Spurs: serious question, when did duncan's reign as the best player ended?

[midnightpulp]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playo...n-mvp-rankings

[RsxPiimp]

Wow, some of the Spurs fans are really taking this the wrong way and quite hard, I might add . This is no way to diminish his legacy, that is my point exactly. His standing in the All Time Greats has been firmly placed since 2006 and I dont believe the Spurs championship gives him a compelling reason to suddenly deserve the proclamation overnight as the "Best player since Jordan" in a series where he's not even the 2nd or even 3rd best player (This belongs to Lebron followed closesly by Leonard)


Duncan hasn't been truly great from an individual standpoint but rather a very valuable piece as a system player for a while now. Are we now just forgetting the numerous failures when he was actually still in All Star form?


Almost swept by the Lakers in 2008
The Spurs were upset in the first round by a 6th seed in 2009
They were SWEPT by Mike D'Antoni's Suns in 2010
They were upset again in the first round by an 8th seed in 2011
They were backdoor SWEPT by OK in 2012
Lost a favorable series in 2013 (In which Duncan missed in what shouldve been an automatic 2 points)


Duncan's 5th championship did not suddenly made him better than Lebron or Kobe who put in a lot more work, and were successful during these several years, mind you.

[midnightpulp]

Wow, some of the Spurs fans are really taking this the wrong way and quite hard, I might add . This is no way to diminish his legacy, that is my point exactly. His standing in the All Time Greats has been firmly placed since 2006 and I dont believe the Spurs championship gives him a compelling reason to suddenly deserve the proclamation overnight as the "Best player since Jordan" in a series where he's not even the 2nd or even 3rd best player (This belongs to Lebron followed closesly by Leonard)


Duncan hasn't been truly great from an individual standpoint but rather a very valuable piece as a system player for a while now. Are we now just forgetting the numerous failures when he was actually still in All Star form?


Almost swept by the Lakers in 2008
The Spurs were upset in the first round by a 6th seed in 2009
They were SWEPT by Mike D'Antoni's Suns in 2010
They were upset again in the first round by an 8th seed in 2011
They were backdoor SWEPT by OK in 2012
Lost a favorable series in 2013 (In which Duncan missed in what shouldve been an automatic 2 points)


Duncan's 5th championship did not suddenly made him better than Lebron or Kobe who put in a lot more work, and were successful during these several years, mind you.

Exactly. Duncan was already the best player since Jordan and the player of his generation. He didn't need this le to prove that. Just icing on the cake.

[Clipper Nation]

For a group of people who were all supposedly rooting for the Spurs to win, Kirbystan sure has been in meltdown/damage-control mode since Duncan rang

[spurraider21]

You keep referring to 08-11 which nobody claims were Duncan's best years . Duncan was better in '12 and '13 than most of those years . Duncan was still the best player in 05

[RsxPiimp]

Exactly. Duncan was already the best player since Jordan and the player of his generation. He didn't need this le to prove that. Just icing on the cake.

Well at least you see my POV.

For a group of people who were all supposedly rooting for the Spurs to win, Kirbystan sure has been in meltdown/damage-control mode since Duncan rang

Barking at the wrong tree tbh. This is off season talk, I dont care about players rankings and entirety. I don't live vicariously through their accomplishments

[RsxPiimp]

You keep referring to 08-11 which nobody claims were Duncan's best years . Duncan was better in '12 and '13 than most of those years . Duncan was still the best player in 05

And even in those years, if you really would like to take those seasons into account, he failed miserably, that's being fair btw, since players are always judged how far or short their team goes

[spurraider21]

And even in those years, if you really would like to take those seasons into account, he failed miserably, that's being fair btw, since players are always judged how far or short their team goes

thats fine. Any 3 day stretch of Duncan's career is better than 05-07 for Kobe, which is his prime

3 seasons without winning a single playoff series... good grief

[DAF86]

Boiled down

Duncan: 5-3-2
TOSB: 5-2-1

[DAF86]

Man, it's so ing beatiful watching Kobefans grasping for something and having absolutely nothing to back on.

[DMC]

Wow, some of the Spurs fans are really taking this the wrong way and quite hard, I might add . This is no way to diminish his legacy, that is my point exactly. His standing in the All Time Greats has been firmly placed since 2006 and I dont believe the Spurs championship gives him a compelling reason to suddenly deserve the proclamation overnight as the "Best player since Jordan" in a series where he's not even the 2nd or even 3rd best player (This belongs to Lebron followed closesly by Leonard)


Duncan hasn't been truly great from an individual standpoint but rather a very valuable piece as a system player for a while now. Are we now just forgetting the numerous failures when he was actually still in All Star form?


Almost swept by the Lakers in 2008
The Spurs were upset in the first round by a 6th seed in 2009
They were SWEPT by Mike D'Antoni's Suns in 2010
They were upset again in the first round by an 8th seed in 2011
They were backdoor SWEPT by OK in 2012
Lost a favorable series in 2013 (In which Duncan missed in what shouldve been an automatic 2 points)


Duncan's 5th championship did not suddenly made him better than Lebron or Kobe who put in a lot more work, and were successful during these several years, mind you.

You didn't have the objections you should have if you had courage of conviction then, because it's long been said here that 5>4 so now that Duncan has 5 as well, you're here saying that the rings don't matter any more. How convenient a position for you suddenly, but... no.

[DMC]

thats fine. Any 3 day stretch of Duncan's career is better than 05-07 for Kobe, which is his prime

3 seasons without winning a single playoff series... good grief

3 seasons without winning a single playoff game as well.

