MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Tim Duncan is so close to his first NBA championship in six long years that the Spurs star isn’t worried about the little issue of being rusty once the finals actually start.
“My sole focus is trying to get this done, trying to get another championship,” Duncan said. “I don’t care records; I don’t care age. I don’t care any of that stuff. I just want to do what I have to do to try to win a championship.”
San Antonio ended its six-year drought between NBA finals by finishing a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies 93-86 on Monday night for its fifth Western Conference title. The first sweep in a conference final since the Nets beat Detroit in 2003 also earned the Spurs a nine-day break before Game 1 of the finals June 6.
Duncan said the benefit will be the Spurs should be completely healthy with their legs underneath them.
“We’re going to be a little rusty starting the first game — it’s just how it is,” Duncan said.
“We’re going to try to figure out how to practice, how to stay sharp. But bottom line, we’re going to be a little rusty. Hopefully, we can shake that off real quick and get right back to our rhythm.”
All the Spurs worked hard to be just four wins away from adding a title to those won in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. Duncan was the MVP of the first three of those finals, but he’s now 37 and wrapping up his 16th season.
Tony Parker said he’s been doing his best to get Duncan back to this point for what might be the 6-foot-11 forward’s final chance at a championship. He promised Duncan they would return after blowing a 2-0 lead in the conference finals a year ago to Oklahoma City, and speculation is picking up on whether this might be Duncan’s final season in the NBA.
“I think everybody on the team, we really wanted to do it for him,” Parker said.
The Spurs now wait for Miami or Indiana to come out of the East after they swept two of their three opponents in the West. The Spurs took advantage of a three-day break in the conference finals to come into Memphis and beat a team that had lost only once on its home floor since Feb. 8.
They could use some time off between games after a physical series with the Grizzlies.
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