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95 Drexler was a TOSB tbh.
Dream had some decent rosters, Drexler was way better than Manu or Parker ever were.
95 Drexler was a TOSB tbh.
Better player, yes. Better athlete, no.
They didn't have Prime Glide.
Dream did pretty much everything on the basketball court slightly better than Duncan. Both all time greats. Hakeem just a little better though.
The two things I'll say about Duncan is first, he has aged a little better, so Duncan is probably a little better player later in his career than Hakeem was later in his. And second, Duncan had less of an ego, and that unselfishness allowed him to take a back seat to Parker or Ginobili when he felt it was better for the team, which in turn may have helped him age better.
But even if you take entire careers into consideration, I'd still take Hakeem over Tim.
Duncan has been better for longer so for their careers I take Tim.. At their peak is a tougher call..
Technically he on D-Rob.. All over him..
This seems familiar.
I hear that argument that Tim has been better for longer as if Hakeem was an average player aside from those couple of championship seasons. Hakeem's first 12 seasons in the NBA, he averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 50% from the field. His first 12 seasons. For comparison, Duncan did that 5 times his entire career. Duncan might be (and it's only arguable) better later in his career. But Hakeem had plenty of longevity to his greatness himself. It's not like he only put up 3-4 great years and the rest were so-so. And in their respective primes, it's not really close. In Hakeem's prime, he might have been the greatest and most complete basketball player ever. At the very least, the greatest and most complete big man ever.
Olajuwon's prime numbers looks a lot better (89-96)
25.1 PPG, 12.5 rebounds 3.8 blks/g 1.9 stls/g
52% shooting.
So funny you mention that one season, considering what was just published on ESPN's NBA page.Its not like Olajuwon's whole career is considered chopped liver tbh
That one season however is the reason why I would consider giving Olajuwon the edge considering their respective careers are close to begin with.
http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2013...ostseasons-1-5
Best playoff runs: Players 1-5
When it comes to historic player performances, the conference playoffs get no love. You can name and debate the best regular seasons and the best NBA Finals efforts, but the best overall postseason run doesn't spark the imagination quite the same way.
The same is true in terms of awards. The best regular seasons are rewarded with the MVP and there's an MVP of the NBA Finals, but save for the award Bill Simmons invented in "The Book of Basketball," there's nothing to honor the best playoff runs.
Which is what brings us here. Using my wins above replacement player (WARP) metric, we've ranked the best overall postseason performances dating back to 1978, the first year the NBA tracked a full box score including player turnovers.
WARP is up to the task because it considers both quality and quan y of performance. For example, Tim Duncan was better on a per-minute basis in the 2007 playoffs (when he had a 27.4 PER) than in 1999 (25.1). But the 23-year-old Duncan was able to log 43.1 minutes per game in the 1999 postseason as opposed to a relatively cushy 36.8 minutes per game in 2007, when he was already 31. Those extra six minutes a game Duncan kept backup Will Perdue on the bench mattered to the San Antonio Spurs, and using WARP credits him for it.
I did make one adjustment to the overall WARP totals. It's unfair to give players credit for playing more games in each series simply because they needed more time to eliminate their opponents. For example, Duncan and the Spurs played 24 games en route to the 2003 le, while Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers needed 16 to win in 2001. Both teams get the same trophy, so they should get equal credit. To do that -- and also adjust for best-of-five and best-of-three series in previous decades -- I prorated each series to an average of six games.
Since the goal of a postseason run is the le, I also added one WARP for champions. And, though it doesn't always go to the player who was best in the playoffs, I also awarded a 0.5 WARP bonus to each year's Finals MVP.
With that, we have a ranking of the greatest individual playoff runs in modern NBA history.
3. Tim Duncan, Spurs, 2003
PELTON'S RATING
9.5
Position: PF | Age: 27
Result: Won NBA Finals | Finals MVP
GP 24
PPG 24.7
RPG 15.4
APG 5.3
BPG 3.3
SPG 0.6
TS% 57.7
USG 26.4
In terms of raw playoff WARP, Duncan's 2003 playoff run (8.0) tops the list because the Spurs, as noted in the introduction, needed 24 games to win the championship -- playing exactly six games in every series. Don't blame Duncan. No superstar has done more to drag an undermanned team to the le.
