Below is an edited transcript of Tim Duncan’s interview with Sportcenter’s Mike Wilbon. Duncan talks about his career, retirement, and his approach for the upcoming finals game(s).
Mike Wilbon: At what point in your career did you sense that one city, one team, and one coach — we’re going to work out this way.
Tim Duncan: I don’t know if there was any one point. I think every year, well not every year, but early in my career every year I was still trying to figure out how thing’s were going to work out because historically things didn’t work out this way. You don’t get to stay in one place, you don’t get to play for one coach, you don’t get to continue to win - that’s just how it goes. So, every in my career I was still trying to figure out that path and at every turn and every point, it made the most sense to stay where I was. To be with Pop, to be in this city, to be with this team, this organization — it made the most sense.
Mike Wilbon: Are guys jealous of you? Do you get that from your peers?
Tim Duncan: I get that sometimes. I do. I get that alot. Especially more lately, people saying how lucky you are for the situation you have, to be in the same place, same coach - I get that a lot now.
Mike Wilbon: You started the series by going nine for ten from the floor. With that kind of play, how could the notion of retirement even come up for you?
Tim Duncan: I’m going to do it as long as I can be effective; that’s what I’ve always said. I still love playing, and I still love being apart of the team and all that stuff, so i'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Mike Wilbon: Are those notions that come from the outside more than anything?
Tim Duncan: I haven’t said a word about it; I haven’t thought about it. Its going to happen when it’s going to happen. I‘ll show up one day and it’ll feel right, and i'll just walk away.
Mike Wilbon: People were fairly stunned when you said, “We’re going to get this done this time”, which is not exactly Joe Namath predicting a guarantee in a Super Bowl, but it was probably a little uncharacteristic. Was there a purpose to it — a specific purpose when you said it publicly?
Tim Duncan: There wasn’t a purpose to it , I just felt this was kind of our time. I think that we can get it done.
Mike Wilbon: Is there something — is there some lesson or lessons from what you’ve been through and from game 6 and 7 last year that still carry over now?
Tim Duncan: I think not looking ahead. I come back to those last 30 minutes - we were really ecstatic, we were up, we feel that we have this game in hand, and how quickly things can change. So, we’re not going to look ahead until it’s done. We’re not going to look ahead until that horn is done and we’re up on the scoreboard. We’re not celebrating now, we’re not saying, “Hey, we got this thing done.” We know we have to go out and we have to beat this team. They’re the champs; they’re back to back champs. They’ve been here before; they have the highest confidence in the world; they believe they can win three games in a row. We’re going to prove them wrong.
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