Tim Duncan's 2002-03 Season Ranked #10 All-Time (#HOOP10)

[Thomas82]

I personally believe that TD's 2002-03 season should be higher. He won his 2nd title, became MVP, Finals MVP, All-NBA 1st Team, All-Defensive 1st Team, and All-Star. Here's another TD fact from the 2003 postseason:

In the modern era of the NBA, Tim Duncan is the only player to lead his team to a championship with his team's 2nd through 5th leading scorers all shooting under 42% for the entire postseason. Before The Big Fundamental did it in 2003, the last time it happened was in the 1964 playoffs, when Sam Jones led the Celtics in scoring on the way to a championship.

The article can be seen in its entirety here: http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/hoop10-no-10-tim-duncan-2002-03/

[SASdynasty!]

Dude had a quadruple double in the closeout game of the Finals. That alone should catapult it. The rest of the season & playoffs should too. Top 3 IMO.

[J_Paco]

Dude had a quadruple double in the closeout game of the Finals. That alone should catapult it. The rest of the season & playoffs should too. Top 3 IMO.

He almost had a quadruple double but the dipshit person at the scorer's table missed two of his blocks. It should definitely land in the top 3 or 5 and is way too low at #10, IMHO.

[K...]

as long as KOBE is not top ten.....preferably not shaq either but i will understand that.

[K...]

13. Kobe Bryant 2005-06

The infamous season in which Bryant dropped an unforgettable 81 points – a bludgeoning that sent the Raptors back to extinction and embarrassed Jalen Rose for all of eternity. No Shaquille O’Neal, no problem – Bryant Smushed the team into his backpack and carried the Laker load all the way to the playoffs.

“Efficiency has never been Kobe’s strong suit, but a 28 PER and 15.3 win shares is pretty ridiculous for anyone. Doing so while surrounded by the likes of Kwame Brown, Brian Cook and Smush Parker is borderline miraculous. While many point to the 3-1 collapse (damn you, Tim Thomas), building that lead against Steve Nash’s Suns with that supporting cast was undeniably impressive. Again, though, damn you, Tim bleeping Thomas.” – Anthony Irwin

“Go ahead and send all your anti-chucking, PER-thumping (he was third in the league that year w/28.0, highest in usage), “I really just couldn’t stand the guy” vitriol my way. I’ll take it. Although it didn’t ultimately lead to much postseason success, Bryant absolutely unleashed one of the game’s most vicious offensive attacks (Bean also played lockdown defense back then) we’ve ever seen on a nightly basis for a Lakers squad that–putting it nicely–didn’t have a lot of talent.” – Jabari Davis

“It is an utter shame Kobe’s truly PRIME years were spent with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown. If he and Shaq could have worked it out I think they would have won eight titles.” – Robert Littal



13
13
13
113
13
13


i'll let splits take over from here!

[Mal]

Carried whole team, beating 3 time champions, with prime Shaq and prime Kobe and 60 win Mavs team in playoff all by his own. Yet his full season stats aren`t that great. But still wonder how high will one jurassic era season of Wilt Chamberlain will be.

[Killakobe81]

13
13
13
113
13
13


i'll let splits take over from here!

Should have been 12th for consistency ...
Lol duncan gets the 10th spot, all time and niccas talking Kobe and even Shaq, smh.
Let it go bro ...now that he is retired, Duncan doesnt need to be compared only to his contemporaries which he beats,most of them anyways ...now he should be compared with the greats of ANY era ...

[TheGreatYacht]

Take away the zero and they have it right

[Arcadian]

Take away the zero and they have it right

this

[phxspurfan]

I'm going to venture that the following are within their top 10:

'92 Jordan
'98 Malone
'01 Webber
'06 Wade
'12 Nowitzki
'07 LeBron
'03 Kidd

[phxspurfan]

And '01 Iverson

[SpursFan86]

Yeah, I'm not sure there are 9 seasons better than '03 Duncan...hell, I'm not sure I can think of 5. You have '91 MJ, '13 LeBron, and '00 Shaq - those are 3 that I'd feel comfortable putting ahead of '03 Duncan. '67 Wilt is another one I might put at the top. I can see the argument for others - for example you have '89 MJ, '09 LeBron, and '77 Kareem. All unbelievable seasons, but no ring at the end makes it tough to put ahead of '03 Duncan, even though all of those guys performed incredibly well in the playoffs.

