Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn't know where to start. Should he talk about Tim Duncan's 34 points? His 24 rebounds? How he protected the rim? How he guarded shooters half his size and twice as fast?

There was too much, Popovich said, to discuss.

"He's our heart and soul out there," Popovich said. "We ask him to do everything."

On Friday, Duncan was only too happy to oblige. He scored more than 30 points for the fourth consecutive game. He grabbed more offensive rebounds (eight) than Dallas' entire roster. He blocked six shots. He distributed six assists. He even stopped to do TNT's postgame interview.

When Duncan was done, the Spurs had a 96-83 victory over the Mavericks and a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.