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The 2003 NBA Finals pitted then-two-time MVP Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets’ Kenyon Martin. Martin, a former No. 1 pick, was important for the Nets in trying to slow down Duncan.
On the “All The Smoke” podcast, the former All-Star recalled his battles with TD during the 2003 NBA Finals:
“Boy, Timmy [Duncan] was a problem, some of the numbers he put up in that series, dawg? Yeah! And blocking everything. He did his thing.
"I figured out how to guard people because of having to guard him. He never shot that bank shot on me, ever. Shoutout to him, he made me better. Tim Duncan made me better. He made me a better basketball player and defender.”
Tim Duncan led both teams in scoring and rebounding in that series. He averaged 24.2 points and 17.0 rebounds per game. He also averaged 5.3 blocks per game, which is a Finals record. Several of those blocks were on Kenyon Martin himself.
Martin declared on the podcast that he never had any help when he guarded TD. Highlights of the series, however, showed it wasn’t the case. Nets head coach Byron Scott previously put Dikembe Mutombo on Duncan, which proved to be an act of folly.
After Tim Duncan torched the team with only one defender guarding him, Scott consistently sent double-teams. Although New Jersey’s help defense wasn’t as consistent when it was Kenyon Martin who guarded Duncan, double-teaming was present in some possessions.
San Antonio looked in trouble after the Nets stole home-court advantage with a Game 2 win over the Texas based team. TD, however, wouldn’t let his team down. Despite New Jersey hosting the next three games, Duncan refused to fold. He was the biggest reason why the Spurs won 2 out of 3 in New Jersey.
In pivotal Game 5, the Nets’ last home game, Tim Duncan finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. The Spurs grabbed a crucial 3-2 series lead and had momentum heading into Game 6 for a potential series-clinching win.
Tim Duncan saved his best for last against the New Jersey Nets
With the San Antonio Spurs just one win away from their second title in the Duncan era, the former Wake Forest superstar played his best. The New Jersey Nets decided to let the others beat them, so TD found different ways to impact the game. He led the Spurs to another championship after posting a jaw-dropping 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and eight blocks.
Immediately after the game, some statisticians asserted that Tim Duncan should have been awarded the first quadruple-double in NBA Finals history. They made a compelling case that he should have got 10 blocks, instead of eight, to make the record official.
Duncan won the NBA Finals MVP in 2003, the second of his career. Kenyon Martin, after his battles with the Spurs legend, made his first and only All-Star team in 2004. He never made it to the NBA Finals again, while TD added three more titles to his resume after 2003.
Guess the Lakers players!
