The Spurs survived an arduous Game 7 versus the Pistons to capture the crown: The 2005 NBA Championship. My homey, Ben Sheets, invited all the NBA-haters to tune in for last night's contest, which, in hindsight, was not a great exhibition of why the NBA is better than the NCAA. Game 7 was ugly; there's no doubt about it. Bill Simmons at Espn.com's Page 2 editorial site suggests that it is rare that a Game 7 of the NBA Finals is played well; he says the stakes are too high.
Tim Duncan took home the Finals MVP award, undoubtedly a well-deserved prize relative to his teammates' individual contributions.
Tim Duncan is a great player, but he is definitely overrated. He had a couple years in which he was unstoppable, but those seem to be gone. Now, he is still skillful enough to requisite a double-team, and he is smart enough to kick out the rock to the right players (anyone not named Tony Parker). On defense, he can still change shots. But there are several players in the league right now that can do the same job.
11 comments:
OK, I don't know who's saying that Tim Duncan is the best power forward ever. I'd say if he can continue doing what he's been doing the last 7 years for another 5 years, I'd probably say he's the best power forward ever.
I put a lot of weight behind the number of championships that one has won and the impact a player has made on that championship. Duncan's got three rings and three Finals' MVP's. Malone has nothing.
Well, bensheets, I tried to help you. No one can say I didn’t try. But, despite my entreaties, you still went ahead with it. You respect Tim Duncan so much, for finishing college, for his quiet dignity, for his class, that in order to defend his name you wandered into a very dark place in terms of analyzing sports. It’s ironic, really. Bensheets now finds himself in the Derek Jeter Zone.
Comparing Duncan to Jeter is like comparing the US to France. It's a waste, but I'll go ahead anyway...
Derek Jeter's rings and Duncan's rings are not equivalent. Duncan was THE man for his rings, while Jeter was part of a 25-man squad that did the job. The problem is that the media has made Jeter as the leader when he was probably not even top 3 in MVP on his own team. Duncan's had a great supporting cast (The Admiral and now Manu and Horry), but he's deservedly been the MVP three times.
Let's look at some stat rankings:
Duncan
Rebounds: 4th
Blocks: 3rd
Points: 25th
Duncan's Career: 22.5 points; 12.2 rebounds; 2.5 blocks
Karl Malone (Career):
25.0 points (he never had a supporting scorer with him; Duncan has had many); 10.1 rebs; .8 blocks
Charles Barkley (Career):
22.1 points; 11.7 rebs; .83 blocks
Jeter (This Season)
BA: 32nd
RBI: 93rd
HR: 67th
Hits: 12th
Homo-ness: 1st
I'll concede that Duncan will never be as great a scored as Malone was, but that's not what I'm saying. I think Duncan can be the best forward as an all-around player (after 5 more years of him keeping up this level of play).
For the record, Malone had one of the greatest point guards in this era (Stockton) with him his entire career, so you can't say Malone was without help.
I'd also like to say that I have different criteria for rating top players in basketball and baseball. Championships reflect individuals a lot more in basketball than in baseball.
oneway, I still can't believe you brought out Jeter on me. I almost vomited.
Dang, my statistics were supposed to show that I agreed that Tim Duncan is the best Power Forward of all time.
Karl Malone scored more points not only because of Stockton, but because of the fact that there was no one else on his team who could score on a regular basis.
Duncan has been consistent with his statistics while sharing them with some other great players.
Jeter is just gay
teeftastic, I thought you were saying that Malone scored more, so Malone was better. i'm clear now.
i love the Homo-ness ranking. i'd like to nominate Rasheed Wallace for 2nd place in Homo-ness. how could you leave Robert Horry open????
Whoa, Teef came through with some numbers. I'd ask for references, but it's clear that all these statistics are in order, especially Jeter's.
But, isn't it true that the Mailman's and Barkley's stats include years of playing at a level below their prime? I say Duncan's descent has already begun, and his line will approach great-but-not-the-best territory in the coming years.
I do have to admit that if Tim keeps it up for the next 5 years, he will prove he is the greatest power forward ever. Sir Charles and Karl have over 20,000 points and 10,000 boards each.
The Jeter thing was somewhat a stretch, but the general idea that because of Duncan's rings, he somehow is automatically a "winner", meaning he has some intangible "leadership", or "determination", or "heart" that other championship-less players do not have is unfair. Malone (who, along with Stockon, was one of the dirtiest players I've seen) and Barkley were trying to beat the Bulls. Take the 93 Suns or the 97 or 98 Jazz against this year's Spurs and you'll see what Duncan did this year was great but not legendary. (Kevin Johnson or Stockton would've put up thirty on Tony Parker)
Duncan also did not have any great scorers, unless you count Stephan Jackson and Ginobli. Malone was sharing with Stockton and Hornacek, and let's not forget Greg Ostertag.
'Sheed is frustrating to watch, but I still like him. He's got the skills to be dominant, but he does not have the desire to demand the ball, nor the brains to see that the refs were calling the game last night very tight. He made up for leaving Horry open by closing Game 6 off almost single-handedly.
i don't think the Pistons gave 'Sheed the ball enough late in Game 7. he was clutch in Game 6 and doing things in Game 7.
and i don't think 'Sheed is really worthy of Homo-ness ranking #2. but i would like to see him shave.
I think you could throw Tom Brady into the Derek Jeter mix as well. Tom Brady is a decent NFL quarterback at best, but put a couple of rings on him and apparently he's one of the best quarterbacks ever.
Good point about Duncan's stats not being affected by a downward trend yet. We'll have to see on that one.
Sheed could be great, but his beard is just too patchy.
I made an exception to my non-NBA policy and watched the final. Looked a lot like hack-a-Shaq...without a Shaq. But that Tim Duncan was sure good in college...
Re:
the photo question.
I have a 4-year-old Sony Powershot camera (5 megapixels) which has served me well. Before that I constantly used a couple of Nikon SLR film cameras. If I were starting today...and I had the cash to spring...I'd definitely look at Nikon's digital SLR line-up. (And buy online.)
Canon and Nikon head up the camera world, but I've always been a Nikon man - I like the heavier feel, more rugged construction.
If you're looking for a lower-end entry point, Sony is worth a look as well. No doubt there are other good mid-range brands out there, but I can't speak from experience.
Let me know what you end up looking at. Also, shoot questions my way if you have 'em.
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