Top 100 NBA Players: #9

Tim Duncan

(Kalb: #9, Simmons: #7, BBR: #17)

Tim Duncan has been one of the most consistent players in NBA history, and though his quiet demeanor makes him easy to overlook, he has played at such a high level since the day he entered the league and has seen so much success that he can't be left out of the top 10.

When Duncan arrived in the NBA in 1997 as the #1 overall pick, he was immediately paired with recent MVP and fellow big man David Robinson in the frontcourt for the San Antonio Spurs, and he immediately established himself as one of the best players in the league. In fact, during his rookie season, only Karl Malone and Michael Jordan were better, and Duncan won the Rookie of the Month award every month of the season and was nearly a unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year.

The next season, with Jordan gone, Duncan took advantage of the void at the top and became the best player in the NBA in just his second season as a pro. His nearest competition that year was fellow power forward Karl Malone, and though Malone was voted MVP that season, Duncan took the more impressive trophy home that season, earning his first Finals MVP award. I believe that he should have won both awards that season, and here are the numbers for both players to show why:

Duncan - 21.7 pts, 11.4 reb, 2.4 ast, 2.5 blk, .495 FG%, .690 FT%
Malone - 23.8 pts, 9.4 reb, 4.1 ast, 0.6 blk, .493 FG%, .788 FT%

Malone was a slightly better offensive player than Duncan that year, but Duncan was easily the better defensive player, and the two teams ended up with identical records to finish the regular season, so Duncan should have been rewarded, but was overlooked because Malone was more experienced.

San Antonio was unable to repeat as champions the following season, because Duncan injured his knee right before the playoffs and the Spurs lost in the first round. After working hard for a couple seasons to get back to his peak level again, Duncan again became the league's dominant player in 2002, edging out Kobe and Shaq as the best players during the regular season and winning the MVP award. Unfortunately, he and the Spurs were no match for the Lakers in the playoffs, who knocked them out in the second round.

The next season, Duncan was once again the top player in the league and headed to the playoffs with his second MVP in hand, with different results this time. When they met up with the Lakers in the second round again, they avenged their previous losses and knocked out the 3-time defending champs in 6 games, clearing the path for Duncan to earn his second championship ring and the Finals MVP award to go with it.

Duncan remained one of the top 10 players in the league for the next several years, and the Spurs were perennial championship contenders, which is of itself a testament to his greatness. He is currently playing his 15th season, and the Spurs have made the playoffs in each of those seasons, winning 4 championships along the way. Duncan has won two MVP's and 3 Finals MVP's, although each of those numbers should have been increased by one, since Duncan didn't earn the MVP he earned in 1999, and he was still the best Spur on the 2007 championship teams, despite the fact that Tony Parker was awarded that season's Finals MVP.

There are only two other players who can claim that they were the best player for that many regular seasons and for that many championship teams as well: George Mikan and Michael Jordan. While Duncan has lost a step over the last few years, he is still one of the best players on one of the best teams in the league, and still ranks as one of the top 20 players in the league at age 35. The four titles San Antonio has won during the Duncan era puts San Antonio at #4 all time in total titles, behind only the Lakers, Celtics, and Bulls. About the only bad thing you can say about him is that he was never able to defend a championship the following year.

Duncan and West's career charts match up more closely than any others I have seen so far, with the only difference being that Duncan has been a little more consistent as he nears the end of his career, while West was a little more up-and-down. West obviously made it to the Finals much more often than Duncan has, but Duncan has the advantage of having won the title each time he got there, and he was also able to claim the title of league's best player for several years, which West never accomplished.