2006 WCSF, Gm 7: Duncan vs. Nowitzki
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- A classic duel between 2 Top 10 players from the '00 era. What made this matchup unique was the contrasting styles. Duncan being the traditional back-to-the-basket big man and Nowitzki being a "hybrid" big.
Dallas got off to an incredible start hitting 15/18 shots from the field in the 1st Q and 69% in the first half overall. Trailing by 14 in the 3rd, the Spurs tightened up on D and with a balanced attack eventually took the lead. Dallas' bench ended up being the difference maker in this contest though as they outscored the Spurs reserves by 27 points.
Tim Duncan (playing with plantar fasciitis): 41 pts (12/24 FG), 15 rebs, 6 asts, 1 stl, 3 blks
Dirk Nowitzki: 37 pts (11/20 FG), 15 rebs, 3 asts, 1 stl, 1 blk
The 3 things Spurs fans don't talk about:
2004 (Derek Fisher 0.4 shot)
2006 (Dirk Nowitzki 3 point play)
2013 (Ray Allen 3 pointer)
add vince carter's 3 point (2014)
Let's not forget the sweep by Suns and the 8th seeded Grizzles beating them.
Of course. It's a sore spot for us Spurs fans. Much like how Dallas does not like to talk about the 07 GSW and 06 Miami Heat. But 4 championships is pretty sweet
And Miami beating spurs in game 7,at least mavs got there rematch in 2010-2011 4-2 and won,spurs haven't got there won against Miami yet
samuel herrera 4 championships is still sweeter than 1 championship that Mavs got in a rematch
I will never forget that "and 1" by dirk to tie the game at 09:50. its been 6 years and Its still fresh in my mind. Hell of a series!
Best series of the 00s that I remember. The 76ers Raptors 2001 matchup was something too but this one was the best.
Naw, 2002 WCF and 2005 NBA finals were better.
Dirk scored in the high post(from the elbow) pretty routinely throughout his career.
But he didn't implement the left legged fade until like 2008/09. And it wasn't perfected until 2011.
So his post game has evolved. and isn't traditional, but it's still considered post play.
What a great match-up. I miss these days when these two would go head to head like that. I just wish the Spurs could have pulled through. :(
The debate wasn't about who's had more help. We were discussing who the better individual player was.
I miss these rivalries. Spurs and Mavs were always top teams. Now the NBA has changed, everyone is trying to team up and take the easy way. Rivalries like these don't exist. I respect Dirk for ALWAYS being with the MAVERICKS thru the good and bad times, the Championship he brought home in 2011 means a lot. I also respect Duncan (Future Hall of Famer) Nothing will ever beat these TEXAS RIVALRIES.
This was the only reason, in my eyes, the Spurs didn't go for a threepeat (05, 06, 07)... But I don't wanna talk about it. lol
Also,there are a lot of great rivalries in the NBA today:
1)Miami vs Boston
2)OKC vs San Antonio
3)Miami vs NYK
4)LAC vs Memphis
5)Indiana vs Miami
6)San Antonio vs L.A.
7)LAC vs L.A.
There's just a couple more other than those,but there are more than 3/4 rivalries in the NBA.
I wouldn't say Duncan is overrated. In fact, he's one of the most underrated superstars of this era alongside Dirk. Duncan was just blessed to have teammates like David Robinson, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and a deep bench year in and year out and above all, an all-time great coach Gregg Popovich. All of those combined made Duncan look like the hall-of-fame top 5 PF of all-time. On the other hand, Dirk has never had that much luxury year in and year out.
Wow I never noticed before but Duncan got raked hard across the arm with 00.6 still on the clock.
spurs got robbed
***** Well, Terry shouldn't have given a guy a purposeful shot to the gonads then.
***** And if Duncan did not foul out with Dirk stepping on his foot in one of those OT games they win! If Finley did not get a tech taken away later on by the league in which they lost the game in OT they win by a POINT! Don't start on calls that series or what ifs, the Mavs got some favorable calls all series that made a different. TNT crew after the game, especially Charles in game 4, NBA REFS SUCK. I remember it.
i havent seen is on utube, its on nba t.v archives. Like i watched the road to victory where hakeem won his second ring and they had shaqs comments about hakeem after being swept. Shaq was saying hakeem is the greatest player hes ever played against. When tim came to the spurs david said he be the high low guy giving duncan more touches. They show david helping tim alot on his low post game too. Its a fun watch
Dirk's 48 against OKC was incredibly impressive because he destroyed any defender OKC sent, and they sent damn near their whole team to guard him at one point or another.
