It was a fitting end to an illustrious NBA career as San Antonio Spurs’ legend David Robinson 
capped his final season walking away a champion in 2003.
The Spurs finished off the New Jersey Nets in game six of the NBA Finals and visions of Robinson walking on the court with arms raised, big smile still dance in Spurs fans’ minds.
But will Tim Duncan get to experience the joy of sailing off into retirement just as Robinson with the lockout raging on?
It’s a question Duncan has been silent on but is on the minds of Spurs fans.
John Karalis out at Crossover Chronicles recently wrote about how the lockout could wreck a fitting end to Duncan’s and Kevin Garnett’s career. Here is what he had to say.
The bottom line is these two giants of the game, should this truly be their final season, deserve better than this. They have meant too much to the game. They have meant too much to their cities. And they’ve meant too much to the fans. Players of this caliber deserve a graceful exit.
What they don’t deserve is a season cut short by an ego-driven labor mess. What they don’t deserve is to play out their final days in a league that has driven the casual fan into hibernation.
These two deserve better than a season marred by labor fights, and they deserve better than a season that will largely be ignored. It’s just another reason for us to hang our heads in disgust as this mess trudges on.
The chances of Duncan actually winning it all and sail off into retirement is low. To win an NBA title takes a lot of factors and a bit of luck. It’s not to say the Spurs cannot do it but it will be a tough road. The Thunder, Mavericks, Lakers, and Grizzlies will be better next season.
But even if the lockout does cut short Duncan’s swan song and he does not win his fifth title would not take away from what he has done throughout his career in San Antonio. He won four titles, countless awards, and considered an NBA legend.