Would have to see the list in its entirety before making a final judgment on how good/bad it is...but at first glance, '03 Duncan at #10 seems a bit low. Regardless, even having the 10th best individual season in NBA history is an incredible achievement.

[Kawhitstorm]

Would have to see the list in its entirety before making a final judgment on how good/bad it is...but at first glance, '03 Duncan at #10 seems a bit low. Regardless, even having the 10th best individual season in NBA history is an incredible achievement.

Within the past 25 years, only '93-'94 Hakeem is in the same stratosphere as '02-'03 Tim: http://bkref.com/tiny/G6LRT

Jorn/LeBron/Shaq had LEGIT wingmen such as Pippen/Wade/Kyrie/Kobe & Dirk was a one way player along w/ shooting 41% in the Finals. (Jason Terry outscored LeBron::lol)

[Thomas82]

They have 2012-13 LeBron at #9.

[keeferob25]

Yeah, I'm not sure there are 9 seasons better than '03 Duncan...hell, I'm not sure I can think of 5. You have '91 MJ, '13 LeBron, and '00 Shaq - those are 3 that I'd feel comfortable putting ahead of '03 Duncan. '67 Wilt is another one I might put at the top. I can see the argument for others - for example you have '89 MJ, '09 LeBron, and '77 Kareem. All unbelievable seasons, but no ring at the end makes it tough to put ahead of '03 Duncan, even though all of those guys performed incredibly well in the playoffs.

Would have to see the list in its entirety before making a final judgment on how good/bad it is...but at first glance, '03 Duncan at #10 seems a bit low. Regardless, even having the 10th best individual season in NBA history is an incredible achievement.

Lebron's 13 isn't even remotely in the discussion. You must be referring to his '12 which was incredible but Kawhistorm's point then comes into play. No matter how you slice it any one of those players you mentioned could look to there right and find a player that they could depend on consistently and could theoretically cover said player if they were weaker in some parts of a game. Duncan LITERALLY could not. I repeat...a big should NEVER EVER lead a team in assists for an entire playoff run...let alone a championship winning one. Duncan did that. He led in essentially EVERY major statistical category that exists except steals i think. If Lebron wasn't having a great scoring night you better believe Wade could cover him. Same with Kobe for Shaq. I mean shaq was NOT a closer...Kobe was even if overrated.

If Duncan wasn't scoring...team was fucked. If Duncan wasn't getting them open looks...team was fucked. If Duncan was only one-sided in his impact (offense only), then we're relying on a bad back, out of the door to retirement David Robinson who was playing like 20 minutes a game anyway to anchor the defense. If Duncan wasn't closing...team was fucked. Rebounding...team was fucked. Beating EVERY defensive scheme thrown at him. Duncan was EVERYTHING and HAD to be GAME IN AND GAME OUT...in EVERY facet. Hakeem is the only true comparable. I mean 03 Duncan has the HIGHEST Winshare playoff total in NBA HIStORY!!! There's a reason for that. And Lebron's 13 is one that's pretty much accepted as only notable because we gave the ring away with NO FAULT TO DUNCAN. Dude's entire staple of support (Pop, Manu, Parker) sabotaged his win. He beats Lebron in 13, then lebron looks mad weak. And Shaq's 00, don't get me started. Weakest batch of big men ever, completely avoided his biggest competition (Duncan missed playoffs), and Kobe was THE top wing and arguably top 5 player overall. Duncan went through BOTH of them in route to his ring. This isn't even a discussion frankly. But i certainly will respect your having an opinion :toast

[HarlemHeat37]

I assume this list is going to over-value individual seasons from older players, which is why Duncan is so low IMO..players that would never have succeeded in any other era and were glamorized by rings(Bill Russell) and being a White American(Larry Bird)..