But Duncan is still very clearly better, IMO. He was dominant from Day 1 and can anchor a team defensively, something Dirk could never do. He's reliable on offense, a devastating rim protector and post defender on defense, a great passer, and has nerves of steel. Best PF ever. Even better than KG, my favorite PF.
For any lurkers who just started reading these comments on here, let me make my position very clear.
Tim Duncan is the greatest PF to ever lace them up. He was so good that he could have a off game by scoring only 10 points, but still dominate by getting 19 rebounds and 5 blocks. That is what separates himself from the rest of the pack.
Dirk is a great offensive player with a arsenal that surpasses Tim's, making him the better player on that side of the floor.
PF battle for the ages. Only separating factor between these two is that Dirk is a Hall of Famer, Duncan is the best PF of all time and should be considered a top 5 player ever if he can win his 5th title at age 37.
I hate the mavs but Dirk is something else. There might never again be a 7 footer who plays the game like he does. Enjoy these two while you can, retirement is looming for both
Duncan is no slouch, he was great.
But with Dirk you are talking about a dominant 7 footer with guard skills. This is something the NBA has never seen before, and may never see again.
I don't get why people care so much "who's better" at this or that ... Let's Just appreciate both player's greatness instead of arguing !!!
What the hell are you saying, man? Tony Parker was a 28th pick and Manu was 57th pick. The reason why they've become what they are right now was because Tim was being double team down the post, thus giving them room to penetrate and shoot ( watch the video). Also, Robinson was averaging 7.8 points per game in 2003 playoffs and 1999, Robinson was averaging 15.6 points per game, he was old. Basically, he was a role player back then.
Wow! What a great game!!
You are correct, and i said as much earlier. My premise is that Dirk is the better and more impactful offensive player.
But overall, with Duncan's great D and O, he is the better PF...in fact, TD is the GOAT pf...
Jason Terry? He played with Steve Nash and Michael Finley in the prime of their careers. He also played with Juwan Howard in his prime as well. Caron Butler and Tyson Chandler were no scrubs, either. And all of those guys were All-Stars at some point. So it wasn't like Dirk was totally alone.
This argument is really pointless though because the general consensus is that Duncan was more dominant. Prior to last year Dirk was known as a choke artist in the postseason and no one had him as a Top 5 PF, let alone the best PF ever (which Duncan is). Dirk is the better scorer and does have the advantage in longevity but to me prime is more important. What did you do from an invididual and team standpoint at your very best?
Your definition differs from mine. IMO, "post play" is when a player(usually with his back to the basket) is attempting to score over his defender within a 15 foot radius of the cup. I can score from the FT line and if my foot touches the paint, it is considered PIP. So why should it make a difference if I do it from the baseline? And why should it make a difference if my fade hits the same percentage as a TD jump hook under the hoop? Technically It's post play because u need to post to do this
great players going at it
Yeah I'm such a hater that I uploaded a video of Dirk leading his team past the Spurs in a Game 7.
Why are you getting so upset over an opinion?
And did the wiki article claim that he always defends around the perimeter? /rolleyes
Where was Dirk's superior post game against the Warriors in 2007? You remember that year right? Dirk won the MVP and was intimidated by players who were 4 inches shorter and at least 20 pounds lighter. Charles Barkley kept saying that he was playing soft and needed to "punish those midgets" but Dirk kept shooting jumpers.
I'm a Mavs fan and here is my list of greatest 4's:
1.) Duncan
2.) Malone
3.) Dirk
4.) KG
5.) McHale
I only rank guys I have actually seen play.
You could argue that KG is 3rd since he was better defensively. But since he was in the lottery in Minnesota and Dirk has pretty much owned KG in their careers, that argument can be countered.
Being efficient is one of the best ways to win. Sure he has 5 rings. 3 of them were predominantly because of Shaq's monster efficiency. Kobe's been shooting under 45% as of late and look where that got him. Even back in '09 and '10 he shot 6/24 in the field only to get bailed out by his bigs like Gasol and Bynum and of course don't forget the refs.
how did that three become four points to tie? maybe im just over thinking this ( 8:59 )
Defense is played as a team. While offense is mostly ran on isolations to draw double teams to get someone open. Dirk can drop 30 on Duncan and KG anytime he wants regardless on how good they are defensively. I'm talking about Dirk's effectiveness on a team game not on a One on One game.
