#NBATogetherLive: Tim Duncan's monster performance lifts San Antonio Spurs past New Jersey Nets for second NBA title

Gilbert McGregor

#NBATogetherLive: Tim Duncan's monster performance lifts San Antonio Spurs past New Jersey Nets for second NBA title image

Game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals saw Tim Duncan put the perfect bow on a dream season.

Duncan was named league MVP for a second-straight year after his averages of 23.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 2.3 assists over 81 games led the San Antonio Spurs to a 60-22 record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

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After coming up short in the 2002 NBA Playoffs, the 2003 Spurs were on a mission, defeating the Phoenix Suns, defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks in six games apiece to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

The opponent? Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin and the New Jersey Nets.

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After the teams split the first four games of the series, Duncan led San Antonio to a road win in a pivotal Game 5 with 29 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in 46 minutes of action. 

Up 3-2, the Spurs headed back to what was then known as the SBC Center with two chances to close things out.

#Duncan

Duncan saw to it that they only needed one.

In what is still one of the most dominant closeout performances to this day, Duncan finished with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and eight blocks to lead the Spurs to an 88-77 win and their second NBA title in five years. Duncan is one of just six players in NBA history to record a postseason triple-double with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Dave Cowens, Kevin Garnett and Bill Russell).

The feat has only been accomplished nine times, with Chamberlain doing so on four separate occasions.

For the series, Duncan averaged 24.2 points, 17.0 rebounds 5.3 assists, and 5.3 blocks per game, numbers more than worthy of his second Finals MVP trophy. He and the Spurs would go on to win three more titles, with him earning one more Finals MVP in 2005.

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.