By wining champs yes, but i prefer Dirk's play. Dirk could shoot from three, he was sharp shooter and also good under the basket. But Spurs was just better team. Dirk would had one two champs, but there was some injury... but all respect to Dunken, amazing defender. Something nba needs today.
Begin rant: Did anyone notice who Greg Ostertag and Olden Polynince (The Jazz centers) were guarding during the game? How about when John Thompson remarks more than once how impressed he was that a "center was dominating the game" or "I haven't seen a center score like this in a long time" when describing Timmy? One of the most annoying things about NBA fans is their insistence on calling Tim Duncan the "greatest power forward of all time" basically as a cop out to not have to rank him against the gauntlet of all time centers. Yes, Duncan played power forward at times during his career (positions don't matter, skillsets do). The reason he was listed at power forward was only because of the fact that he had a HOF teammate, David Robinson, already listed at the center position. Why do they list positions at all considering the same rules apply for all of the players? No clue. Probably for novices to follow the game. 25 out of the 29 teams who wanted to draft Duncan would have started him at center not PF. What is Tim Duncan good (great) at? Rim protection, rebounding, post scoring and passing out of double teams. All of those skills are skills that you would find in centers. Back in the early 00s and before, this was also what you got from most PFs but the idea of the PF and the modern PF is supposed to be more agile and usually better at guarding on the perimeter if forced onto more athletic players who like to attack off the dribble. Not exactly what Duncan is known for. Tim was so good that he could pass as both positions but was best suited to be a center because of his sheer size and lack of explosive athletic ability. The Spurs smartly staggered when their twin towers went to the bench so Tim also played center while playing on the same team as Robinson. Then, he played center for the entire second half of his career, longer than he played PF if you check Basketball reference WITHOUT including what I already said about him playing center when Robinson went to the bench. Combine that with the fact that if Tim Duncan were to play in today's era 29 out of 30 GMs would play him at the center. That is unless he ends up on the Sixers. Yikes, they would be unstoppable. Last thing, it's hard to rank Duncan against the centers because it forces us to make tough decisions. These tough decisions aren't a thing when you are talking PFs who don't have nearly the history or talent that we find from the centers. Is Duncan better than Shaq? What about Hakeem? Is he the GOAT or is Kareem or Wilt still above him? Personally, I would rank him as the "best" center of all time in the sense that regardless of the era, he would be the most effective towards helping you win a championship while anchoring your team as a center. If we are talking "greatest" on the other hand, which to me means how you dominated against your own era (resume/accolades), I would have him behind Russel and Kareem for the 3rd greatest center of all time. What do you think? Rant over.
![Making the Case - Tim Duncan [Revised & Reuploaded]](/img/n.gif)
4 MVP winners on the same floor
+Ceasar Araula Duncan, Rodinson, Nash and Dirk?
+Harold Vlogs whos rodinson?
Ole Tim Herr oops I mean "Robinson" =)
GOAT Power Forward
By wining champs yes, but i prefer Dirk's play. Dirk could shoot from three, he was sharp shooter and also good under the basket. But Spurs was just better team. Dirk would had one two champs, but there was some injury... but all respect to Dunken, amazing defender. Something nba needs today.
Begin rant:
Did anyone notice who Greg Ostertag and Olden Polynince (The Jazz centers) were guarding during the game? How about when John Thompson remarks more than once how impressed he was that a "center was dominating the game" or "I haven't seen a center score like this in a long time" when describing Timmy?
One of the most annoying things about NBA fans is their insistence on calling Tim Duncan the "greatest power forward of all time" basically as a cop out to not have to rank him against the gauntlet of all time centers.
Yes, Duncan played power forward at times during his career (positions don't matter, skillsets do). The reason he was listed at power forward was only because of the fact that he had a HOF teammate, David Robinson, already listed at the center position. Why do they list positions at all considering the same rules apply for all of the players? No clue. Probably for novices to follow the game.
25 out of the 29 teams who wanted to draft Duncan would have started him at center not PF.
What is Tim Duncan good (great) at? Rim protection, rebounding, post scoring and passing out of double teams. All of those skills are skills that you would find in centers. Back in the early 00s and before, this was also what you got from most PFs but the idea of the PF and the modern PF is supposed to be more agile and usually better at guarding on the perimeter if forced onto more athletic players who like to attack off the dribble. Not exactly what Duncan is known for.
Tim was so good that he could pass as both positions but was best suited to be a center because of his sheer size and lack of explosive athletic ability. The Spurs smartly staggered when their twin towers went to the bench so Tim also played center while playing on the same team as Robinson. Then, he played center for the entire second half of his career, longer than he played PF if you check Basketball reference WITHOUT including what I already said about him playing center when Robinson went to the bench. Combine that with the fact that if Tim Duncan were to play in today's era 29 out of 30 GMs would play him at the center. That is unless he ends up on the Sixers. Yikes, they would be unstoppable.
Last thing, it's hard to rank Duncan against the centers because it forces us to make tough decisions. These tough decisions aren't a thing when you are talking PFs who don't have nearly the history or talent that we find from the centers.
Is Duncan better than Shaq? What about Hakeem? Is he the GOAT or is Kareem or Wilt still above him?
Personally, I would rank him as the "best" center of all time in the sense that regardless of the era, he would be the most effective towards helping you win a championship while anchoring your team as a center. If we are talking "greatest" on the other hand, which to me means how you dominated against your own era (resume/accolades), I would have him behind Russel and Kareem for the 3rd greatest center of all time.
What do you think?
Rant over.
Incredible to think that 20-5 was possible to be only 2nd in the west. Goddamn.
Shaq
Some of those fouls on Dirk didn't look like fouls
53 points no 3s 🔥
That was a high scoring game for 2001
Proof no one will ever say Dirk was a great defender
Also proves that Duncan couldn't guard Nowitzki.
I still think Dirk got shitted on for us defense too much. It’s not like he was a total liability, especially when he got to his mid-late 20’s
It looked better on tv lol
well that was casual. dude was a surgeon
53 and a loss. Oof. 💀