The 2003 Spurs team was comparable to the 2011 title team. Manu and Tony were not Manu and Tony yet.
Tim was a BOSS on both sides of the floor, but especially defensively.
Just want to make sure you are understanding my point. Tim is the better over player, but I feel that Dirk has a slight edge offensively because of his hybrid status, size and the overall ability he has to make those around him perform better.
Of course defensively, it isn't even close. TD blows him & most others away.
MAN lol duncan was whacked from dirk on that last second attempt in regulation haha.
love it! :D
Dirk's 48 against OKC wasn't that impressive when you consider that half of those points came from the free throw line. He's a better scorer I'll give you that but Duncan is better in almost every other category and was considered superior when both players were in their primes. Duncan's MVP's, defensive dominance and clutch performances put him ahead.
How do u stop a 7 foot jump shooter?
Why is everyone so quick to point out Dirk's shortcomings? What about Duncan's? He's also on that short of list of guys who lost to an 8th seed. 6x his team lost in the postseason when they had HCA. 43% shooting the 2008 WCFs, when his team really could have used the offense? Why doesn't any of this stuff ever come back to haunt Timmy? Yes, he has four rings, but he shouldn't get a pass for everything.
Yeah..despite the age,every team would like to have a guy like Nash
Pretty much any Dallas fan who follows the team will freely admit that Jet was inconsistent.
And that Dirk's #2 was not at the level of Tim's #2 or KG's #2 in Boston.
That's what is being said. Not sure why you cant understand the point being made. I thought by posting Kerr's comment about the "big 1 and little 8" you would get it, but apparently not.
The guy who posted the video edit it, just watch the time left on the clock of the game. He just edits it to the next exciting play.
You forgot 1 really important thing that separates Duncan and KG from other PFs - DEFENSE
Duncan and KG got those numbers anchoring the whole team defense. They were elite defensively and Dirk wasn't.
No doubt Dirk is better offensively than both, so was Malone and Barkley. But you can't simply forget that a big part of the game is defense and Duncan and KG are among the best of all-time.
Dirk's playoff career average - 26ppg, 10rpg, 47%FG, 90%FT.
Duncan - 22ppg, 12rpg, 50% FG, 67% FT.
Garnett - 19ppg, 10rpg, 47% FG, 78% FT.
And you talk as if Dirk is not the same class as them? Don't forget the fact that Dirk has not played with players like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Paul Peirce, Ray Allen's calibur and yet he's able to carry a Mavs team against 3 hall-of-famers in their primes with the Heat.
OK, that was last year. But what about all the years when he was playing with stars? And passing isn't about "finding the open man" its about making teammates better. If you want a simple visual: When Dirk has the ball, he's looking towards the net. When Duncan has the ball he's looking at his teammates. Sure Dirk averages maybe 3 ppg more than Duncan. But Duncan's passing, offensive rebounds and PREVENTING points on the other end translates to WAY more than 3 points.
Interesting that you mentioned Kobe, because both he and Durant have mimicked Dirk's fade.
Dirk scores in the high post. He also exploits mismatches and drives when need be.
He doesn't have a jump hook. So if you want to call that a weakness then I will concede that. But with a fade from the high post that hits at a high percentage, he doesn't need one.
09:25 Mark Cuban is pissed!
Yep, par for the course
He is/was a good team defender. Certainly he is not a powerhouse of a defender like Mutombo, Ewing,Eaton, etc was but he is and was not as bad as many claimed to be.
All i'm saying that in like 2005 people would be divided on the issue. However, there is no doubt that Pop is better. But at that point in 2005, even though he had 2 championships, people would argue, that Pop was good defensively, but otherwise riding TD to championships. Not his coaching ability.
I also think you're wrong on that second point. Both will be remembered widely, but the best PF of all time will be remembered over Dirk, uniqiue as he is.
Defense is more important than offense. Just look at Danny Green. Spurs kept him for his defense.
waiiit a minute here. As long as Mark Cuban is the mavs owner, dirk won't be playing with scrubs. He's always had a good supporting cast at points in his career. Nash, Finley, Terry, Kidd, Chandler. You can't say that parker and ginobili are way ahead of those guys. When comparing duncan and dirk, you can't look at stats. Duncan commands way more double teams and opens up his teammates. He's a better passer than dirk, better leader, and wayyy better defensively
Sorry but Ginobili wasn't unexperienced when he first came into the league he was like 25 years old and won everything in Italy, Europe, and led Argentina to win the world in Indianapolis. He was averaging like 7 ppg just because he wasn't getting enough minutes
i'll always wonder what Ginobili was thinking when he fouled Nowitzki. If he scored with no and 1 We still had the ball to make free throws.
