Marc Serota/Getty Images The San Antonio Spurs have had everything their way for virtually the entire season, consistently placing first in the entire league. What this means, more than just prestige and good playing, is that coveted home-court advantage through the playoffs.
But then came Monday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, after which starting power forward Tim Duncan was spotted on crutches. Duncan sprained his ankle when he collided with Warriors’ forward, Ekpe Udoh, in the first quarter.
According to ESPN, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said on Tuesday that Duncan’s MRI exam showed that the ankle “looks good” structurally.
ESPN also reports that after the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that though Duncan might be “out for a while,” there wasn’t a timetable yet.
Needless to say, this is a highly inconvenient time for the All-Star to get injured. Sure, San Antonio is probably strong enough to hold its own against most teams in the league, but you can’t undermine the importance of Duncan’s mere presence on court.
His numbers have dipped a little this season (13.3 PPG and 9 RPG this year, compared to his career averages of 20.6 PPG and 11.4 RPG), but Duncan’s still Duncan. For the amount of minutes he’s playing, (hovering around 30), his numbers are still rather impressive, and he’s such a staple to the Spurs that it would be strange to see them play without him.
Here’s to hoping that his ankle issue will be settled before the Spurs enter the playoffs.
But then came Monday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, after which starting power forward Tim Duncan was spotted on crutches. Duncan sprained his ankle when he collided with Warriors’ forward, Ekpe Udoh, in the first quarter.
According to ESPN, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said on Tuesday that Duncan’s MRI exam showed that the ankle “looks good” structurally.
ESPN also reports that after the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that though Duncan might be “out for a while,” there wasn’t a timetable yet.
Needless to say, this is a highly inconvenient time for the All-Star to get injured. Sure, San Antonio is probably strong enough to hold its own against most teams in the league, but you can’t undermine the importance of Duncan’s mere presence on court.
His numbers have dipped a little this season (13.3 PPG and 9 RPG this year, compared to his career averages of 20.6 PPG and 11.4 RPG), but Duncan’s still Duncan. For the amount of minutes he’s playing, (hovering around 30), his numbers are still rather impressive, and he’s such a staple to the Spurs that it would be strange to see them play without him.
Here’s to hoping that his ankle issue will be settled before the Spurs enter the playoffs.
