Spurs Sleeping Giant awakens to dominate the NBA

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Just when you thought the Western Conference won’t have a giant as dominant as Shaquille O’Neal, two towers step up.

First, it’s Yao Ming. He’s playing with Tracy McGrady beautifully for the first time. They are forming quite a solid one-two punch these days, making everybody from the West remember how dreadful it was when a young Shaq and Kobe tandem destroyed them on the hardwood.

Now, there’s another giant in Texas who was asleep for so long, we almost forgot all about him as an Argentinian and a French man took the reigns from the once dominant leader. Well, that giant leader is back folks and he’s leading the San Antonio Spurs to one of the better starts in franchise history with probably the best start of HIS professional career.

Yes, I’m talking about no.21 himself, Tim Duncan.

Tim Duncan picked it up offensively and defensively last Sunday, destroying the Sacramento Kings 108-99, in a game the Spurs lose sharp shooter Brent Barry for a while. Well, after Tim Duncan dropped a season-best 35 points, the Spurs hardly missed Brent Barry at all.

Brent Barry sat in the medical office at Arco Arena on Sunday evening waiting for doctors to stitch together the 2-inch gash in his head. He didn’t need a TV to know the Spurs were doing just fine without him.

‘’I heard a lot of booing in the back,’’ Barry said, ‘’and I figured it was a good thing for us.’’

The jeers were directed, in part, at Tim Duncan. He had just buried a 16-foot, catch-and-shoot turnaround jumper at the second-quarter buzzer to give the Spurs the lead at halftime. By the time Barry returned to the bench late in the third quarter, Duncan was well on his way to a season-best 35-point performance and the Spurs were cruising to a 108-99 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

The San Antonio Spurs with a powerhouse like Tim Duncan discovering the fountain of youth, looks stronger than ever.

Who will win the 2007 NBA Championship? Here are some odds from Bodog:

Chicago Bulls 7/1

Detroit Pistons 9/1

Dallas Mavericks 7/2

Miami Heat 4/1 (boo!)