The Heat and Spurs should of faced each other in the finals in 1999, 2006, 2013. Heat and Spurs could of been a rivalry.
Yeah sadly that didn't happen. Mourning Vs Duncan and Shaq vs Duncan again would have been fun to watch.
David Robinson, Tony Paker, Manu Ginobili. So, carrying a team with 3 hall-of-famers in it? And not to mention a premier defender in Bruce Bowen PLUS a packed Bench? You're funny.
Of course Duncan will have a higher FG percentage than Nowitzki, tell me how many "Threes" did Duncan rain again in his career?
Also Tim Duncan had his whole career a really strong support cast with at least one if not two other All Stars.
Your comment is really ignorant, Nowitzki will make it into the HoF for sure and well deserved so he is not "nothing" compared to Duncan,they are both great players and beside the position have actually nothing in common.
Okay, let's go direct to the point: According to basketball reference, head to head in the playoffs: Tim Duncan has averaged more points (26.0 to 24.5), has averaged better field goal % (53.9% to 49.8%), rebounds (12.3 to 10.1), assist (3.6 to 2.3), blocks (1.9 to 0.6). End of story, Dirk is nothing compared to Tim. All pundits include Tim in the top 10, while Dirk isn't even top 20! Also, Tim has more 40 point-game against Dirk, 2 to 1!
@TomTheSpursDude If the Spurs weren't able to take advantage of so many injuries to key opponents they would have about 2 titles. How about those '99 Knicks. 5 injured players, including 2 starters.
Hey no prob bro it happens to the best of us
Duncan's never had a game like that? Game 6 2003 Finals ring a bell?
@AxonMoses Charles Barkley... Did he lead his team to a championship? No, he got his ass handed to him by MJ. Dirk carried a SCRUB old team to the NBA CHAMPIONSHIP averaging 27.7 ppg through 21 games. That is Michael Jordan level right there, except while playing against SUPERB current defenses.
Dirk is a top 15 player to ever play the game, and if you're challenging my opinion that these are the best 2 PFs ever, you should have at least came up with Karl Malone. The closest thing to those 2.
That at the end of regulation cost the Spurs a 3peat.
To be honest there incomparable because they play 2 different styles...And Dirk has never had the supporting cast Duncan has had...Tim is the better overall player but if i had 1 game to win a championship and i had to pick 1 of them im taking Dirk,,,And whoever said Dirks 48 against OKC wasnt impressive you have to be crazy when your pretty much the only legit scoring option and a team knows whose getting the ball and they still cant stop you..Thats impressive...
if you think wade didn't get his as much against the Maverics in 2006 then you either didn't watch it or are just blind. Also, if you really think the Heat are handed their championship then you're just being bias. Wade gets hit waaaaay more times then Dirk, let alone when he drives it in and expects it. Not to mention he's more explosive. Dirk is just a better shooter, and possibly a better offensive play (i have to admit). If the Heat were handed their trophy in 2006, the Mavs were in 2011
Your comments indicate that you are probably 21 or younger and not able to properly articulate a coherent argument.
It's not about being sensitive, it's about me lacking the desire to talk to childish, emotional people.
It's not discrediting Duncan. There are factors involved here and im introducing you to that reality.
Tim Duncan's 41 in Game 7
Hakeem Olajuwan averaged 5.5 assists in the 94-95 finals
Lol, First of all I already said that this is a team game. I'm talking about the game as a team contest not a one on one contest. I already said that defense is mainly played as a team than an individual. I'll admit Duncan is dominant if he could stop Dirk but no he can't. The Mavericks are not a 50+ win playoff team for about 13 straight years with a leader that presumably doesn't play "defense". For the past 6 years the best player Dirk has played with is Terry and he's not even an all-star.
and Duncan IS a better leader. Nowitzki's only championship came with a strong veteran supporting cast in J.Kidd, Terry, Chandler, Marion. Duncan won championships with a relatively young and inexperienced Parker/Ginobili.
Duncan was consired better when both players were in their prime plus Duncan is a better rebounder,defender and leader
Damn Ginobili STAY fuckin' up LOL
Dirk and Duncan both clutch
Wow an amazing game. Can't believe manu missed that bunny at the end of regulation tho.
Prime vs Prime you can make an argument that Dirk was better than Kobe. Fact.