Since the list combines both RS and playoffs, I understand Tim ranking lower than expected..while he had a historic playoff run that has only been matched by few, he was probably the 3rd best player during the RS(behind McGrady and KG), which takes away some of the luster(based on the criteria of this list) IMO..

For example, 2013 Lebron wasn't nearly as good as 2003 Duncan in the playoffs, but he was by far the best player in both the RS and playoffs of that particular year..

[elemento]

Too low IMO

Duncan had a 32 PER in the Finals and the highest VORP of all-time in the playoffs. That 03 run was one of the best of all-time with a really weak supporting cast. It's easily top 5 in history.

[SpursFan86]

Within the past 25 years, only '93-'94 Hakeem is in the same stratosphere as '02-'03 Tim: http://bkref.com/tiny/G6LRT

Jorn/LeBron/Shaq had LEGIT wingmen such as Pippen/Wade/Kyrie/Kobe & Dirk was a one way player along w/ shooting 41% in the Finals. (Jason Terry outscored LeBron::lol)

I agree that Duncan's supporting cast in '03 is arguably the weakest we've ever seen from a championship team...but that doesn't automatically mean Duncan's '03 season was the greatest season of all-time. Winning with the least amount of help doesn't necessarily mean you had the best season ever.

[dbreiden83080]

9 seasons better than

League MVP
Finals MVP
Best record in the league
1st team all NBA
1st team all defense

Alright..

[Obstructed_View]

LOL That's what happens when you have a bunch of Laker fans writing basketball articles.

[Kawhitstorm]

I agree that Duncan's supporting cast in '03 is arguably the weakest we've ever seen from a championship team...but that doesn't automatically mean Duncan's '03 season was the greatest season of all-time. Winning with the least amount of help doesn't necessarily mean you had the best season ever.

Folks were crowning LeBron for beating one legit team (w/ an injured Curry/Iggy) in the postseason w/ Kyrie essentially being the 2nd best player in the series. Tim beat Shaq/Kobe (w/ 20 yr old Porker) who are regarded as the best duo in NBA history b/c they were BOTH in the PRIMES unlike say Magic/Kareem & had won 13 straight postseason series.

Tim did in that series what LeBron did in 2015 when he didn't have Kyrie/Love: Lead the team in points/rebound/assists except he didn't shoot 39%.

[Kawhitstorm]

Since the list combines both RS and playoffs, I understand Tim ranking lower than expected..while he had a historic playoff run that has only been matched by few, he was probably the 3rd best player during the RS(behind McGrady and KG), which takes away some of the luster(based on the criteria of this list) IMO..

For example, 2013 Lebron wasn't nearly as good as 2003 Duncan in the playoffs, but he was by far the best player in both the RS and playoffs of that particular year..

Based on that logic then Curry had a top 5 season since he was dominant in the regular season along w/ spurts during the postseason.:lmao

Curry had more combined win-shares in '15-'16 than '14-'15.

[TD 21]

It should obviously be much higher. Even if you want to claim that his regular season wasn't necessarily on that level, it's not like it was anything to sneeze at and besides, who values that to the same extent as the playoffs?

Granted, a perimeter player can't have the same defensive impact, but if Jordan or James (who's really half big) did what Duncan did in the '03 playoffs, it would be widely regarded as what it is: The best playoff run ever. But because it was a big and a non flashy one at that, it's undervalued.

[Kawhitstorm]

Granted, a perimeter player can't have the same defensive impact, but if Jordan or James (who's really half big) did what Duncan did in the '03 playoffs, it would be widely regarded as what it is: The best playoff run ever. But because it was a big and a non flashy one at that, it's undervalued.

It's also because the NBA was in the Dark Ages & the general public didn't care about any team outside of the Lakers. Folks were claiming Dirk was the best player in the league after the 2011 postseason when he wasn't even the best player in the Finals (Wade) b/c everyone & them mama wanted the Heatles lose.:lol

[HarlemHeat37]

Based on that logic then Curry had a top 5 season since he was dominant in the regular season along w/ spurts during the postseason.:lmao

It's not "my logic", it's the criteria of the list:lol

[Kawhitstorm]

It's not "my logic", it's the criteria of the list:lol

Karl "Mail-man-don't-deliver-on-Sunday's" Malone

[james evans]

for some reason, I think these mf are gonna have curry's season this year in the top 5. I am dumbfounded as to why a man gets props for shooting wide open 3's all season off illegal picks. I've never seen it before.

