By MateoMayorga | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-07-27 01:47:58
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
ESPN最近的一篇文章再次引发了关于谁是更出色球员的争论。我们在此一劳永逸地解决它。
ESPN 备受尊敬的作家/分析师扎克·洛维(Zach Lowe)重新点燃了一场古老而有争议的辩论——谁更出色：科比·布莱恩特还是蒂姆·邓肯？
这场辩论始于 ESPN 最新发布的 21 世纪 100 位最伟大运动员 榜单。邓肯于 1997 年被选中，2016 年退役，在 NBA 球员中排名第 16 位，落后于勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)、斯蒂芬·库里(Stephen Curry)和科比，但领先于沙奎尔·奥尼尔一位。
“我还没准备好讨论蒂姆·邓肯，但我认为[邓肯]和[奥尼尔]正在成为所有这些‘最伟大’讨论中最被低估的球员……”
英雄所见略同。
在列举了邓肯的成就后，几分钟后，洛维说：“我一直坚定地认为他的排名应该高于科比。我认为他可能更接近第 6-8 位，而不是 12-14 位。”
扎克·洛维谈蒂姆·邓肯：“我一直坚定地认为他的排名应该高于科比。我认为他可能更接近第 6-8 位，而不是 12-14 位。” https://t.co/Ed3DIszOSO pic.twitter.com/Qxkzbsjy6v
— 乔什·帕雷德斯(Josh Paredes) (@Josh810) 2024 年 7 月 23 日
那么，谁更出色？
为这三位球员排名是件难事。他们都处于顶级水平，并且都是各自球队的核心。大鲨鱼的巅峰期无人能及，但他的统治力也最早衰退。黑曼巴的技术水平与历史上任何一位球员一样出色，但他难以相处。而石佛在其他人之前就已功成名就，并且在攻防两端都保持着精英水准，直到退役，但他作为得分手的级别并不相同。
鉴于目前关于这个话题的讨论仍在继续，我想根据影响力和领导力（这些品质往往超越了数据和运动天赋，却经常被忽视）对他们进行排名。让我们来回顾一下。
3. 科比·布莱恩特
尽管黑曼巴坚称自己可以，但他并没有像个菜鸟一样就惊艳世界。18 岁的他瘦弱，情绪不稳定，打球自私。这就是洛杉矶湖人队请回拜伦·斯科特(Byron Scott)指导科比的原因。
但他arguably在第四年就成为了超级巨星。那年季后赛中证明这一点的时刻是：在第二轮第二场比赛中突破贾森·基德(Jason Kidd)的防守，命中左侧的制胜跳投；以及在印第安纳波利斯举行的总决赛第四场比赛的加时赛中接管比赛。在后一场比赛中，科比在奥尼尔犯满离场后独得 8 分中的 6 分，带领湖人队以 3-1 的比分领先。
他还有很多其他英雄时刻，并最终获得了五次总冠军，包括在 2009 年和 2010 年蝉联总冠军，尤其是在没有奥尼尔的情况下，作为球队的头号球星。
在进攻端，科比运球娴熟，第一步爆发力强，射程远，但他最好的身体素质是他的步法。他的转身技术是历史上所有球员中最犀利的，这让他在 2013 年 4 月跟腱撕裂之前都能优雅地 aging gracefully。他可以转身过掉任何一名防守球员，也可以背打体型较小的球员，或者从他们身边绕过。
此外，他还是一名高水平的运动员，这使他成为一名空中威胁，并且他还是一名出色的组织者。
在防守端，科比可以瓦解对手的外线进攻，并且协防意识出色。
他的心理素质异于常人。2003 年，他被指控性侵犯，面临着终身监禁的风险，他在比赛日飞往法庭参加听证会，在斯台普斯中心以外的每个球馆都被嘘声，并且在湖人队私下讨论给他放假之后仍然坚持比赛。对科比的指控最终被撤销，因为原告不愿出庭作证。在民事方面，他与原告达成和解，金额不详，并为她买了一套房子。
他也是一个训练狂，有六个赛季的出场时间排名前五。
他在进攻端的缺点是视野狭窄，这导致了他的投篮选择不佳。因此，许多队友都对他自负的性格和决策感到不满。在防守端，他的缺点是防守内线，因为更强壮、更高的球员可以通过身体对抗来击败他。而且他很容易上假动作的当，这让菲尔·杰克逊(Phil Jackson)教练很不满。
另一个缺点是他早期无法与队友建立联系。杰夫·珀尔曼(Jeff Pearlman)在他的著作《三枚总冠军戒指：科比、沙克、菲尔和湖人王朝的疯狂岁月》(Three Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty) 中写道：“湖人队的球员都没有去过他的家，大多数人甚至连一顿饭都没和他一起吃过。”
