Why doesn't this affect Tim Duncan's legacy??

[HOoopCityJones]

Kobe stans coming in a talking about tim Duncan missing one shot when he was 37 years old in the NBA finals.... An NBA finals where he played exceptional...

When Kobe wasn't even making the playoffs in his prime...

Please explain that..

Kobe only missed the playoffs in 05 during his prime, the year after Shaq left and he was battling injuries, get your facts straight.

Even then leading a Team to the playoffs out in the Wild wild West where your second and third best players are Kwame Brown and Smush Parker is a feat within itself.

[All Net]

Missing a single shot in 1 game you played well in as part of a career you have been the best player on five championship teams during is hardly noteworthy.

Tim Duncan will never be heavily criticized by anyone the world takes serious. He's pretty much everything right with the sport. all anyone attempting to bring him down does is list a bunch of bullshit nobody cares about that just makes real basketball fans smirk and think less of them in the future.

he's virtually above hating on and it seems to really annoy a small section of fans who can't now and never will be able to do anything about it.

Amen

[Thesmallmamba]

Kobe only missed the playoffs in 05 during his prime, the year after Shaq left and he was battling injuries, get your facts straight.

Even then leading a Team to the playoffs out in the Wild wild West where your second and third best players are Kwame Brown and Smush Parker is a feat within itself.

LOL? Caron Butler? Lamar Odom? That team was brimming with talent.


He didnt even have Kwame on his team that season



Says how much of a "Laker fan" you are


Any top 10 GOAT would have gotten the 2005 Lakers to a top 6 seed at the very least.


Kobe's failure to not even make the playoffs with that team, is more of an indication on how bad his career is without Phil's brilliance

[HOoopCityJones]

LOL? Caron Butler? Lamar Odom? That team was brimming with talent.


He didnt even have Kwame on his team that season



Says how much of a "Laker fan" you are


Any top 10 GOAT would have gotten the 2005 Lakers to a top 6 seed at the very least.


Kobe's failure to not even make the playoffs with that team, is more of an indication on how bad his career is without Phil's brilliance

Caron was on the 05 Team and Odom didn't emerge as a Laker until late 07 early 08 before we traded for Pau Gasol. Kobe only played 66 games that year smart one. I never even said he led anyone anywhere in 05 lol.

[toxicxr6]

Kobe only missed the playoffs in 05 during his prime, the year after Shaq left and he was battling injuries, get your facts straight.

Even then leading a Team to the playoffs out in the Wild wild West where your second and third best players are Kwame Brown and Smush Parker is a feat within itself.

All I see is a bunch of excuses.. That's it..
It was his prime and he wasn't good enough to carry an average squad. That's the reality. That's it.. Replace him with tim Duncan and that is championship level squad.. Plain and simple.

Kobe can only win as a 1a/1b player.. He needs another elite player to get his open looks.. He was never good enough to carry a squad like 2003 tim Duncan.

[Thesmallmamba]

In terms of overall impact

LeBron > Duncan > Kobe

[HOoopCityJones]

All I see is a bunch of excuses.. That's it..
It was his prime and he wasn't good enough to carry an average squad. That's the reality. That's it.. Replace him with tim Duncan and that is championship level squad.. Plain and simple.

Kobe can only win as a 1a/1b player.. He needs another elite player to get his open looks.. He was never good enough to carry a squad like 2003 tim Duncan.

His excuses are just as good as any of Tim's sad to say , that's probably not what you want to hear but it's true.

What's your point in the bold btw? Was Tim not playing with David Robinson during his first championship run? An all time great? Were Tony and Manu not crucial members of his Team in 03?

Tim has been outplayed by Manu, Tony and Kawhi on three separate occasions in 05, 07 and 14, so what exactly are you trying to get at here?

Should I hold it against Tim that he's never defended any of his titles? The closest being to rectify the colossal choke OP is referring to?

We can play spin master all day buddy, that's all you seem to be interested in doing.

[Dragonyeuw]

All of these are brought up way more consistently than any of Duncan's shortcoming bro, stop. I'm not saying he should be stripped of his acclaim and accolades but fact of the matter is this guy gets a major pass on most things. The Olympics the previous year is a good example.

6/24 is one game out of a series that no one seems to care that Kobe was balling out of his mind up until that game 7 in which he still made or facilitated all of the crucial plays for The Lakers down the stretch in the 4th, including 15 boards. Like I said above he averaged like 29 pts and 8 reb for the entire series.

They're brought up moreso because some of those players, specifically Jordan, Kobe, and Lebron, have rabid fanbases who bring up such failings to 'discredit' the other players. That's why you hear about it every 5 mins on this board. I generally find Duncan/Spurs fans to be much more reserved, at least around here, and Duncan has basically avoided the spotlight his entire career due to the nature of his game, personality, and not playing in a media circus city.

He has been criticized on the board, and others, about being a sub-par Int'l player( at least compared to his NBA level of play) and for the Spurs never repeating. To the same level as the aforementioned players? No, but that's because Duncan isn't part of the MJ/Kobe/ Lebron discussions. Duncan was playing well in the 2013 finals, at 37, and his missed shot was just about the only thing you could criticize him for. And if memory serves, he was. But we can go in circles on that: Between 1997 and 2003, Duncan won NBA rookie of the year, had 2 MVPs, 2 rings, and two Finals MVPs. That was in 6 years. Just those accomplishments themselves would make him a fringe top 10 player, without getting in being crucial parts of 3 more rings, or the longevity and consistency throughout his career. It's nitpicking over what he did in 2005 when he still put up 21/14( and WON) against a tremendous defensive frontline, or in 2013 missing a clutch shot as a 37 year old well past his prime.

[IllegalD]

It's because Duncan doesn't have a bunch of hating, rabid, obsessed losers swinging from his n*tsack (JT123, Dubeta, Mr. Feeney, Jameerthequeer, Thesmallmamba, etc.)

[j3lademaster]

I judge elite players by the length of their prime, what they could do at the peak of their powers, and a little bit of what they've accomplished in their primes.

If they're able to gracefully fall into smaller role and help their team when they're past their prime, that's just gravy; but to stay consistent with my own criteria it will have little to no effect to his overall legacy.

Duncan at that point was obviously a shell of his former self and no longer held to the standards of a early to mid 2000's Duncan. Also, Duncan's just not marketable because he's boring to watch and talk about for most fans.

[IllegalD]

All I'm reading is a bunch of excuses for Mr. Duncan...

Dat ISH double-standard.

[Thesmallmamba]

All I'm reading is a bunch of excuses for Mr. Duncan...

Dat ISH double-standard.

Yet 6/24

[IllegalD]

Yet 6/24

Right on cue!

[3ball]

The shot he took wasn't a bunny.

The problem is that he rushed the play and took a running, fadeaway hook shot that he normally wouldn't take against a smaller player... He choked.. You'd thought he was shooting against Shaq or something.

Normally he'd gather himself, take maybe 1 dribble, and drop-step for a jump-hook of some kind, leaning a into/over the smaller defender if he can without fouling.. Instead, he was jumpy like the ball is a hot potato and took a running, fadeaway hook.
.

[Dr Hawk]

The shot he took wasn't a bunny.

The problem is that he rushed the play and took a running, fadeaway hook shot that he normally wouldn't take against a smaller player... He choked.. You'd thought he was shooting against Shaq or something.

Normally he'd gather himself, take maybe 1 dribble, and drop-step for a jump-hook of some kind, leaning a into/over the smaller defender if he can without fouling.. Instead, he was jumpy like the ball is a hot potato and took a running, fadeaway hook.

Great post