[TDMVPDPOY]

one thing for sure and ceratin set in stone record books for the monkey is this, kirby will never in his lifetime be challenging anyone to make a name fro himself that his better from here on...enjoy sittin at home nursing that tendon

[Brunodf]

2009

[Buddy Mignon]

Duncan was never the best player. It went from Mikan to Wilt to Kareem to Magic to Jordan to Kobe to Lebron. Other players had great seasons in between but they never reigned. Kobe was from 2001-2011.

[ambchang]

there's so much talk about duncan being the best player since MJ, strangely, this affirmation took place after duncan won his 5th le. this time riding the coattails of a 22 year old.


how can duncan be the best player when kobe and lebron ruled the league from 2006-2014?

Horrible troll bait by rehashing other peoples point of views. I guess magic rode worthys coattail because worthy won the finals MVP.

I guess Kobe road Shaq's coattail ... Wait, he did.

Anyways. A player who at one point is the best player in the league but sucked for 5 other years is not as great as the player who was great consistently.

Two, 1999 to 2005 were post Jordan years and Duncan was either the best or second best in all those years.

Third, Kobe was never the best player in the league at Any point In His career. Nash in 2005, dirk from 2006 to 2008, then Lebron all the way.

[ambchang]

Not really, I dont care much for dynasties and legacies tbh, I just want to talk basketball.


It seems to me the notion of Duncan somehow leapfrogging the better players of this generation after winning a le to which he was the 2nd best player is absurd. Actually, all this ring count is totally stupid if you think of it but we'll play that card since that's what the media goes for.


Still, Duncan hasn't really been the best player of the game since when, 2004? We can argue about semantics but Kobe and Lebron both owned 4 regular season MVP's, 4 Finals MVP's and about 4 NBA les since and they were the undisputed best players during those years. Duncan wasn't even in anyone's Top 10 list for the past 3 years.

Moving the goalpost. It was always 5>4 for laker fans and now that card can no longer be played, some arbitrary best player of the year is used when Kobe had 1 MVP to Duncan's 2.

And leapfrogging? Duncan has always been better. Only idiots didn't know that.

[ambchang]

Wow, some of the Spurs fans are really taking this the wrong way and quite hard, I might add . This is no way to diminish his legacy, that is my point exactly. His standing in the All Time Greats has been firmly placed since 2006 and I dont believe the Spurs championship gives him a compelling reason to suddenly deserve the proclamation overnight as the "Best player since Jordan" in a series where he's not even the 2nd or even 3rd best player (This belongs to Lebron followed closesly by Leonard)


Duncan hasn't been truly great from an individual standpoint but rather a very valuable piece as a system player for a while now. Are we now just forgetting the numerous failures when he was actually still in All Star form?


Almost swept by the Lakers in 2008
The Spurs were upset in the first round by a 6th seed in 2009
They were SWEPT by Mike D'Antoni's Suns in 2010
They were upset again in the first round by an 8th seed in 2011
They were backdoor SWEPT by OK in 2012
Lost a favorable series in 2013 (In which Duncan missed in what shouldve been an automatic 2 points)


Duncan's 5th championship did not suddenly made him better than Lebron or Kobe who put in a lot more work, and were successful during these several years, mind you.

And Kobe rules the league from 06 till when again? How does team success factor in those years?

[midnightpulp]

It went from Mikan to Wilt to Kareem to Magic to Jordan to Shaq/Duncan to Lebron. Other players had great seasons in between but they never reigned.

Only one year did I feel Kobe was the best player in the league. In '08. His playoff run was amazing until Thibs exposed him. You don't blow a 24 point lead at home in the Finals and get blown out by 39 in the closeout game and still be considered the best player in the league.

"But Kobe had no help."

Here's how he played in those two games:

20.5ppg on .317 shooting.

He let his team die.

[Clipper Nation]

Only one year did I feel Kobe was the best player in the league. In '08. His playoff run was amazing until Thibs exposed him. You don't blow a 24 point lead at home in the Finals and get blown out by 39 in the closeout game and still be considered the best player in the league.

"But Kobe had no help."

Here's how he played in those two games:

20.5ppg on .317 shooting.

He let his team die.

Not to mention, he had the most stacked frontcourt in the league for help, including Alpha MVPau and Beta Odom, tbh....

Just like in 2004, Kirby started thinking he was the star instead of a role player and it all went to ....

[ambchang]

Duncan was never the best player. It went from Mikan to Wilt to Kareem to Magic to Jordan to Kobe to Lebron. Other players had great seasons in between but they never reigned. Kobe was from 2001-2011.

No biases. Bird never won 3 straight MVPs, neither did Russell.

[ezau]

Duncan>Kobe

[RsxPiimp]

Not to mention, he had the most stacked frontcourt in the league for help, including Alpha MVPau and Beta Odom, tbh....

Just like in 2004, Kirby started thinking he was the star instead of a role player and it all went to ....

Stop reaching and being an idiot. Dude.

[RsxPiimp]

And Kobe rules the league from 06 till when again? How does team success factor in those years?

Team success factors very well in his case after the stigma of Kobe can't win without Shaq. Winning a useless MVP award and 2 valuable Finals MVP's asserts that.

[Clipper Nation]

Stop reaching and being an idiot. Dude.

A blown 24-point lead followed by a 39-point loss in the Finals clincher. Christ almighty!

Imagine what Kirbystan would say if that was LeBron or Duncan....