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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v SPURS

June 13, 2007

Tim Duncan

CLEVELAND, OHIO: Practice Day

Q. Would you say you came in this season in the best shape of your career, and if so, what did you do to get in that position?
TIM DUNCAN: Best shape I've been in in a long time. I just had some time off in the summer, and with no other responsibilities playing on any other teams, I was just able to kind of concentrate on getting strong, getting in shape. Then did my entire summer workout, like I had done in the past, I was able to get healthy and feel good coming into the season.

Q. Was there any added motivation to do that from how last year ended?
TIM DUNCAN: Absolutely, yeah, of course.

Q. The first two games you pretty much controlled the game and handled Cleveland. Last night they had a chance to win. What did they do differently last night to give themselves a chance to win?
TIM DUNCAN: Defensively they were a lot better. They were physical. Z did an excellent job on the offensive glass, gave them a lot of second shots. But I thought we also did a pretty good job on the defensive end. I think it was just a better energy game for them, a better effort game for them more than anything else.

Q. And a follow-up to that, with your defense, are you guys basically daring them to shoot the outside shots? You'll live with that if they make those?
TIM DUNCAN: No.

Q. No?
TIM DUNCAN: No. We've got people that we consider shooters of the three and we're trying to get them off the three. We consider some people that we'll live with their jump shot, just like any other player on any other team.

Q. All those years battling teams like the Lakers and the Mavs in the west, did you ever say I wish I had a Horry on my team or Finley on my team?
TIM DUNCAN: They are on my team (laughter).

Q. How proud are you to finally get one --
TIM DUNCAN: Oh, absolutely, I'm very happy for Fin. Hopefully we can get this done. Obviously it's not won until it's won, but every year that we've won we've had some guys on the team that have been around the league, have been journeymen, have done it year after year and just unable to kind of get to this level, get this opportunity. My first year, Jerome Kersey was -- it was Tony Massenburg, a lot of different guys, Kevin Willis along the way. So every year you're really proud to have a person like that, a guy like that.
Now it's Jacque and it's nice to have those guys in this situation, to be able to win a championship after being in this league for so many years and playing the game the right way for so many years, such good guys. It means a lot more to just add one and win one for them.

Q. Would you say these playoffs in particular have been more physical than the regular season; and if so, why?
TIM DUNCAN: Playoffs are always more physical, and they have been. We've played some very physical teams. The game changes in the playoffs. It takes a little while to get used to it. You get hit for a couple games and you get pushed around for a couple games, you're thinking, hey, these have got to be fouls, and then you realize I'm in the playoffs. It's not going to be officiated the same. People are going to get away with more. Once you turn the corner and come to that realization, that players are more physical and they are going to get the players to kind of decide what happens, it's a great atmosphere to play in.

Q. You guys get a lot of credit for running your system unwaveringly and doing it consistently. Do you ever see out on the court there that you guys are even close to losing it or veering away from that?
TIM DUNCAN: Veering away from what?

Q. The system and doing things --
TIM DUNCAN: Yeah, you have times, and it takes an entire season. It takes those 82 games to get things moving in the right direction. At the beginning of the year one of the points coach makes is we want to be better for more of those 48 minutes and do thing the right way for more of those 48 minutes than anyone else. It's progressive.
At the beginning of the year we might have been doing it for a quarter or maybe for a half. Being in these playoffs we might have been doing it for three quarters and giving a quarter away, and I think we're doing it for more of those 48 minutes right now than we've done it all year long.

Q. I know the deed isn't done yet, but can you talk about a fourth title in nine years, what it would mean to be considered one of the all-time great teams in league history? And Coach Popovich, kind of his role and what makes him so special?
TIM DUNCAN: As I say, we're kind of a step ahead of ourselves. We've got to get this one done, and of course we're focusing on that. It was an honor to even be thought of as that even coming into this season. To have won three championships and to have had the opportunity to have done that is an unbelievable thing. Coming into the league as a player, nothing is promised. You don't know what road your seasons in the NBA will bring. To have won three already, I feel blessed by that, and to have a team that has the ability to challenge for a playoff run, a playoff championship year in and year out, that's all you can ask for.

Q. Coach Popovich, three titles already, four for someone who's the first time as a head coach in the NBA and what he's done over the past decade now?
TIM DUNCAN: He's put in a system and he's stuck with it. It's a lot of fun to play for someone that knows exactly what they want, and he's done just that. He changes a little bit every year. He tweaks some stuff every year, but the basis of what he does and the basis of what he coaches is the same. He preaches defense, of course. Over the years we've changed our offense bit by bit to use what's worked in years past. But all in all, you walk in every year and you understand what he's going to ask from you, what he's going to need from you and what players he's going to put around myself and the rest of the guys to be able to have a good team. And to have that is outstanding.

Q. Do you see any similarities between this Cleveland team and the younger San Antonio teams?
TIM DUNCAN: That's an impossible question to ask. I don't know. They're headed in the right direction. I think Mike has them on the right track. He has them playing the right way. Of course they use a lot of our stuff. They play the way we play, and they have LeBron, they have a couple other guys who are going to be very good for a lot of years here. All I can say is they're moving in the right direction. I don't know if you can compare them to anyone. I think they're a bit of a different team. I hate to just keep saying LeBron, because LeBron is a different player than anything we've ever had, but it's a bit different but they're going in the right direction.

Q. The Western Conference all year long, people were saying whoever comes out of the West is going to win the NBA championship. How would you compare the Cavaliers and what you've gone through in the three games with them and some of the teams you've played in the playoffs out West? Is it night and day? Is it that big of a difference?
TIM DUNCAN: I can't say it's night and day. I said this at the beginning of the series. This is the toughest road that we've had to a Finals. The three teams that we've played, obviously you could -- no disrespect to any of the first round, second round or third round teams, but you could have put them in any order but we could have played them in that round and had the same kind of tough series, tough opponent.
Denver was unbelievable with the two scorers they had and the physicality they have; Phoenix, of course; Utah did one heck of a job and you know what they're going to bring to the table. And we made it through all three of those teams. I'd say we were prepared for just about anything. With the teams that we played, we were prepared for anyone.

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