Coda

I’ve been avoiding this place and this task since it became apparent what needed to happen.  Every time I catch a glimpse of the post below this one, I feel a twinge of pain as I think about what could have, might have been.  Perhaps in some parallel universe things are playing out the way we all hoped they would.

These last three post seasons have been beyond tough for fans of the Spurs, three Aprils, three flame outs.  That is not what we have grown accustomed to in the Tim Duncan era, but maybe we all missed the sunset and have been clutching desperately to the last scattered rays of day bright.  To some, the time after we no longer see the sun on the horizon is the best time of day, in others it merely means the end of something, be it the day, play time, or a set of possibilities.

We now enter the night of Tim Duncan’s career.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, many good and exciting thing can happen at night, but it is necessary.  We will never reach the dawn of the next era, without the end of this one.

This realization is difficult for me.  There has never been an athlete I identified more with than Tim Duncan.  Our births occurred just a few months apart, and the Spurs won their first title the year I graduated college and set off into adulthood.  I have sharp memories of watching Game 5 against the Knicks the night before I was set to board a jet plane and move to my new home; it seemed like a good omen at the time, and it has certainly proven to be just that.  Go further, the way Timmy has carried himself as a man, father, player, citizen, and husband neatly dovetail with the way that I try to live my life.  In a world were far too many people squander their talents or allow success to go to their heads I have always found this to be refreshing and heartening at the same time.  So my appreciation for the Spurs and Tim Duncan leave me with an inner struggle over how long I want this night to be?  Should it be like that of the Summer or Winter Solstice?  Long or short?Whatever the case may be, I plan on relishing what I’m given.

In closing, you probably won’t see me around here much this summer.  I’ll pop in as a can to update you on the draft, CBA, news, etc. but don’t be surprised if site updates are few and far between.  Thanks for a great season.