Tim Duncan talked the talk and then walked the walk. Before the start of the NBA Finals between Duncan's San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat, Duncan set off a mini-firestorm by assuring reporters his team would emerge victorious this time in a rematch of the 2013 finals won by Miami in seven games.
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LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and all the Heat immediately pounced on Duncan's words, seeking to transform them into fuel to use against the Spurs. But in the end, to say Duncan and the Spurs got the last word would be an understatement as huge as the mismatch the five-game series proved to be.
Just as Duncan predicted, the Spurs are champs but even he probably didn't see the ease in which they would get there. The Spurs won the last three games of the series over the two-time defending champs by an average of 19 points and it could have been worse.
"Very special," Duncan told USA Today of the Spurs dominance. "To do it at home, to do it with my kids and my family and my friends here made it so much more special. Just a great experience, and a great experience for them. For whatever reason, it is sweeter than any other, whether it be because of the time frame, because I'm coming towards the end of my career... all of those things make it that much more special."
Duncan averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds during the Finals, but more than any of that he set the tone for the Spurs. Did so by uttering those words that put his teammates on alert and in a winning frame of mind.
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