[Arcadian]

You have '91 MJ, '13 LeBron, and '00 Shaq - those are 3 that I'd feel comfortable putting ahead of '03 Duncan.

Nah, 03 Duncan > 13 Lebron. 13 Lebron was moments from being eliminated before he was saved by Bosh and Allen...while a 37-yo Duncan was about to take his FMVP award.

[Obstructed_View]

for some reason, I think these mf are gonna have curry's season this year in the top 5. I am dumbfounded as to why a man gets props for shooting wide open 3's all season off illegal picks. I've never seen it before.

He's a great shooter. He hit ridiculous shots all year long. But you've got to ring for the season to matter, and Duncan's postseason in '03 was dominant.

[Killakobe81]

Laker seasons were not valued that highly so far tbh ...
And i agree timmy was a beast in 2003 but i doubt this is the most objective place to rank his season.

[Kawhitstorm]

Nah, 03 Duncan > 13 Lebron. 13 Lebron was moments from being eliminated before he was saved by Bosh and Allen...while a 37-yo Duncan was about to take his FMVP award.

'13 LeBron was being DARED to shoot as if he was Harrison Barnes, Tim was getting triple teamed & dropping triple-doubles while playing in the post.

[Sean Cagney]

Nah, 03 Duncan > 13 Lebron. 13 Lebron was moments from being eliminated before he was saved by Bosh and Allen...while a 37-yo Duncan was about to take his FMVP award.

Lebron was bricking shots so bad and turning it over he literally tried to give that game away, he looked scared.

[keeferob25]

Lebron was bricking shots so bad and turning it over he literally tried to give that game away, he looked scared.

E-X-A-C-T-L-Y!!! It's precisely why I was surprised that the media went with the accurate narrative. I mean PLENTY and I mean plenty of teams have come back from some insurmountable odds within a game, no matter the deficit or time remaining, BUT they were almost always spawned by heroic/clutch play. Lebron was fumbling and bumbling it just like manu and chucking up threes just praying theyd go in. It was clear he was doing his best impression of a clutch player and wasn't happening. Pop and the spurs simply decided to write the book on "A Milliion and One Ways to Give a Championship Away", written by everyone BUT duncan smh.

[NameLess Scrub]

This thread's biggest achievement is to make me hate 6 again.

[GSH]

By '03, Tim commanded a constant double team. He had become a superb passer out of the double teams, and he was extremely good about drawing his defender(s) away from the basket, to allow a teammate to get a much easier path in the paint. It's become sort of a cliché that great players make their teammates better, and it's totally subjective. But Tim did it as well and as much as any player ever has.

On the defensive end, Tim was the anchor of a team that held opponents to a .427 FG%. He also averaged 2.9 blocks per game that season, which is probably vastly under-rated, because he was so much more than a rim protector. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone outside of Shaq and Hakeem who had the same kind of impact on both ends of the floor, and Shaq simply didn't have the defensive range or versatility that Tim had.

It's probably worth noting that Tim averaged almost 8 trips to the FT line that season, without the benefit of the friendly whistles that some smaller players enjoy. (He just got the living shit beaten out of him constantly.) If there is anything to downgrade that 12-13 season, it's the fact that he only shot 71% from the line. It's sort of ironic that they are talking about that season, when the previous year his numbers were better, or just as good, in just about every category. It shows the value of winning the Championship in their calculations.



And i agree timmy was a beast in 2003 but i doubt this is the most objective place to rank his season.

I think that's a pretty fair statement. But I also think that, as highly as Tim is regarded by non-Spurs fans, he's still amazingly under-rated because much of what he meant to those five Championship teams really can't show up in a stat line. It's not all a matter of home-town fans being biased. Unless you watched him night in and night out, it's probably not possible to fully appreciate his contribution.

