The last time Duncan was in such a mess during a game was also during his rookie period.
But it wasn’t his NBA rookie year; it was his NCAA freshman year, just after he joined Wake Forest University.
During the game against Clemson Tigers, he was utterly dominated on both offense and defense by their center, Sharon Wright.
At that time, Duncan was still very young, while Sharon Wright was already a mature senior player.
That same year, Wright was selected sixth overall in the first round by the 76ers to enter the NBA.
It was quite normal for the young Duncan to be bullied by such a player, as he wasn’t yet able to compete at the highest level of strength in the NCAA.
After the game, the coach of Wake Forest University, Odom, called Duncan into the office. He didn’t criticize Duncan but rather consoled him.
Odom worried that after such an embarrassing defeat, Duncan might lose confidence, and confidence is more precious than gold.
However, Duncan was neither disheartened nor depressed. He even smiled on his always calm face and said to the coach, "Coach, I’m fine. I really enjoyed the game and learned a lot."
At that time, Duncan was 18 years old and already quite mature, able to face failure correctly and draw lessons from it.
By his sophomore year, Duncan truly began to exert his strength. He averaged 16.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks per game.
Afterwards, he was always considered by scouts, coaches, and experts as the best basketball player in the All-America, a lock for the NBA’s first overall pick.
He never won the NCAA championship, he lost many crucial games, but no one doubted his ability and strength.
Including Duncan himself, since leaving the Viking Islands and coming to the North American mainland, his confidence has been growing.
At first, people thought that the inhabitants of the Viking Islands lived without clothes, nude, and Duncan, this "islander," was full of curiosity and prejudice.
Duncan dispelled the prejudice of the mainland residents through his performance. This giant who emerged from the sea had an unparalleled influence on the basketball court.
But tonight, in the ancient Boston Arena, at the moment of the retirement of the great number 00 jersey, under the gaze of Celtics basketball legends and the green spirit, Duncan fell into an unprecedented self-doubt about his abilities.
Three quarters, 0 points, not even a decent shot attempt.
All methods failed, and even receiving the ball became difficult.
From the first quarter of the game, Duncan seemed to have entered a shallow area, with the sea washing over his feet, icy and biting, yet not terrifying.
He felt he could just turn around and leave, leave the dangerous waters, go to the safe land where his sister left a basketball court for him.
As time passed, the tide rose quickly, past his ankles, and the water grew even colder, his hands and feet becoming numb, movements becoming sluggish.
But the sky was very blue, the wind gentle, the sea foaming white, his feet sunk into the soft sand; it felt quite comfortable.
But soon, the sky instantly turned dark, the wind became harsh, blowing whoosh whoosh, sea birds disappeared, a typhoon was coming.
Water suddenly surged over his knees, rushing towards his waist, wanting to turn around at this time yet finding himself no longer in a shallow area but in the midst of dark water.
The salty water rose continuously to his belly, chest, with fierce winds sweeping the darkness and raising deadly waves, at this moment a giant shark fin appeared not far away, intermittently visible in the waves...
"Tim, Tim!" Bobby Berman shouted at Duncan from the noisy Fleet Center bench, "Stay focused! The game isn’t over yet!"
Seeing Duncan slightly distracted, Berman reminded him not to be overwhelmed by the current bad situation.
But such a bad situation was indeed something Duncan had never encountered, something unanticipated.
The best defender in history giving his all in man-to-man defense, yet Duncan couldn’t score a single point, such disparity and contrast were devastating.
The more devastating it was, the more impatient his performance, the worse he played, then his mindset collapsed more, entering a vicious cycle.
This was a situation Gan Guoyang often induced in opponents when attacking them, using this cycle to suppress them to a far below normal performance level.
Getting out of this cycle often didn’t rely on technique, stamina, but on the psychological state, on how to face the best players in history properly.
Some players couldn’t get out, resulting in playing exceptionally poorly every time they met Ah Gan, far below their normal state.
For example, Horace Grant, whose career statistics against Ah Gan were miserable, a typical "Gan-phobia" case, one of the main culprits in the Bulls’ two losses to the Trail Blazers.
Other players got out through different means, even achieving transcendence.
For example, Sam Bowie, who recognized his own position, overcame mental barriers, actively confronted Ah Gan, and had a decent career.
And someone like Rodman, who knew he couldn’t beat you but refused to accept it, didn’t have any vicious cycle, instead becoming stronger with setbacks.
O’Neal was a different kind, convincing himself with self-deception, mental victory method, and even walked out a path where he could calmly face Ah Gan.
This time it was Duncan’s turn. Faced with Berman’s concern and encouragement, Duncan said, "Coach, I need to score. I must make a basket."
Duncan himself understood that he had to score, had to score over Ah Gan’s head, to break free with his own hands.
In the ocean, he could choose basketball because he feared sharks.
Now, he had no way to return to the sea; he must continue to fight.
Berman, however, didn’t quite agree with Duncan. He understood what Duncan meant, but he thought that in Duncan’s current state, the more he played, the worse it would become.