Tim Duncan was a nightmare to guard despite not possessing a dominant low-post game like Shaquille O’Neal or a flashy post-game like Hakeem Olajuwon, ‘The Big Fundamental’ had both a face-up and low-block game while he was well-adept at using the backboard to drain his shots. Thus, defenders employed low blows to stifle the Spurs legend.
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On the All The Smoke podcast, Matt Barnes asked the former Bulls Center about going up against Tim Duncan during his NBA heyday. Brad Miller revealed his cheap tricks to stymie the 3x Finals MVP.
The 2x All-Star who battled it out with Shaq called Duncan his most difficult cover and admitted that he employed underhanded tricks that escaped the referees. Miller confessed that he had to pinch Duncan’s hips to contain him. He also disclosed that it was his go-trick for most nights as a way to disbalance the offensive player.
“Beast, beast, beast. I mean my tricks, every time I played Tim, I’d always grab pinch on the hip. Every time you pinch someone on the hip, 99% of the time they’d dip and drop arms so you can get around. I would do that sh** to him,” Brad Miller confessed to Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.
However, these tricks weren’t enough to deter the 5x NBA champion as the former Bulls Center admitted that Duncan would still “bust my a**”. Additionally, the 13-year NBA player crowned Duncan as “number one” and the “toughest guy” he had to ever guard. These words are not surprising considering Tim Duncan’s dominance over Brad Miller.
A match-up that Duncan owned
Miller and Duncan went head-to-head on 31 occasions and The Big Fundamental had a dominant 22-9 win record against him per Land of Basketball. In those 31 games, the Spurs PF put up 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game. He had +11.3 points, +4.3 rebounds, +1.5 blocks, and +0.5 steals per game compared to Brad Miller, showcasing the tilted nature of the clashes.
The two clashed just once in the playoffs during the 2006 Western Conference First Round and Timmy’s Spurs prevailed in six games against the Sacramento Kings. Miller did outscore Duncan by two points in a Game 4, but he was thoroughly outplayed by the Spurs talisman throughout the series. These are expected numbers considering Duncan’s stature as one of the best players to play in the NBA.
His ability to win the game on both ends landed him an NBA title just during his sophomore year. During his subsequent rings, he repeatedly took down defending champions to stamp his authority. The Spurs are hoping that Victor Wembanyam can replicate such a decorated legacy.