[mookie2001]

Season sucked it was all standard-def, it was the Tom Tolbert era.

[Sean Cagney]

E-X-A-C-T-L-Y!!! It's precisely why I was surprised that the media went with the accurate narrative. I mean PLENTY and I mean plenty of teams have come back from some insurmountable odds within a game, no matter the deficit or time remaining, BUT they were almost always spawned by heroic/clutch play. Lebron was fumbling and bumbling it just like manu and chucking up threes just praying theyd go in. It was clear he was doing his best impression of a clutch player and wasn't happening. Pop and the spurs simply decided to write the book on "A Milliion and One Ways to Give a Championship Away", written by everyone BUT duncan smh.

Yep, ironically our best rebounder was on the bench when all we needed was a rebound..... He would have gotten one of those, to this day I still believe Duncan wills that one out if he is out there grabbing a board over everyone. He was the MVP man, damn..... 2014 I love but that game was tough thinking back, wow.
This thread's biggest achievement is to make me hate 6 again.

Indeed it does....

[Thomas82]

Here is their release schedule:



The #HOOP10 results will be shared one season at a time every Monday and Thursday until the project is finished.


August 8th – Honorable Mention

August 11th – #10 – Tim Duncan 2002-03

August 15th – #9 – LeBron James 2012-13

August 18th – #8 – Michael Jordan 1987-88

August 22nd – #7 - Larry Bird 1985-86

August 25th – ?

August 29th – ?

September 1st – ?

September 5th – ?

September 8th – ?

September 12th – ?

[Kawhitstorm]

If there is anything to downgrade that 12-13 season, it's the fact that he only shot 71% from the line.

LeBron shot 75% which is pretty mediocre for a perimeter player.:lol

[Thomas82]

LeBron shot 75% which is pretty mediocre for a perimeter player.:lol


+1

[Kawhitstorm]

E-X-A-C-T-L-Y!!! It's precisely why I was surprised that the media went with the accurate narrative. I mean PLENTY and I mean plenty of teams have come back from some insurmountable odds within a game, no matter the deficit or time remaining, BUT they were almost always spawned by heroic/clutch play. Lebron was fumbling and bumbling it just like manu and chucking up threes just praying theyd go in. It was clear he was doing his best impression of a clutch player and wasn't happening. Pop and the spurs simply decided to write the book on "A Milliion and One Ways to Give a Championship Away", written by everyone BUT duncan smh.

Folks also forget the 2013 ECF against the Pacers where Roy fuckin' Hibbert was at time the best player on the floor.:lmao

3lzwNZyJd60

Wet-behind-the-ear Paul George holding his own:

EIEIUmVM7hw

21 year old Kawhi having a breakout series:

E4L4wkn1PPw

Unable to score on Diaw::lmao

PE5auU7uvwU



...meanwhile Tim ended K-Mart's career.:wakeup

[Thomas82]

They have 1985-86 Larry Bird at #7.

[Thomas82]

No 6. --- 1970-71 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

[spurraider21]

Tim ended K-Mart's career.:wakeup
the spurs played the nets in the 2003 finals

kenyon martin was an all-star in 2004


:lol ended his career

[Kawhitstorm]

the spurs played the nets in the 2003 finals

kenyon martin was an all-star in 2004


:lol ended his career

K-Mart was supposed to be the baddest dude in the league aka Mr. Enforcer but Tim sent him w/ his tail b/w his legs.

[spurraider21]

K-Mart was supposed to be the baddest dude in the league aka Mr. Enforcer but Tim sent him w/ his tail b/w his legs.
tim duncan was the reigning b2b mvp and kenyon martin was a 3rd year player who had never been an all star at that point. the spurs were favored to win

[Kawhitstorm]

tim duncan was the reigning b2b mvp and kenyon martin was a 3rd year player who had never been an all star at that point. the spurs were favored to win

K-Mart vs. JO:

570uDnp1wE4

K-Mart vs. Lakers (2002):

OIcLdMogE5Y

ho_vdYYXgB4

K-Mart vs. Pistons ('03):

