The Dallas Mavericks Take A Look Back at One of the Greats

Tim Duncan has officially retired from the NBA and, as the franchise most negatively impacted by his incredible play, the Dallas Mavericks take a look back at the rivalry between two of the best to play the game.

Over the last nearly two decades, the Dallas Mavericks franchise has seen good times and bad times. Some of the worst years of the franchise happened in the early 1990’s while the best years are still a fresh memory.

Through all these good and bad times, however, one thing has been consistent. The rivalry between the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs has been one that has withstood the test of time. Through all of these years of hate and competition, the name Tim Duncan has headlined the better regardless.

Things are changing though and, no matter how much it looked like Duncan was still going strong, Father Time remains undefeated and Timmy D has officially announced his retirement from the NBA.

This probably shouldn’t come as a shock to most as Duncan finally eclipsed the ripe old age of 40 and finished 19 seasons along with 18 playoff appearances and 5 NBA championships in his career. Despite the deep loathing that accompanies his name for most Mavs fans, it is impossible to not recognize and appreciate what he was able to accomplish in his time in the league.

It feels like the Mavericks and Spurs have had a storied rival, especially when it comes to the playoffs, but the two teams have only met in the postseason 5 times in the Tim Duncan era, three times in the first round and twice in the second. The Spurs have the upper hand in playoff matchups with a 3-2 record over Dallas.

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The real rivalry between the two teams of course stems from the constant battles between the greatest player each franchise has ever seen, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki. Duncan was drafted in the 1997-98 season while Dirk was drafted just a year later in the 1998 draft.

This rivalry is one of the most impressive in league history, showing that bigger, less athletic players can still bring entertainment and amazement to the crowds involved. In 18 years of playing against each other, the two have faced off 90 different times. That is 57 regular season matchups and 33 postseason competitions.

In those 90 head-to-head battles, Duncan has scored only 16 points more than Dirk thanks to a 23-point advantage in postseason play. Both players have MVP awards, both have Finals MVP’s and both have championship rings.

It is truthfully impossible to put this great matchup between future NBA legends into words without shorting one or the other on their accomplishments. So instead, here is a highlight film of possibly the best performance by each player individually against the other. Enjoy.

Although we are saying goodbye to one of the greats, we will remember him for his incredibly consistent play, his knack for the fundamentals, and the entertainment we were all able to enjoy watching him face off against Dirk for the past 18 year. Thank you for everything you brought the NBA and the game of basketball, Tim Duncan. We hope you enjoy retirement, you have earned it.