SCANNING THE MARKETPLACE…
There is nothing fundamental about tossing a lob off the glass to yourself, but before he was known as the Big Fundamental, rookie Tim Duncan was doing exactly that. Playing his 25th NBA game against Houston at the Alamodome on December 20, 1997, the first pick of that summer's draft flung the ball off the backboard, met it in the air and finished, a flash of invention from a rookie already being discussed in terms usually reserved for finished products. San Antonio won 100-87, and the 21-year-old filled out the kind of line that would define the next two decades: efficient, complete, unbothered. A unanimous Rookie of the Year and an All-Star berth arrived that same season. Duncan finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
SCANNING THE MARKETPLACE…