This is my first post so bear with me. :o) Hope you enjoy it.

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As a kid I grew up as a Michael Jordan fan but when Jordan retired for the 2nd time in 1998, I was so disheartened that I stopped watching NBA games ( I shouldn't have, I miss the 1999 Spurs title). Fast forward 5 years later. It was in the heat of the 2003 Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and the Mavericks. That was the first time I took notice of that guy-who-wears-the-#21-jersey(yes, I overlooked him during his rookie season). He was virtually impossible to defend one-on-one, double team him and his going to kick it out to the open man. His game was simple, not flashy, simple but effective. One thing struck me though, he was making a LOT of shots but I did not see him celebrate( or not that much celebration). When he makes a shot, he just runs back and plays defense. After the series against the Mavericks, I found myself following the Spurs in the Finals of 2003. We(me and some friends) were entertained(they are NOT boring by any means) by the off-beat play of that Argentine rookie and that quicker-than-bullet French point guard. There plays gave us the WOAH everytime. But then again, that guy-who-wears-the-#21-jersey silently dominated each game, the same way he dominated the WCF series. He makes a post move, gets the bucket, poker face, then back on defense. He makes a post move, gets double-teamed, kicks it out to the open man, open man makes the shot, then back on defense. He's a machine, an effective one, a dominating one. By this time I already knew he was(I Googled). ROY, 1999 Finals MVP, 2-time MVP back to back, averaging 20 and 10 per game every season. I mean, he's as accomplished as anybody can be he should be boasting and celebrating and be cocky and taunt opponent's fans in every BIG bucket that he makes(most superstars do these), except he DOESN'T. I was impressed.

You see, I don't get sold with dunks, I don't get sold with hype, I don't get sold with media coverage but I definitely bought that guy-who-wears-the-#21-jersey's humility.