Plantar fasciitis: the season killer

Tim Duncan suffers from plantar fasciitis. According to Healthlink, it's an "inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thin layer of tough tissue supporting the arch of the foot. Repeated microscopic tears of the plantar fascia cause pain. " According to me, it spells the end of the Spurs' title hopes.

The only medicine is rest. Months of it. I doubt I have to tell you there isn't any rest scheduled on Duncan's Outlook calendar until sometime in July. As a result, Timmy D's going to have grumpy feet the rest of the season, and while he can't actually make it worse by playing on it, the playoff grind could cause him agony. He'll need more rest and will be at least a little distracted by the pain. It can be hard to dominate when every push off your foot causes one of those microscopic tears.

Duncan has scored double digits in every game. He's working on 7 double-doubles in a row. But his scoring is down a touch for the year, and watching him, he seems to be working harder than usual to accomplish even the little things. Even if he gets past the Mavs in the second round, can he keep up with the Suns and a fresh-legged Amare Stoudamire in the conference finals? If so, what on Earth could he have left in the tank for the Pistons? The Spurs seem to hate a repeat, and unless Parker's ascension to top 5 PG is complete, I suspect this condition could keep them from one.

Michael Finley's career descent began with a bout of plantar fasciitis in 2001. Until then, he was the league's iron man and a quality all-around guard. I'm not here to predict the same kind of crash and burn for Duncan, but when you factor in his ankle troubles in previous seasons, he does appear to be more fragile as he approaches the big 3-0. Naggies injuries can slowly undo a player, as they did Finley. Let's hope one the game's best players won't be stuck behind the big-man equivalent of Brent Barry in a few years.