What a game!,thanks for sharing.
Tim Duncan and the Spurs lose Game 7
dirk nowitzki is a better all around scorer than tim duncan. but timmy is a better all around player.
i hate when people bustin on dirk that he doesn't play any defense.
look at the archives people. when dirk was still playing with a little bit of athleticism on em'. he plays great D.
I love when I'm debating with people and they play the "But... Dirk was a terrible defender" card, because I know I'm about to finish them off by disproving them lol.
Vintage Duncan and Dirk, gotta love it!
Dirk never played with Kobe. But... I love how Dirk and Duncan go insane against each other when it's post season. Dirk is the man no matter what.
Dirk and Kobe would have to be vetoed that would be too op
Being a bigger threat to a team's defense does more damage than beating someone 1 on 1. I'm really confused as to why Dirk fans who have posted under this video always neglect the playmaking abilities of both players. Duncan is the better passer because of his superior court vision, not because he plays in the post. During the 2003 postseason he averaged over 5 assists & is 1 of only 4 or 5 big men (Wilt, Kareem, Walton and I believe Russell) to average over 5 assists in the Finals.
Watch Duncan's 2003 playoff run if you don't think he can carry a team. Parker & Ginobil hadn't developed into All-Stars yet & Robinson was playing in his last year. Dirk is a better scorer than Duncan but not a better offensive player when you factor in playmaking. Defensively it's not even close to be honest. Even if you take away the championships Tim has still had the more dominant career from an individual standpoint.
You do have a point about Duncan's supporting cast being better over the course of his career though. If you look at the 2003 Spurs that had a young Parker and Ginobili (who hadn't come into their own yet) and a cast of old players (Robinson, Smith, Kerr, Willis & Ferry), I'd argue Duncan has done more with less. Tim led the Spurs in assists with an average of 5.3 apg in the postseason and had a near quadruple-double in Game 6 of the Finals. Sorry, I just can't see a legit argument for Dirk.
I'm not disputing Dirk's dominance in the 2011 postseason. He was incredible and deserves to be a champion. The argument comes when you try to vault him over someone who's widely regarded as the best PF in history. Duncan's resume is better, his head-to-head stats against Dirk are better and he's more well rounded. You brought up scoring as your argument for Dirk but what about the rest of his game? Duncan is a better rebounder, passer and defender.
I don't need to do research. I saw the entire series. Nellie knew that Dirk didn't like contact and would settle for jumpers if you got a little physical with him (at the time) which is why Stephen Jackson was his primary defender. That's no excuse for Dirk's play in the series though. He was the MVP and had the best team in the league. He should've dominated those "midgets" (as Barkley called them). Instead he let guys like Jackson, Barnes & Harrington bully him into shooting 38% for the series
I could see an argument being made for Dirk over KG. Their resumes are very similar. Dirk has a Finals MVP, while KG has 12 All-Defensive selections (9 on the first team). Duncan was better than both players though and I'm not budging on that. I'm not sure you're being objective though seeing as how you're a Mavs fan. I didn't dispute that Dirk was a better scorer than both players but he's not better from an all-around standpoint.
I never said Duncan was better simply based on rings. I said he had a better resume and more rings so there's no argument for Dirk in my opinion.
"You judge a PLAYER on personal achievements."
Duncan's personal achievements (his resume) are greater than Dirk's. He's also outplayed him head-to-head. There is no argument for Nowitzki.
"You don't judge players on rings"
I strongly disagree. The ultimate goal in any sport is to win games and championships. If you're not playing for that then there's really no reason to compete. Things like individual production, consistency and MVP's also have their place but you have to win.
"You play to win the game." - Herm Edwards
You're right about teammates being a factor. That's why I said even if you took championships out of the equation Duncan was still the more dominant player. The year Dirk won MVP (2006-07) he had the best team in the league record wise but choked in the 1st round against the Golden State Warriors. You think Duncan would've been intimidated by 6'8" defenders? No way.
Even if you take championships out of the equation, Duncan was the more dominant player in his prime. He was more well rounded offensively than Dirk and was a superior defender by a wide margin making a total of 13 All-Defensive Teams (8 of them being on the first team). If you compare their resumes it's clear who the better player is. Dirk is great but let's not go crazy.
"I just think in basketball, if your not better offensivly then someone, then your not better then them period"
You don't know much about basketball do you? Since when have things like rebounding, passing, DEFENSE, leadership and playoff performance not mattered?
