Everyone Loves Tim Duncan- an article for InsideHoops

Please, don't blame me for the title. My suggestion was significantly less Ramon-esque. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :lol --><img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br>
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<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Everyone Loves Tim Duncan</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
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By Sam Reinhart | June 16, 2005 <br>
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- You have to love the NBA's marketing department (also known as "Shaq"). You have to love the way they promote players until they're purple and gold in the face. The first pick of the NBA draft comes with a guaranteed contract and a nickname good for three years. Afterall, who wouldn't want to cheer on The Flash, Mighty Mouse, White Chocolate or King James?<br>
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When an injured Chris Webber forced Peja Stojakovic to take over the reigns in Sacramento, the media billed him as the next Larry Bird. Quite possibly because Larry's name was easier to spell.<br>
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Shaquille O'Neal is a fast food restaurant, of sorts, for nicknames. Superman, Shaq-Fu, the Big Aristotle, Shaq Diesel. He even went as far as anointing himself the Most Dominant Ever.<br>
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But deep in the heart of South Texas is a small market called San Antonio. They rarely make any noise other than around N.I.O.S.A., but they are there. And they're in the Finals. Not that anyone would notice.<br>
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The engine running the machine is a little-known player by the name of Tim Duncan. Drafted as the first overall pick out of Wake Forest, Tim led the Spurs to their first title in 1999, and their second in 2003. But if you ask him, he wasn't the reason they won. It was Coach Pop; it was David; it was the chemistry and his teammates.<br>
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Tim doesn't wag his finger, or test the durability of the rims. He doesn't scream or fight or punch fans. He stares. And if he is really mad, he makes his eyes bulge. The last time I checked, such reactions don't get you air time on Sports Center. But if you're Tim Duncan, it doesn't matter.<br>
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He lets the winning speak for itself.<br>
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Replacing windmill dunks with precision bank shots, Duncan has methodically gone about his business, averaging career numbers while getting overlooked by the high-wire act of Manu Ginobili, and the celebrity dating of Tony Parker. But it's hard to argue this is anyone's team but his, with the Spurs on the NBA's highest stage for the third time in seven years.<br>
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It is no coincidence that the Spurs' franchise has been the most successful in all of professional sports over the past seven years. And for that, we can thank Tim Duncan - the loveable, huggable, most dominating player ever. <br>
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"NEVER underestimate the heart of a champion." -Rudy Tomjanovic</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p204.ezboard.com/bsanantoniospurs62937.showUserPublicProfile?gid=blondie4spurs>Blondie4Spurs</A>  <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://homepage.eircom.net/~bray/em/orose.gif" BORDER=0> at: 6/17/05 12:00 am<br></i>

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Tim doesn't wag his finger, or test the durability of the rims. He doesn't scream or fight or punch fans. He stares. And if he is really mad, he makes his eyes bulge. The last time I checked, such reactions don't get you air time on Sports Center. But if you're Tim Duncan, it doesn't matter.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br>
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This is who Duncan...a quite-easy-going-doing-his-job guy... <p> <!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://sahoops.net/banners/sfi.jpg"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--><br>
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Sam, absolutely SUPERB piece of work! <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6171/GD.jpg"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--><br>
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Sam--Great job as usual!<br>
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Go <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :logo --><img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/logo.gif ALT=":logo"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> Go!! <p></p><i></i>

They took out the "Timmy Bear" stuff, and changed the title, but oh well.<br>
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Misti really helped in editing this and correcting far too many gramatical errors. She did a spectacular job, and for that I owe her one. <br>
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Thanks, Misti <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p>___________________________________________<br>
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"NEVER underestimate the heart of a champion." -Rudy Tomjanovic</p><i></i>

Super Job SAM - you're building yourself quite a resume.....<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :wink --><img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/winksmile.gif ALT=":wink"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://www.sahoops.net/jackie/blondie4spursbanner.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></p><i></i>

And what the ISHiots thought of it...<br>
<!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://p089.ezboard.com/finsidehoopsfrm1.showMessage?topicID=54018.topic" target="top">Lovable TD from the Main Page</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :wacko --><img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/wacko.gif ALT=":wacko"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p>--<br>
<!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:brown;font-size:small;">I come from a dusty place<br>
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from the ISH forum comments on that article:<br>
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<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Is he really likeable? He's certainly not objectionable...which is halfway there...but likeable. Do even the most hard-core SA fans watch TD play and say "I really like that guy"? <br>
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I'd like to think you all have read enough of my stuff to know I don't just end it abruptly, and generally do a decent job of tieing the conclusion into the point of the article. What ISH posted did just the opposite. This is because, simply, there was a bit more to it that they left out.<br>
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The original title was "Timmy Bear- the loveable, hugable, most dominating player ever. "Loveable" and "hugable" both supporting the Timmy Bear metaphor, and "most dominating player ever" supporting the rest of the article.<br>
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The last paragraph originally read as such-<br>
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"It is no coincidence that the Spurs' franchise has been the most successful in all of professional sports over the past seven years. And for that, we can thank Tim Duncan - the loveable, huggable, most dominating player ever. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>San Antonio's very own Timmy Bear.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->"<br>
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There, does that sound better? Probably because it IS better. I did not work this piece over with an Ignorant Stick before I submited it. I knew what I was doing. They, however, did not. The article wasn't about how the media overhypes anyone (a point of view easily taken from the article when you remove my two original phrases), it was about how Duncan goes quietly about his work, not needing a nickname or a flashy move to validate his career.<br>
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But that's just my bit of complaining I had to do when someone imposed their own will upon what I did. I had agreed to their post-submission wording that I approved any edits or changes, and as such am forced to whole-heartedly appreciate the fact they even posted it. And I do. But I don't agree with their change of the tone.<br>
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"NEVER underestimate the heart of a champion." -Rudy Tomjanovic</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p204.ezboard.com/bsanantoniospurs62937.showUserPublicProfile?gid=samr@sanantoniospurs62937>Samr</A> at: 6/16/05 11:37 pm<br></i>

yeah sam, beautiful article. i love it. <p>I suck at doing signatures so i stopped.</p><i></i>