The 2003 Spurs were a team in transition, with David Robinson on his farewell tour and the backcourt of second-year point guard Tony Parker and rookie shooting guard Manu Ginobili yet to grow into co-stars. In the playoffs, Parker (14.7 PPG) and a young Stephen Jackson (12.8) were the only other San Antonio players to average double figures. Yet the Spurs still dispatched of the three-time defending champion L.A. Lakers and a 60-win Dallas Mavericks team (with a little help from Dirk Nowitzki's knee injury) to reach the Finals.
There, against a New Jersey Nets team making its second consecutive Finals appearance, Duncan took over to an unprecedented degree. He averaged 24.2 points, 17.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 5.3 blocks, capped by a 21-20-10-8 performance in the closeout Game 6 that came close to becoming the first quadruple-double in playoffs history. Duncan settled for the only 20-20-10 in the past 27 Finals, his second championship and the third spot on this list.
-----------------------
Tim was a monster that year. Not to take anything away from The Dream.
Good stuff though I take it with a grain of salt. Anyone who ranks Lebron's 2012 NBA Finals run 2nd overall is a joke in my book.
Also, Duncan's compe ion that year wasn't as good as the Dream's back to back championship years (Ewing and Shaq). The Nets were a perennial treadmill team in the Finals, ran and fueled by a point guard. It was no surprise that talented big men like Shaq and Duncan dominated those series.
Again, not a slight to Duncan as he has proven he can play with the best the West has to offer, just worth mentioning.
Barely outplayed
I've seen all games. Its a statement. Olajuwon embarassed O'Neal.
You have reading comprehension. I already said, I saw every game, still have it on VHS. The numbers do not tell you the whole story. Olajuwon outplayed Shaq.
But allow the man who played against Olajuwon to prove that.
"If I can't beat you, I'll be a man and say I can't beat you. I'm not going to [cry about it] ... I'm the first guy to say that somebody is better than me. I was the first guy to say Hakeem Olajuwon beat me in the [1995] NBA finals. He killed me. He dominated me. I didn't go, 'Oh, he's traveling. They had experience. Wah-wah-wah.' I'm a man. Hakeem Olajuwon dusted my butt."
-O'Neal
Shaq has been very vocal of this even repeating this statement a decade later.
But I want to be clear that in no way I'm saying Shaq was the reason Orlando lost. Shaq was actually magnificent. Its just that Olajuwon was better.
^ that's it and that's all...Simply put there would be no Duncan if he played against a Prime Dream...that was one cold blooded African and it's no surprise MJ picked Dream as part of his personal starting 5....
Spur fan don't think anyone was better than Duncan
Was Dream your favorite player growing up since you were born and raised in Houston?^ that's it and that's all...Simply put there would be no Duncan if he played against a Prime Dream...that was one cold blooded African and it's no surprise MJ picked Dream as part of his personal starting 5....
Spur fan don't think anyone was better than Duncan
I was born and raised in Capetown South Africa
Ok.I was born and raised in Capetown South Africa
Anyhow, make sure to generate good vibes tonight. Prior to game 1, you were friendly and outgoing with your support of the Spurs. And the Spurs went out and won game 1. After game 1, you returned to your bitter troll persona, starting threads about how the Spurs are lucky. Spurs lost game 2.
They need you, Kool. The Spurs need your positivity.
ok...now get in the Club and support my new gay thread about your life...
^^ Y
Ya like Jordan has an eye for talent^ that's it and that's all...Simply put there would be no Duncan if he played against a Prime Dream...that was one cold blooded African and it's no surprise MJ picked Dream as part of his personal starting 5....
Spur fan don't think anyone was better than Duncan
Career Timmy. Peak Olajawon. Not that his peak was as short as Shaq's but Tim has been more consistent than either and are all battling Kareem for best center/big man since 1970 ...
Even Charlie Sheen's troll is on drugs. Thats whats up dude. Props tbh on this troll.
Shaq was pretty awesome that year. I remember he had this unguardable baby hook shot that was automatic in 95, and he quit going to it until 2001. Was pretty frustrating watching Shaq only be a dunker from 96-99 when that shot was so devastating in 95. I thought that was Shaq's best year until 2000.
it was Nick Anderson who failed the Magic, when he couldn't convert even one free throw to win game 1 for orlando. his confidence was shot after that. hakeem did outplay shaq tho.
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