I enjoy watching great scoring performances where a player gets hot from the field. Having twice as free throws as field goal attempts isn't that exciting in my opinion. It's incredible that Dirk was able to make all 24 free throws though.
Dirk is better than Duncan in the post? You really don't have any idea what you're talking about do you? People acknowledge that Dirk is one of the best to ever do it but you're overrating him and downplaying how great Duncan has been.
You must have trouble with reading comprehension. I never said Duncan could stop Dirk. I said he was a much better defender than Dirk and that can be proven with his 13 All-Defensive selections. Dirk doesn't have any. Get it now?
When comparing offensive arsenal's, you can't just look at scoring. Dirk is the tougher player to defend 1 on 1 but Duncan is the bigger threat to a team's defense due to his passing ability.
Exhibit A: /watch?v=ZwJ5rOfSxDM
Agree to disagree though. I like talking about players that don't get much recognition. It's better than talking about the usual suspects (MJ, Kobe, LeBron) all the time. Nice texting with you.
@TomTheSpursDude Lol idk where this confidence that they wouldve beat the Heat is coming from.
Paker & Ginobili have never been superstars. Stop spamming my video with false information.
One great playoff run doesn't vault him over Duncan or even Garnett for that matter.
@AxonMoses The only Mavs games you saw this season were probably just the NBA Finals, but prior to that there was almost no one on the team that could make a play for themselves and Chandler was really the only decent player outside Dirk. Did Barkley score during an era with 5 star calibre defense like there is today?
"Other than Wade and Lebron Miami's D is not that great"? Sorry but if you didn't know, the Heat were top 5 in defense before LeBron came. Haslem also a quality defender.
Dirk is also a threat because of his ability to stretch out the defense. Dirk is also a decent passer, but doesn't it show it as much, example, Game 4 against the Lakers, Dirk lethal shooting, stretched out the defense and when he drove in, his ability to score brought in help defense, which is when he kicked it out to Jason Terry.
Fisher 0.4 in 2004, that ginobili foul that forced OT in this game, and game 6 (No need for an explanation for this one). There is no way the Heat would of beaten the Spurs in 2006. The 0.4 shot really didn't mean much, it was just a clutch that put the Lakers up 3-2, Lakers could of still won games 6 and 7. But in 06 they definitely would of won it if wasn't for that dumb foul. The Spurs pretty much had the title in their hands this year, one more free throw would give them the title. The Spurs should have 6 titles right, now, SIX.
Spurs should have 8 titles: 99, 03-07, 12 and 13.
ArcadianGenesis I don't think they would of won the series even fisher made that shot in 04, lakers were just better, and the if the spurs beat the lakers they still had to go through the wolves and the pistons, I don't think they would of beaten the pistons. If the Spurs faced the Heat in the 06 finals (they still had go through pheonix) but if the spurs faced the heat in 06 I just don't see wade dominating like he did against the mavs. The spurs were completely outplayed by OKC in 2012, you can use the refs excuse but OKC played flat out better, and I just can't see them beating the heat in the finals that year, the Heat just had too much momentum entering the finals, just can't seem them losing, they were too motivated. Now that's in 2012, obviously the spurs pretty much had the title in their hands in 2013.
stupidnamewaster They beat the same Pistons team in 05 - why couldn't they in 04? They beat the same Suns team in 05 - why not 06? And we all know Timmy shits on Garnett, even in their primes, so that was a lock.
OKC got lucky in 12 because they got extremely hot from "long two" range (the range just inside the 3-point line, which the spurs strategically leave more open in their defense). They shot relatively poorly from that range against other teams, and they obviously fell apart in the finals against Miami. They just got hot at the right time (plus some very questionable favoritism by the refs).
Obviously nothing in life ever works out ideally, but if a few small things happened differently, the Spurs could totally have 8 titles.
shoulve, wouldve, couldhaves, its all bullshit, barkley could have 10 rings is he shouldvem wouldve, couldhave, it about what you actually do and they got 4, which is plently
jason otinane While I agree the most important thing is what you actually do, it is not true that *all* hypotheticals are equivalent. For example, in what universe could Barkley have won 10 titles? He hardly came close to winning one. I'm just saying, some things could have *easily* happened, and some things are much harder to imagine happening.
I don't think anybody believes Dirk has had a better career than Duncan. In fact, I don't even think Hakeem, Shaq and Malone have. Name me a PF that has 3 Finals MVP trophies. That pretty much sums it up.
Thanks for reminding me. How could I forget about The Dream?