who also has two MVP awards from the regular season while making eight straight appearances on the All-NBA first team. "I try to stay as even keel as possible, the reason being that's what works for me, and I just don't — I try to stay away from the highs and lows." There are plenty of reasons Duncan isn't the NBA's highest-profile superstar, mostly his personality and his home in low-profile San Antonio. Horry would love to see a little more flash in his teammate's game, but knows it won't happen. "He doesn't have a move that everybody knows, something that makes him who he is," Horry said. "(Hakeem Olajuwon) had the Dream Shake. Shaq has that monster dunk. Tim doesn't have anything. He's just a fundamental guy who does what he does." The Pistons know all about Duncan's ability to take over a game without anyone really noticing, so they were cautiously pleased with their defensive effort against him despite his numbers. Wallace played outstanding defense on Duncan for long stretches, preventing or harassing Duncan's favorite low-post moves. But Duncan still got his points on rebounds and defensive mismatches. Detroit's Antonio McDyess has admired Duncan's game for years, even going so far as to work on a turnaround jumper patterned after Duncan's moves. McDyess believed the Pistons played Duncan as well as they could. "Last year, the Spurs didn't get him the ball as much, but this year, they're running their offense through him," McDyess said. "He's touching the ball all the time, and that makes it tough to stop him. You can't keep the ball out of his hands, like teams did sometimes last year." So even if the national media and the NBA's biggest fans don't appreciate Duncan, the Pistons know they've got to prevent another career-defining series by one of the greatest talents of his generation. Being the defending champions, they believe they can do it. "I laugh when they talk about no superstars in this league," Detroit coach Larry Brown said. "Most people, if they vote for the best player in the league, would say Duncan, so I don't know. I think that means you're a superstar."
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