Vucevic vs. Duncan
Vucevic reeled of a big game with Duncan on him, though, and that is probably the best takeaway from this game. He is capable of shaking even one of the best defensive players in the NBA, notwithstanding Duncan is past his prime.
There is a reason Duncan is an All-Star yet again while Vucevic is still awaiting his first bid, but Vucevic’s soft touch tonight and strong performance on the boards indicates that he is on his way to becoming one of the premier bigs in the Association.
Vucevic was able to pull Duncan away from the hole for long jumpers and when he caught it inside, his soft hooks fell both with the left and right hand. Vucevic’s proliferation of post moves inside continue to be the most impressive feature of his game, and it is only getting better.
Vucevic finished with 25 points and 13 boards, putting up a balanced night’s work with 13 coming in the first half. He was single covered by Duncan most of the night, and he did a good job of trying to front Duncan on the other end. It was just that even when Vucevic sealed it off, the Spurs found way to thrive off the attention for weak-side threes.
Pippen Ain't Easy
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It is a formula that has won the team four championships, so there is not much sense in asserting the lowly Magic would puncture it. It happens from time to time in the regular season, but it really takes a perfect storm for a team like Orlando to flap a veteran team coached by a legendary coach. Jacque Vaughn would not win a chess game against Gregg Popovich, simply stated.
Duncan was responsible for eight consecutive points (one an assist to Parker, the other six scored himself) in late the fourth quarter for the Spurs, showing once again what separates a great young talent like Vucevic from a to-be first ballot Hall of Famer. The Spurs pulled ahead by six points due to that and forced the Magic to call timeout down by six with just two minutes remaining in the game.
Next: Enough moral victories