'Mr. Robinson' leaves NBA 'hood as champ

SAN ANTONIO - David Robinson was standing along the paint, waiting for a free throw, when it finally happened. His career was over.<br> <br> Kevin Willis checked in and replaced Robinson with 35.6 seconds left in the final game of his 14th season. What could&#39;ve been a sentimental walk to the sideline was anything but. It was the hug-filled journey of a two-time NBA champion.<br> <br> Robinson went out a winner - and, best of all, was a big reason why his team came out on top in his final game.<br> <br> Robinson had 13 points and 17 rebounds to help carry the San Antonio Spurs past the New Jersey Nets 88-77 on Sunday night in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.<br> <br> He had 11 points in the first three quarters when the Spurs were struggling, then grabbed seven rebounds during a stunning fourth-quarter rally.<br> <br> &#34;My last game, streamers flying, world champions. How can you write a better script than this?&#34; Robinson said. &#34;It&#39;s unbelievable. I&#39;m going to end my career on the highest of highs.&#34;<br> <br> When the buzzer sounded, Robinson shared a long embrace with coach Gregg Popovich as confetti fell and fireworks sparkled. A fan in the upper deck released a banner that read, &#34;Dear David: 50 Bon Voyage&#34; as the Admiral crossed the court and picked up one of his sons, with his own parents not far away.<br> <br> As Robinson held aloft the championship trophy next to Tim Duncan, who was holding up his MVP prize, mimicking a signature image from their first title in 1999. This portrait of the big men will again be an enduring image in a city that adores both players and the team, their only major pro sports franchise.<br> <br> &#34;Dave&#39;s been an incredible part of this team for a lot of years,&#34; Duncan said. &#34;The last couple of seconds, I thought, &#39;I&#39;m not going to play with this guy again. I&#39;m going to have to play on this court without him.&#39; It&#39;s going to be weird. I don&#39;t know to expect.&#34;<br> <br> Robinson was 6-of-8 from the field and seemed to be around every loose ball after re-entering the game with 7:08 left in the fourth quarter.<br> <br> The Spurs hadn&#39;t led all game up to that point. After he grabbed the first available rebound, Stephen Jackson hit a 3-pointer that put San Antonio ahead for good.<br> <br> He continued making key plays on both ends of the court. Adrenaline alone erased whatever aches and pains he might have felt in the balky back and knee that are sending him into retirement two months shy of his 38th birthday.<br> <br> &#34;David looked like he was 25 years old out there. I&#39;ve never seen somebody bring the energy he brought in such a big game,&#34; said teammate Steve Kerr, who won three titles alongside Michael Jordan. &#34;He found a time machine tonight.&#34;<br> <br> His fabulous finish included his final basket, a vintage left-handed layup after faking out Dikembe Mutombo, and his final assist, which set up a jumper by Speedy Claxton that made it 82-72, capping a 19-0 run.<br> <br> Along the way, he also hurried Jason Kidd into missing a shot - and missed two foul shots. It didn&#39;t matter. Fans still found any excuse to chant his name and scream &#34;5-0&#34; one last time.<br> <br> &#34;He really dug down deep and showed how important it was to him to help us get this victory,&#34; Popovich said. &#34;David isn&#39;t able to do that every night. For him to finish it off that way was really special.&#34;<br> <br> Robinson has no regrets. He and his wife decided last year that this would be his last season, and he&#39;s excited about getting on with his life. Among the projects he plans to be involved with is the Carver Academy, a school in San Antonio started with more than $9 million of his money.<br> <br> &#34;I&#39;ve had some ups and downs in my career, but I&#39;m going to end on the highest of highs,&#34; he said. &#34;It&#39;s almost like graduating from high school or college. I just know there&#39;s the next phase of my life and I&#39;m excited about it.<br> <br> &#34;There are lots of opportunities out there. But that&#39;s tomorrow. Today, I&#39;m just going to enjoy the finish of the first phase of my life.&#34;<br> <br> Among his achievements and honors: league MVP in 1995, defensive player of the year in 1992, 10-time All-Star, three-time Olympian and a spot among the NBA&#39;s 50 greatest players.<br> <br> In various seasons he led the league in scoring, rebounding and blocks. He once had a quadruple-double and another time scored 71 points.<br> <br> And now, it&#39;s over.<br> <br> &#34;I feel great about it,&#34; he said. &#34;There&#39;s no bitter to it. It&#39;s all sweet. It&#39;s great.&#34;