AKRON, Ohio -- The U.S. Open trophy was on the kitchen table in Dustin Johnsons home in South Florida. That was by design.So when I came down the next morning, it was sitting right there, Johnson said Wednesday. Gave me a smile a little bit.For all his power, there is a subtle side to Johnson. He never got too down on himself when he was shooting 82 at Pebble Beach or grounding his club in sand without realizing it was a bunker at Whistling Straits. He played golf with friends the day after a three-putt cost him a shot at Chambers Bay.He sure didnt go over the top when he captured his first major at Oakmont.How to celebrate? Johnson skipped all the talk shows in New York. He waited until last Wednesday, his 32nd birthday, to head for some solitude in the Bahamas with family and friends, spending time on his boat, in the water and playing a little golf (a couple holes here and there) at Bakers Bay.He wasnt seen in public until he showed up on the range Wednesday at Firestone for the Bridgestone Invitational, and even then, he didnt get a lot of work in. Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith stopped by for more than an hour, chatting with Johnson and former U.S. Open champion Justin Rose and taking a few swings with the driver.If his life has changed, its mainly finding time to respond to more text messages than he can count. Johnson figures he still has more than 100 messages on his phone, and he intends to respond to all of them.But first, he has more golf to play.The Bridgestone Invitational is in a different spot on the calendar because of the Olympics, squeezed in between a pair of majors. It also is opposite the French Open, which angered the European Tour so much that it is not sanctioning this World Golf Championship for the first time and has offered big incentive for players who have skipped Firestone for the French Open.That put defending champion Shane Lowry in a tough spot. The Irish is on the cusp of qualifying for his first Ryder Cup, but felt he should be at Firestone to defend. Whatever ranking points he earns this week will not count toward the Ryder Cup, leaving him three big events -- the Scottish Open, British Open and PGA Championship -- to make the team.Only 61 players are at Firestone, the smallest field since 2001, when this WGC featured a 39-man field of only Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup players.Johnson might have a little rust, but he is equipped with more confidence than ever.It was a popular victory, evident by the number of messages he received. Among the most meaningful was from hockey great Wayne Gretzky, his future father-in-law, who told him it was one of the greatest performances he ever saw. It meant a lot, because hes seen a lot of good things, Johnson said.And it was popular with his peers, particularly having to play the last seven holes not knowing the score because of an impending USGA ruling, and mainly because of how much heartache Johnson already had endured in the majors.Hes arguably the most talented golfer in the world. Ive been quoted saying that quite a few times, Jordan Spieth said. It was not a surprise, but personally knowing him and also knowing kind of the experiences to an extent that hes gone through, I thought it was very cool.Johnson said he had his doubts, normal for someone whos had so many close balls in the majors.Those appear to have been put to rest.I felt like I had it before, but it never worked out, Johnson said. But now I really know Ive got what it takes to get it done. I believed that I had it, but theres always that thing in the back of your head telling you, `Do you really have what it takes?He watched over the last six years as Rory McIlroy won four majors, Spieth won back-to-back majors last year, Jason Day won his first at the PGA Championship.Johnson moved up to No. 3 in the world, and he believes he is just getting started.I know when I play my best I can beat them, he said. But can you play your best all the time? The only person thats ever done that for a long period of time is Tiger (Woods) in recent years. But I know Rory and Jason and Jordan, when they play their best, theyre going to be very, very difficult to beat, just like when I play my best. Its going to be hard to beat me. Nike Air Max 1 2022 . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. Nike Air Max 1 . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. https://www.cheapairmax1store.com/ . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Fake Nike Air Max 1 . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Discount Nike Air Max 1 . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Tim Duncan never wanted the spotlight, only the trophies. He never wanted the endorsements, only the camaraderie. He never wanted the accolades, only the collective achievement.So when one of the most understated superstars in sports decided to finally call it a career after nearly two decades of excellence, he made the announcement with a 15-foot bank shot, not a boisterous slam dunk.No big news conference. No victory lap. Not even a canned quote in the news release. Just a simple goodbye on Monday from the quiet anchor at the foundation of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty.Just as he has for so much of his 19 seasons -- after five NBA titles, 2 NBA MVP awards, 15 All--Star appearances and a spot on many lists as the greatest power forward of all time -- the 40-year-old Duncan let others do the talking for