There is only one game on the docket in NBA Playoff action tonight and it is the most substantial and intriguing game yet in the 2016 postseason, a game that could effectively end one of the greatest eras for a team in professional sports history or plant the initial seed to send another franchise in a tailspin.
That game of course is Game 6 of the western conference semi-finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs.
After a somewhat shocking comeback victory on the road by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5, they now hold a 3-2 lead on the 67 win San Antonio Spurs and have an opportunity to end their incredible season at home Thursday night.
That means tonight could be the final time we get to see one of the five greatest players in NBA history (yes I said it) and one of the most successful trios we have ever witnessed in any sport take the floor together.
Tim Duncan has had the most impressive and successful career of any NBA player since Michael Jordan, yes even more impressive than LeBron James, Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal.
He has won five NBA Championships, three NBA Finals MVP awards, two NBA MVP awards and led this Spurs franchise to 19 straight 50 wins seasons, a level of long term success that has no equal in any other professional sport. He has been the most selfless, humble leader the NBA has seen since Bill Russell and set the new standard for what a big man can accomplish in the NBA.
He is 40 years old now and as sad as it is, if there is one thing this postseason has showed us it is that father time (who is and always be will be undefeated) has caught up with Tim Duncan as he is only averaging 3 points and 3 rebounds in this series and is getting severely outplayed by Steven Adams.
Duncan is the kind of self-aware, humble personality that won’t continue to play to satisfy his own desire or ego if he doesn’t feel he is helping the team, which for the first time in his legendary career may be the case.
His running mate Manu Ginobili is 38 years old, on the verge of 39 and is also nowhere near the player he was even a few years ago. Ginobili has the same pride and passion for the game and his teammates and will walk away when he feels he is no longer an asset to the team which may be the case these days as well.
The Spurs trio of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker have played together for the past 13 seasons and have played more games together and have more wins as a group than anybody in NBA history.
They have won four NBA championships together, appeared in five NBA finals and have been the engine along with Gregg Popovich as the conductor of the train that has been at the forefront of the NBA since 2003.
There is no denying a new era has already begun for Spurs basketball as their three most valuable players at this point are Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green, but Thursday may be the curtain call for the trio that helped make the Spurs the model franchise in professional sports.
Of course there is a reason the Spurs won 67 games, their most ever as a franchise, and there is a real chance that Pop and his crew could find a way to win a huge Game 6 on the road and close out the Thunder to delay what appears to be the end of the big three in San Antonio. It feels like the passing of the guard has occurred, the demons have been exorcised for the Thunder and it is time for the Spurs as we have known them for over a decade to exit stage left.
So no matter how you may feel about the Spurs or Tim Duncan, take some time to truly appreciate the potential end of an era tonight in Oklahoma City.
If the Thunder do eliminate the Spurs tonight you can expect Tim Duncan to slowly walk over to congratulate the victors, wish them well on their future endeavors like the humble and classy person that he is and quietly walk off the floor knowing that his 19-year NBA odyssey may have commenced.
He will be exhausted but serene knowing that he gave every thing he had to his organization and his teammates these past 19 years and he did it his way, which is better than almost anybody in NBA history.
