Hollinger: NBA Finals: Best single-game performances: No. 6 Tim Duncan

[BillMc]

im surprise no ai or shaq on the top10

Yeah, Shaq was scary good in the Finals during their three-peat. (As Kobe lovers seem to forget....)

[BillMc]

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...506120SAS.html

List is since the merger.

Thanks! Yep, those are some seriously efficient numbers from Manu.

[Agloco]

I'm not sure what K-Mart shot offhand, but I vividly remember him bricking every shot he put up in the fourth quarter. He shot them out of the game by himself.

3-23.

That's some strong work from K-Mart......Thanks SA second le.

[Trimble87]

I have insider, I'll post all the spurs players explanations/numbers tonight. Also any requests for other players.

21. Manu Ginobili, Spurs: 2005 Finals, Game 2

32min, 6-8fgm-a, 11-13ftm-a, 3reb, 7ast, 3stl, 3to, 27pts.

Game Score: 33.1
Result: Spurs 97, Pistons 76
Series: Spurs win in 7






This one is probably the most underrated Finals performance in history. Ginobili played only 32 minutes but shredded one of the greatest defensive teams of all time while he was on the court. He finished with 27 points and seven assists while missing only two shots; even his at-the-time erratic 3-point shot found the net on four of his five attempts, and he added three steals at the defensive end in the Spurs' 97-76 rout.
Ginobili's Game Score isn't overwhelming, but on a per-minute, opponent-adjusted basis this one is an all-timer -- only two other efforts in the post-merger era rate higher than his 45.3 per 40 minutes. (Those two, if you're curious, are Michael Jordan's Game 1 against Portland in 1992, and MJ's Game 2 against the Lakers in 1991.)
And while the outcome of the individual game didn't swing on Ginobili's performance, the same can't be said of the series -- San Antonio prevailed in seven games largely because of Ginobili's efforts as Tim Duncan's prime sidekick.


32. Tim Duncan, Spurs: 1999 Finals, Game 1

44min, 13-21fgm-a, 7-10 ftm-a, 16reb, 2ast, 2stl, 2blk, 1to, 33pts

Game Score: 34.0
Result: Spurs 89, Knicks 77
Series: Spurs win in 5







Spurs-Knicks was one of the least sexy series of all time, further diminished by the lockout that robbed the league of nearly half its season. But Duncan owned the Spurs' 89-77 win in the opener. He dominated New York with 33 points and 16 rebounds -- those coming in a series in which the average score was in the low 80s -- to set the tone for the Spurs' five-game series win.
The performance also set the tone for Duncan in Game 1s. Against New Jersey in 2003 he produced the highest-rated Finals game since the merger, and his Game 1 against Cleveland in 2007 also cracks the list … with that trio of series openers providing his three highest-rated Finals games.


35. Tim Duncan, Spurs: 2003 Finals, Game 5

46min, 10-18fgm-a, 9-10ftm-a, 17reb, 4ast, 1stl, 4blk, 6to, 29pts

Game Score: 25.7
Result: Spurs 93, Nets 83
Series: Spurs win in 6






Yes, Game 5 … not Game 6. Two of Duncan's games from New Jersey crack the list, but surprisingly, his Game 6 didn't. While he finished two blocks shy of a quadruple that night, his performance in Game 5 was both more effective (in terms of Game Score) and more important.
While it didn't have the drama of a closeout game at home to clinch the le, none of that happens without Duncan's Game 5. The Spurs were playing on the road in a series tied 2-2, and while Duncan didn't come anywhere near a quad, his offensive performance -- 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting and a rare 9-of-10 from the line -- and his usual 17 boards allowed the Spurs to outlast New Jersey in a typically gritty defensive battle.


45. Tim Duncan, Spurs: 2007 Finals, Game 1

39min, 10-17fgm-a, 4-5ftm-a, 13reb, 1ast, 2stl, 5blk, 2to, 24pts

Game Score: 30.7
Result: Spurs 85, Cavaliers 76
Series: Spurs win in 4






Duncan's raw numbers don't look that impressive from this one, but he played only 39 minutes in the slowest-paced game mentioned on this list (the final score was 85-76). Factor that in and this one compares to his two other Game 1 masterpieces, with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 13 rebounds, five blocked shots and one accidental in-flight removal of LeBron James' headband.
The only reason it can't rate higher is because of the overmatched opponent -- the Spurs had essentially won the le already by winning the Western Conference and these Finals were a mere formality, as San Antonio proved by winning in four.

[duncan228]

Appreciate it Trimble87.

[ChuckD]

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...506120SAS.html

List is since the merger.

Not to mention that blocks weren't an NBA stat back then, and are a part of his formula. They'd be playing with one stat tied behind their backs.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

How many times did Kobe crack the list?...........Oh