I don't agree.
Duncan is not the reason Manu plays with the fire he does when crunch time comes.
Yes, Duncan makes people around him better. That I agree with.
But the way Manu turns it on in crucial games, or sometimes just 4th quarters of crucial games, has very little to do with TD and a lot to do with Manu.
He was money yesterday. He was money in games five and six against the Suns (the three mos important games, up to now, of these playoffs).
He was clutch in almost all important games in the 2005 championship. And if he hadn't committed that stupid foul in game 7 against Dallas, he would be considered even more clutch because he was money that 4th quarter, igniting the run to overcome a double digit deficit and hitting the clutch three to win the game.
Actually, HOF is not out of the question. Don't they base hall credentials for international players as well on how they play on the international scene? You can't limit the HOF for just NBA players. If you base his HOF possibility on his overall career credentials and include international play and such, I would think he would be a lock IMO.
He's no Kyra Sedgewick.
I understand he is still highly efficient in many big games. But I am talking about the last 5 minutes of games where neither team is up by more than 5 pts. If you look at 82games.com they have those stats for the regular season and playoffs, and Manu's best was the 05 playoffs in terms of clutch scoring, and passing.
You can't really say Manu is as clutch as someone like Dwayne Wade. Not even close. But yeah amongst perimeter players he has put together an extremely clutch 2005 NBA Playoffs that rivals most guards in the history of the NBA Playoffs. But some of that also has to do with getting the opportunity to play on a championship team, which means less focus on him, and also more opportunities to win and play well.
I am sure there are a lot of guys who can score as well or better than Manu. Not too many can do better than he did in the 05 playoffs, but plenty can do as well or better than he has in the past two playoff seasons. Not a knock on Manu or anything, he just isn't playing like an all-star these past two playoffs as a whole.
Guys like T-Mac have nights when they just feel it. Sometimes the other team gives them a couple of open looks or free throws, and they find a rhythm. And if those guys even think they feel it, they're going to shoot the ball every trip down the floor. People tend to forget about all the times when they miss shot after shot and let their teams sink like a rock.
Manu does it by sheer force of will. When the team is in rhythm, Many isn't going to call his own number. When the team really needs it, you can just see him dig deep and step up. You can read it in his face, and he basically says, "There is no way I am going to let us lose this game."
Do you remember a couple of years ago, when the Spurs played a road game in Phoenix, without Tim Duncan. We were in a race for the best record, and the Suns were playing really well. It was pretty much assumed that the Spurs needed Duncan if they were going to be able to stay on the court with Phoenix. Manu just went ape- that night. There was never any question of whether he was "feeling it" or not. From the time he walked onto the floor, he was going to take it to Phoenix...and he did. I think we wound up losing a close game that night, but that doesn't take anything away from what Manu did. He found what he needed inside, and went after the whole Suns team. And he knew he was going to do it. There was no question of whether he was feeling his stroke that particular night. Nothing was going to stop him.
I've seen similar performances out of players...once, maybe twice. But there aren't many who have been able to pull it out at will, and at need, the way Manu has. I don't know how he ranks against other players. Frankly, I think comparisons like that are silly. If you were judging him on pure shooting skills, or pure ball-handling skills, you would have a lot of other names on the list. But for sheer willpower, and the ability to back it up? Manu has to make your short list. Throw in his track record in the Olympics and International compe ion, and he should probably be on a list by himself. I just don't know exactly what the le of the list should be.
Manu has as good a shot as any at cracking the HOF since it's the Basketball Hall of Fame, not just for the NBA. But I think his les with the Spurs and winning the gold medal with the ARG national team will make him more than a lock. Maybe not first ballot but Manu still has some seasons to change that. I don't see why he wouldn't. The guy is clutch and a proven champion.
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