In basketball years he's ancient. And yet he still gets it done. There aren't many players over the last 20 years in NBA history who've been more fun to watch than Tim Duncan. On the court he's a tribute to aging. A combination of experience and maxing his skill set have allowed him to outlast his contemporaries. He doesn't have the spring he once did. He relies on veteran moves over athleticism. His advanced intellect may or may not have allowed him to play this long. Most importantly, even though he's pushing middle age he still looks about 35 years younger than Greg Oden. Staying on the floor keeps you young.
Off the court is a different story. Duncan is a throwback to an era where we didn't get too much information about big name athletes. It's nice to see the rare player who doesn't feel the need to have a Twitter account. Those guys are fading out in all sports with just a scant few remaining (ex's: Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, etc.) But while Jeter has the hotshot rep, and Brady is married to a supermodel, Duncan's had to don the "boring" label.
It's not necessarily bad, just different. The public's got an athlete archetype that TD doesn't fit.
That being said, you can't spell "The Big Fundamental" without "fun." And that's what birthdays are all about. Even though he's in the midst of the playoffs, there's still time to celebrate. Here's our Educated Guess on How Tim Duncan's Spending Today, his 38th Birthday.
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7:00 a.m.: Awakens from deep slumber, shuts off white noise machine playing Beethoven's "Recollections of Country Life," at reasonable volume.
7:12 a.m.: Starts the day with corn flakes—this time with a spoonful of Stevia on top!
7:44 a.m.: Unscrews chest plate, does repairs on his internal hard drive.
8:15-11:15 a.m.: Waits three hours for the cable guy, but doesn't mind.
"How poor are they that they have not patience? What wound did ever heal but by degrees?" - William Shakespeare Tim Duncan
11:16 a.m.: Gets pissed after realizing cable guy walked off with DVR full of C-SPAN.
11:18 a.m.: Chases after cable truck, neighborhood kids excitedly ask him to play pickup game with them.
12:03 p.m.: Calls police to report self for noise violation after turning up "Jeopardy" too loud.
2:48 p.m.: Shows up to practice, greets team with legendary sense of humor.
2:56 p.m.: Practice interrupted by loud explosion from locker room.
5:27 p.m.: After practice, does personal prep for Game Three by coming up with anagrams for "Dirk Nowitzki."
7:04 p.m.: Treats himself to a shopping spree at Casual Male XL.
7:48 p.m.: Cuts loose at Renaissance Fair.
9:30 p.m. Sharp: Finishes day in the missionary position.