_hHcAEZcq0g

But...but...but...Tim emasculated him b/c he was the MVP.:cry:cry:cry:cry

[spurraider21]

k-mart vs lakers team who's pf was robert horry/mark madsen/slava medvedenko :lol

martin was a good player but lets not act surprised that duncan sonned him

[Kawhitstorm]

k-mart vs lakers team who's pf was robert horry/mark madsen/slava medvedenko :lol

martin was a good player but lets not act surprised that duncan sonned him

It's not about K-Mart being a superstar but rather the #1 enforcer in the league at that time (Draymond Green attitude but built like Blake) & ending up walking off w/ his tail b/w his legs.:lol

Draymond at least had a huge Gm 7 while K-Mart shot 3/23 & had his shot rejected 5 times by Tim in the championship clincher.:lol

[Thomas82]

It's not about K-Mart being a superstar but rather the #1 enforcer in the league at that time (Draymond Green attitude but built like Blake) & ending up walking off w/ his tail b/w his legs.:lol

Draymond at least had a huge Gm 7 while K-Mart shot 3/23 & had his shot rejected 5 times by Tim in the championship clincher.:lol

+1

[ambchang]

My top 10 all time, taking both RS and PO in consideration:

1) Shaq 00*
2) Kareem 72
3) Jordan 92*
4) Lebron 12*
5) Duncan 03*
6) Bird 86*
7) Wilt 62
8) Moses 83*
9) Robinson 94
10) Garnett 04

* Won ring
- NBA season only
- Only one season per player (or else Jordan 91, 88, 93 will all be there, and Kareem 71, 60 and a couple of other Wilt seasons will be there).

[Thomas82]

No. 5 --- 1961-62 Wilt Chamberlain

http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/hoop10-no-5-wilt-chamberlain-1961-62/

[Thomas82]

No. 4 --- 1986-87 Magic Johnson

http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/hoop10-no-4-magic-johnson-1986-87/

[james evans]

I don't understand how no one has mentioned one of the big O's seasons in which he averaged a triple double. On eof them was 61-62. Do you guys know how hard it is to do everything for your team the whole season? Rebounding, setting up teammates, plus scoring 30 a game? That's crazy.

[Thomas82]

I don't understand how no one has mentioned one of the big O's seasons in which he averaged a triple double. On eof them was 61-62. Do you guys know how hard it is to do everything for your team the whole season? Rebounding, setting up teammates, plus scoring 30 a game? That's crazy.

Actually, they ranked his 1961-62 season #11 on their Honorable Mention list.


http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/hoop10/

[Thomas82]

Say what???

http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/hoop10-no-3-stephen-curry-2015-16/

[Thomas82]

This is who I thought would be #1:

http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/hoop10-no-2-michael-jordan-1990-91/

[Spurtacular]

KG was great that year, too, tbh.

[Sean Cagney]

This is who I thought would be #1:

http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/hoop10-no-2-michael-jordan-1990-91/
And this right here is what puts any argument of Kobe and Lebron possibly being equal or better to rest looking at these post season stats he put up after a superb regular season. No argument.


“The brick wall separating Jordan from his first NBA title was blown up convincingly when Chicago swept the Pistons in the ECF and Jordan earned his second MVP award. He had a career-best .321 WS/48 and was out of his mind during the playoff run, averaging 31.1/6.4/8.4 during the Bulls’ 15-2 blitzkrieg of a postseason.”

[james evans]

Say what???

http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/hoop10-no-3-stephen-curry-2015-16/
I figured that bullshit would be in the top 5

This is who I thought would be #1:

http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/hoop10-no-2-michael-jordan-1990-91/
More bullshit. . Jordan's 88 MVP season was better than this. Just so happens that the Celtics and Pistons were shells of their former selves just a few years prior. The NBA is FOS

[Sean Cagney]

I figured that bullshit would be in the top 5

More bullshit. . Jordan's 88 MVP season was better than this. Just so happens that the Celtics and Pistons were shells of their former selves just a few years prior. The NBA is FOSJordans 88 season was INSANE.....

[Thomas82]

Of all the seasons to put at #1.............

http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/hoop10-no-1-shaquille-oneal-1999-00/