Tim Duncan's Best Defensive Season

[Thomas82]

In doing some research, I came across some a few people (fans and media) that said TD's best defensive season was 2000-01. They said that it was the year he most deserved to win the DPOY. The Spurs did have the best defensive rating that year, he led the league in DWS, and was near the top in just about every other defensive category. I think David Robinson still being a great defender took some DPOY votes away from him.

I personally think the 2003-04 season was his best year on defense. With so many players retiring and changing teams, with the biggest change being Rasho Nesterovic next to TD instead of The Admiral, the Spurs still improved by 4.9 points on defense.......a championship defense. They had the highest D rating relative to the rest of the league (8.8 better than league average) since the 60's Celtics. All of this with TD anchoring that unit, IMO, makes it his best year on that end of the floor.

Which season do you think was Tim Duncan's best defensive season?

[Play Boban]

The good 'ole handchecking era. No more.

[sananspursfan21]

What a time to be alive that was

[Thomas82]

What a time to be alive that was

The absolute best time to be a Spurs fan.

[TDomination]

Statistically I'm not sure but I do remember the early 2000 squads were amazing defensively. We just had nobody to score outside of Duncan and drob until parker and Manu showed up.

[Thomas82]

Statistically I'm not sure but I do remember the early 2000 squads were amazing defensively. We just had nobody to score outside of Duncan and drob until parker and Manu showed up.

Yeah, that's the way it was from 2000-04.

[boutons_deux]

2000-2007 was probably the peak of the BigThree's Golden Age. But '13-'14, they were right there, too.

[stnick2261]

I loved when Rasho was on the team. He didn't block shots, but people had to alter their shot around him (leading to missed shots). He didn't rebound every ball, but he blocked out so a teammate could rebound. When the other big men were injured, he stepped up and played aggressive on offense... but otherwise he took a back seat on that end and deferred too much.

That being said... the early twin towers was beautiful to watch. The guards would funnel their player to the baseline where Duncan / Robinson were waiting.

Duncan's more valuable defensive years had to be after Robinson retired and he had to take a larger role (Like Nazr Mohammed '05 championship)

[Thomas82]

Hard to say he was ever better than 2003, when he capped off the 2003 NBA finals with a quadruple double.

That was his best all around season, but I believe he was a little better defensively the next year.

[Leetonidas]

Maybe 04? Don't spurs have the record for lowest OPPG in a season that year?

[dbreiden83080]

And never won DPOY for some reason..

[TDMVPDPOY]

the year fkn camby won dpoy

also the year fkn marc gasol won dpoy

those are the years i think td got robbed, hence each season the catergories selection changes

[spurraider21]

the year fkn camby won dpoy

also the year fkn marc gasol won dpoy

those are the years i think td got robbed, hence each season the catergories selection changes

i think the camby one is a definite. gasol was very strong on advanced stats that year, iirc. and duncan's pick and roll defense had already declined quite a bit by then, though he was still an elite post defender and rim protector, probably better than gasol in either of those categories

[Arcadian]

Marcus Camby winning DPoY... off!

[TDMVPDPOY]

i think the camby one is a definite. gasol was very strong on advanced stats that year, iirc. and duncan's pick and roll defense had already declined quite a bit by then, though he was still an elite post defender and rim protector, probably better than gasol in either of those categories

the season 04/05 after the 03/04 melly at the palace where bigben was suspended, artest out for the season... dunno who won it that year, but td got robbed 04/05 season.... his 2 main compe ors for that award were out, yet i think bigben still won it?

[spurraider21]

the season 04/05 after the 03/04 melly at the palace where bigben was suspended, artest out for the season... dunno who won it that year, but td got robbed 04/05 season.... his 2 main compe ors for that award were out, yet i think bigben still won it?

ben wallace won that year and he was only suspended 6 games

[Thomas82]

Maybe 04? Don't spurs have the record for lowest OPPG in a season that year?

Yes they do.

[Thomas82]

Depends. If you're talking about meaningless games in November and December, then yes, maybe. When the games mattered, I don't see any season being better than 2003. In fact, I see Duncan winning a ring with that squad as the greatest accomplishment in NBA history, considering he had to go through the Shaq/Kobe 3-peat Lakers to do it with nobody on his team even sniffing the all-star game.

No argument from me on this post.

[YGWHI]

the year fkn camby won dpoy

also the year fkn marc gasol won dpoy

those are the years i think td got robbed, hence each season the catergories selection changes

Tim got robed. No doubt.

I just would say that Marc in his prime was a way better defender than Camby. Wallace, too.

[TDMVPDPOY]

not winning 1 or 2 dpoy, doesnt hurt td overall top10 ranking?

[Thomas82]

The most mind-blowing thing about TD never winning a DPOY is that he never even finished 2nd in voting. The best he could manage was 3rd place twice, 2001 and 2007.

[Millennial_Messiah]

I loved when Rasho was on the team. He didn't block shots, but people had to alter their shot around him (leading to missed shots). He didn't rebound every ball, but he blocked out so a teammate could rebound. When the other big men were injured, he stepped up and played aggressive on offense... but otherwise he took a back seat on that end and deferred too much.

That being said... the early twin towers was beautiful to watch. The guards would funnel their player to the baseline where Duncan / Robinson were waiting.

Duncan's more valuable defensive years had to be after Robinson retired and he had to take a larger role (Like Nazr Mohammed '05 championship)

Nazr in his prime on the Spurs and Pistons was a damn good interior defender. A complete steal trading away the first incarnation of DeJuan Blair for him. Spurs don't win the 'ship in '05 without him.

But then Poop got stupid against the Mavs in '06 by benching him for smallball, so he bolted. I don't blame him.

[YGWHI]

THE ??? Marc Gasol was a better defender than Ben Wallace??????????

No. I meant prime Gasol was better than Camby."Wallace, too" =Wallace was way better than Camby.

[Thomas82]

A genuine case could have been made for TD to win DPOY every year of his prime, but IMO the years he was most deserving were 2004, 2007, and 2013.

[TDMVPDPOY]

the years where the spurs won championships, he shouldve won dpoy them years... he fkn exposed all those winners in the playoffs