Tim Duncan and David Robinson Anchor the San Antonio Spurs All-Time Squad

Duncan may rarely complete an alley-oop and seldom blocks a shot into the first row, but his game has always excited me. There are many reasons why Duncan is my favorite athlete, the one who pushed my basketball spectator-ship from interested to fanatical. I could cite his flawless jump hook, his passing, his career numbers in big games or his deserved reputation as the best help defender of this era.

Instead, I look at every Spurs team since Robinson retired, and see Duncan has imprinted himself in them all.

I have to say, though, that Mike Breen should quit calling him an "underrated star." With four championships, two MVPs, three Finals MVPs, yearly All-NBA and All-Defense selections and 10 All-Star appearances to his credit, I would say no one who knows the game underrates him.

Some may remember the sweltering summer of 2000, when the Orlando Magic tried to lure Duncan to play alongside Grant Hill. Popovich and GM R.C. Buford, according to the San Antonio Express-News, answered Orlando's money dangle with a mess of impressive pie charts convincing Duncan that the team was poised to win if he stayed on board.

In the end, the charts and graphs were meaningless. He decided to stay in San Antonio when the Magic let Duncan know that his wife Amy would not be welcome on team trips.

C: David Robinson (1989-2003)

Robinson, like Gervin and Silas, remains entrenched in the San Antonio community. He bought about 15 percent of the Spurs and attends games now as a part owner. Many franchise stars retire and leave for plusher landscapes or multi-million dollar homes in the hills. Robinson lives a low-key life with his family in a suburban San Antonio neighborhood.

As a Rockets fan during the heat of the I-10 rivalry, I could never bring myself to root against Robinson. My Houston roots kept me a Rockets fan first. The Spurs stole the rest of me thanks to this guy.

I met him briefly at a Spurs game two years ago and his benevolence confirmed everything I thought I saw in him as a player. Thank you, David. Thank you.

The Reserves

PG: Tony Parker (2001-?)

No one who remembers a timid kid who trudged into an abrasive 2001 training camp predicted Parker would become Popovich's "stallion" point guard. 

Maybe you saw Pop bench Parker and chew him out in the final two contests of the 2003 NBA Finals. Maybe you saw Speedy Claxton complete the job Parker botched and thought that was harsh. That was nothing. 

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