There are two kinds of timing in an engine: cam timing and the ignition timing. Cam timing is what determines when the valves are opened and closed with respect to the position of the pistons in their bores. It can however not be adjusted on a stock engine. It is set when the engine is manufactured, aligning them to manufacturer’s specs. Cam timing is not connected with or affected spinning the distributor.

What distributors time is spark or ignition. At idle, your engine is spinning relatively slowly, say 1000 revolutions per minute (rpm), so very little fuel and air are being taken into the cylinders. This small amount of combustible mixture burns very fast. For maximum efficiency, the spark needs to start when the piston is very near top dead center. If the spark comes too advanced, the pressure from the ignited mixture will hit the piston while it is yet coming up the cylinder and be wasted trying to shove the piston down before it reaches the top of its journey. If the timing is set too late, the pressure from the ignited mixture will dissipate as the flame front chases the piston down the cylinder bore. There is how you properly adjust your engine (ignition) timing.
http://www.automobileglobe.com/how-to-adjust-car-engine-timing/