him.Duncans final game ended up being a 113-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals on May 12. Quiet for much of the series, Duncan showed flashes of his All-Star form in what turned out to be his career finale, with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block in 34 minutes.With the Spurs getting blown out in Game 6 and the fourth quarter set to begin, coach Gregg Popovich and his veteran star had a brief conversation on the bench. Duncan then played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter without coming out for a rest, perhaps soaking up every second he could in the final game of his NBA career.When the game was over, Duncan waved to the visiting crowd and pointed a finger toward the roof as he headed to the locker room, a rare signal from one of the leagues most stoic superstars.Timmys never been a very outspoken or emoting sort of individual on the court, Popovich said earlier this year. Everybody does it differently.Duncan partnered with Popovich to post the most wins by a player and coach in NBA history, with 1,001. The Spurs coach will discuss Duncans decision to retire at a news conference Tuesday. There are no plans for Duncan to address the media.More cutthroat than people give him credit for, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant told ESPNs Marc Stein on Monday upon learning of Duncans retirement. I loved everything about him on the court.Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement about Duncans announcement, saying: Tim Duncan is one of the most dominant players in NBA history. His devotion to excellence and mastery of the game led to five NBA championships, two regular-season MVP awards and a place among the all-time greats, while his understated selflessness made him the ultimate teammate.For two decades Tim represented the Spurs, the city of San Antonio and the league with passion and class. All of us in the NBA family thank him for his profound impact on the game.Since drafting Duncan in 1997, the Spurs posted a 1,072-438 regular-season record -- the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and tops in the four major U.S. sports over the past 19 years.Man, hes meant a lot, a great amount, said Spurs small forward Kyle Anderson, one of Duncans 140 teammates over the years. When you have Timmy on the floor and youre out there, its so easy to give alll your effort because you know hes just out there talking, hes out there making sure everybodys playing hard.ddddddddddddHes like, I dont want to say a father figure out there, but hes like a big brother out there. I love Timmy. Hes been a great teammate.The retirement also brings an end to the Duncan-Tony Parker-Manu Ginobili Big Three that ranked as one of the most prolific trios in NBA history.No group won more regular-season or playoff games than those three. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they were the first set of three or more teammates to win four titles together since Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Cooper and Kurt Rambis of the Lakers.Ginobili tweeted that it was an honor to play with Duncan.Former rivals were effusive in their praise of Duncan upon learning of his decision to step away from the game.Greatest power forward of all time, Shaquille ONeal told Stein. Unbreakable power forward. No [elbow] could break him. No loss of a championship could break him. Nothing could break him.Cleveland Cavaliers?forward?LeBron James, who lost to the Spurs in his first trip to the Finals in 2007, took to Twitter to praise Duncan.Golden State Warriors?coach Steve Kerr, who played with Duncan for four seasons, said it will be strange not seeing Duncan on the court.When you think of a Spurs game, you think of the opening tip and Timmy cradling the ball and looking down at Pop and Manu and Tony, Kerr said. The four of them really kind of define who they are. But Tim is the main guy, obviously.Theyll still be the Spurs based on what theyve built. And maybe thats Timmys lasting legacy. He helped build something so strong thats still going after he leaves.A four-year star at Wake Forest, Duncan was the No. 1 pick by the Spurs in the 1997 draft. He made an immediate impact, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award and earning All-NBA First-Team honors, the first of 10 selections in his career. He led the Spurs to a championship in his second season, in 1999, and was named Finals MVP.He would go on to win four more titles, in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014, and he was named Finals MVP twice more, in 2003 and 2005. San Antonio posted a win percentage of at least .600 in 19 straight seasons with Duncan, the longest such run in NBA history.Duncan finishes his career with averages of 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. He ranks 14th all time in points (26,496), sixth in rebounds (15,091) and fifth in blocks (3,020).Duncan made the NBA All‐Defensive First Team eight times. He is only the third player in NBA history to win 1,000 career regular-season games. Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish are the only players with more career victories.With the retirements of Duncan and Bryant, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett is the final player in the NBA who played in 1997-98. Garnett, 40, joined the league in 1995 and is signed through next season.ESPN staff writer Michael C. Wright and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '