“The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”
“Agony of defeat” is exactly what Tim Duncan embodied after Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
Duncan missed a gimme basket and a follow-up shot with the San Antonio Spurs down 90-88 to the Miami Heat in the final minute of Game 7. It was the kind of basket that Shane Battier says Duncan makes eight out of 10 times. I say Duncan makes that shot 19 out of 20 times, yet this was the one he missed (video of the miss below).
Duncan was so frustrated with himself over the misses that he slapped the floor in frustration on the defensive end. Then, after a timeout was called, he leaned over disappointed with himself and walked to the team’s bench with his head down.
As the Spurs fell further behind and lost 95-88, Duncan remained dejected knowing what he had given away.
“Game 7. Missing a layup to tie the game. Making a bad decision down the stretch. Just unable to stop Dwyane [Wade] and LeBron [James]. Probably for me, Game 7 is always going to haunt me,” Duncan admitted after the game.
Duncan looked visibly frustrated, saddened, and wholly disappointed as he spoke to the media. He kept rubbing his head and frequently looked down when giving answers.
Duncan was so close to winning his fifth championship, but he and the Spurs let it get away. It’s going to take a long, long time for Duncan to get over that.
Video of Duncan’s miss below:
