NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SPURS v SUNS

May 24, 2005

Tim Duncan

TIM DUNCAN: (Laughs.) I'd go more with Manu (Ginobilii) on this one. You know what, Rob takes shots. He takes big shots. He makes big shots. I don't think there's a person in that locker room that's going to dispute the shots he takes. He took it upon himself to pop out there and Shawn (Marion) was right with him. He took the shoot anyway. I told him in the locker room, I was like, dude, I am so glad you shot that ball. I was so tired at that point. I am glad he hit it.

TIM DUNCAN: Yeah, I kind of had to. I was in the slump the first half there not playing very well, then I got the fourth foul. That put me to the bench. I was anxious to get back on the floor. When I got back out, I tried to be a little bit more assertive. Trying to help out the guys, Manu (Ginobili) and Tony (Parker) were playing very well. They were really keeping us in the game. I wanted part of that and help it out. A shot or two went down, started feeling more confident and started to really get aggressive.

TIM DUNCAN: He's matured so much from last season to now, but I think he uses every experience. He learned from every experience and he uses it to his advantage. I think he's been great with that. Last year, very frustrating end for him. He's continued to compete, Steve (Nash) has played incredible, great, he really has. But in the midst of all that, Tony (Parker) has been right on his butt through every pick and roll, every pass he makes, every shot he makes Tony is right there trying to play the percentages. He gets a hand up, he continues to play defense, maybe down the fourth quarter a shot doesn't fall or he gets a turnover. And that's what he's done.

TIM DUNCAN: We need to get that percentage down. That's really tough. It's really hard to beat a team in that situation there. We were a bit lucky tonight. We sustained, we stayed with it. Down in that fourth quarter, we made some big shots, we made some stops, but at the same time, too many layups, too many things at the basket. Steve (Nash) was awesome throughout the entire game. I look at the stats and it says he missed like nine times. I don't remember one time he missed, honestly. He was great the whole night. But we'll continue to get through that. They are so good at the pick and roll. Steve, he keeps his dribble, he continues, and he plays with it until there's something there. He's great at that. We're going to have to counter that a little bit. We're not going to win four games with them shooting 55%. We're going to have to get that down.

TIM DUNCAN: He (Ginobili) has been great for us especially against these guys. His ability to slash to the basket and start finding people and making plays, he's been like that throughout the whole series, especially against these guys all year long. In the first half he did that to keep us in the game and through the end there, who better to put it in his hands, give him some space, let him draw fouls, make shots. He's so creative with that and that's where we want him

TIM DUNCAN: I think it will be great for the team in general. Guys are dinged up, little things that are annoying. Myself with the ankle, a couple of days will be great for me. At the same time we need to stay on it, stay focused and keep that sharpness. We don't want to come out that third game knowing that they are going to come out with a lot of energy and want to jump on us and give that one away. We will stay focused. Stay sharp through practices but at the same time we'll use that time to really recover.

TIM DUNCAN: It's an evolution. We can't say that we'll play that way in the fourth quarter all the time, and in times past fourth quarters have been a bit of our problem. We haven't executed like that, but we're doing a really good job finishing games this series. I think that's through experience, that's through having guys like Rob and Tony who has been through it, Manu has been through it, and myself out there, and understanding what we want and understanding that we want to get a possession, a good possession every time down.

TIM DUNCAN: A little bit. It also -- it's through the flow of the game honestly. We have been playing like that, there will be times where Manu (Ginobili) will get a bunch of possessions in a row or Tony (Parker) or at times we don't want anyone to hold onto the ball. We'll move it around really have everybody touch the ball to move the defense. Pop knows what he is doing. It's by design. He understands if someone is hot he is going to ride them for a while. Last game, fourth quarter made a couple of shots in a row, it came back to me. That's just how it is going to go.