San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka in overtime of Game 6 of the Western Conference finals NBA playoff series in Oklahoma City on May 31, 2014.
Switzerland’s Roger Federer reacts after missing a return during the fourth round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France, on June 1, 2014.Older than dirt.
Those were the words San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich used late Saturday night to describe the vast majority of his team after its Western Conference series-clinching overtime win at Oklahoma City.
Yet anyone wishing to predict how the Spurs might do in their second straight trip to the NBA Finals against the two-time defending champion Miami Heat might do well to observe tennis great Roger Federer’s exit from the French Open on Sunday.
Losing for the first time in a decade before the quarterfinals, Federer finally proved too old for dirt — or at least the red clay version of it — in a five-set loss to the enigmatic Ernests Gulbis.
Much as the Spurs’ three best players — Tim Duncan (38), Manu Ginobili (36) and Tony Parker (32) — are all approaching antique status for professional athletes, Federer is less than three months from turning 33.