Duncan might have his wake-up call
Feud with referee could spark star, Spurs against tough Suns, Mavs
 | Spurs forward Tim Duncan, back left, has words for referee Jerry Crawford, right, after Crawford ejected him Sunday night. |
Donna Mcwilliam / AP |
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Duncan is about to turn 31; Crawford is 55.
Duncan is 7-0, Crawford stands roughly about 5-8.
Duncan’s reach is undetermined, but suffice to say he has a giant wing span that would allow him to stick and move freely, whereas Crawford has stubby little arms that might occasionally graze Duncan’s kneecaps as Duncan keeps him at bay with one arm extended and its hand pressed on top of Crawford’s dome.
Of course, all bets are off if the bout involves ultimate fighting rather than traditional boxing. There’s really no telling what Crawford might do to Duncan. Given Crawford’s ornery nature, Duncan’s only hope would be to try to get the IRS to go after him again.
This topic comes up, of course, because in an unusual sequence of events, the Spurs’ superstar big man and the NBA’s most pugnacious bulldog have called each other out. Soon their respective posses will be exchanging insults about each others’ mamas, pretty girls will choose sides and an impartial observer will be assigned to oversee the combatants’ bling.
But perhaps what is says more than anything is that Tim Duncan has some fighting spirit, which isn’t always apparent. And it may have surfaced at the perfect time, when pundits are conceding the West title to Dallas, and if not Dallas, then Phoenix.
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The tiff between Duncan and Crawford happened Sunday afternoon in Dallas. Crawford assessed two technical fouls to Duncan only 1 minute and 16 seconds apart. Before the second, Duncan was laughing on the bench. Duncan alleges that Crawford saw him laughing and said repeatedly, “Do you want to fight?”
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