在其他时候，科比的行为对他的队友来说是有害的。他的教练还解释说，许多训练课都变成了“争夺男子气概的一对一战斗，而不是磨练团队战术的练习”。他向调查人员告发奥尼尔，还把杰克逊赶出了球队。然后滑稽的是，当鲁迪·汤姆贾诺维奇(Rudy Tomjanovich)在 2004 年圣诞大战中执教球队时，科比试图打出“搞什么鬼”(What the f-) 战术，这套战术是杰克逊常用的，在他之前，雷德·霍尔兹曼(Red Holzman)和 20 世纪 70 年代的纽约尼克斯队也用过。杰克逊后来在汤姆贾诺维奇辞职后回归，他和科比的关系也得到了改善。
随着他逐渐成熟，他成长为了一名球场领袖，并成为迈克·沙舍夫斯基(Mike Krzyzewski)教练 2008 年美国男篮国家队的首选，这支球队被称为“救赎之队”(Redeem Team)，他们在 2004 年雅典奥运会惨败后成功夺得了金牌。科比是 NBA 历史上最伟大的球员之一，因为他的巅峰期让他一度成为世界上最好的球员，而且他在第 17 个赛季跟腱断裂之前一直保持着联盟前五的水准。
2. 沙奎尔·奥尼尔
奥尼尔身高 7 英尺 1 英寸（约 2.16 米），体重超过 300 磅（约 136 公斤），他经常称自己为“史上最具统治力球员”(Most Dominant Ever)，因为在近距离范围内，没有人能够在没有协防的情况下阻止他，而且他经常能够击败多名防守球员。就进攻而言，或许只有威尔特·张伯伦(Wilt Chamberlain)的灵魂会对此表示不满。
在低位，奥尼尔拥有可靠的背转身勾手，他可以用力量挤开防守球员完成扣篮和上篮。尽管如此，当他持球时，很多时候，防守球员都会前来协防，迫使他传球。他会选择在回传球后得分，因为传球已经调动了防守。
在 2000 年至 2002 年的三年时间里，他是联盟中最优秀的球员，因为他的体型、速度和力量让他在比赛中无往不利。在湖人队实现三连冠的季后赛中，他场均出手 21.2 次，投篮命中率高达 55%，同时还能抢下 14.5 个篮板和 2.4 次盖帽。他的最后一个辉煌赛季是在迈阿密热火队的第一个赛季。在 2004-2005 赛季，作为一名征战了 13 个赛季的老将，他在 MVP 评选中排名第二，但在那之后，他又三次入选了全明星阵容。
由于他在篮下势不可挡，因此他几乎不需要扩大自己的射程。然而，他是联盟中被吹罚最不公平的球员之一，他比一般球员承受了更多的身体对抗，并且经常站上罚球线。他的罚球命中率低得令人发指，但他确实经常尝试改进，改变罚球姿势，甚至还与投篮教练埃德·帕鲁宾斯卡斯(Ed Palubinskas)一起训练。在帕鲁宾斯卡斯的指导下，他的罚球命中率有所提高，但吝啬的湖人队不愿意给这位教练支付薪水，也不愿意在夺冠后给他一枚总冠军戒指。奥尼尔无法保持他的进步。每当他在罚球线上短暂地找到手感时，杰克逊都认为这只是运气好。
然而，尽管他可以在想要的时候改变比赛，但他并不太关心防守。他自己也承认：“我一直都是一名进攻球员。我从来都不是一名防守球员。”
他的挡拆防守能力非常差，以至于在杰克逊到来之前，犹他爵士队在多个系列赛中都利用了这一点，后来，圣安东尼奥马刺队和萨克拉门托国王队也把攻击奥尼尔作为一种策略。
此外，关于挡拆防守，杰克逊在他的著作《最后一季：一支寻找灵魂的球队》(The Last Season: A Team in Search of its Soul) 中写道，球队在 2003-2004 赛季签下卡尔·马龙(Karl Malone)和加里·佩顿(Gary Payton)的原因是为了应对马刺队的挡拆进攻。银黑军团的挡拆在一定程度上摧毁了湖人队上个赛季，部分原因是奥尼尔在掩护后面无动于衷。他还透露，他曾经告诉奥尼尔：“你来这里八年了，你还没弄明白吗……”
不清楚杰克逊和已故的泰克斯·温特(Tex Winter)因为奥尼尔被针对而失去了多少个小时的睡眠，但另一个问题是懒惰。杰克逊在一定程度上将湖人队未能在 2002-2003 赛季夺冠归咎于奥尼尔，因为奥尼尔选择在 9 月份进行脚趾手术。奥尼尔说：“我在公司时间受伤的，所以我会在公司时间恢复。”仿佛他在油田工作一样。
由于他没有好好照顾自己的身体，他在本该统治的年纪就失去了统治力，最终只能以一名流浪球员的身份结束了自己的职业生涯。
尽管如此，他在 NBA 传奇殿堂中的地位依然稳固。杰克逊在书中对奥尼尔最高的评价是：“我接受这份工作是为了有机会执教他，他让这段经历成为了我永远珍藏的回忆。在一个经常变得过于严肃的环境中，沙克总是能让我开怀大笑。”他也让很多队友开怀大笑，对很多人来说，他就像一个大哥哥。
1. 蒂姆·邓肯
这位马刺队史上最伟大的球员在三个不同的十年里赢得了五次总冠军，并且在退役时比科比和奥尼尔更具影响力，而且从第一天起就拥有更高的情商。邓肯也是马刺队 19 年来的基石，他是球队的低位进攻和盖帽屏障。
邓肯在大二的时候就展现出了统治力，以至于在 1999 年总决赛第二场比赛中，解说员道格·柯林斯(Doug Collins)称他为“比赛中最全面的球员”。我们不能忘记，马刺队在第二轮横扫了湖人队，值得注意的是，邓肯在那轮系列赛中完爆了奥尼尔。湖人队后来在 2000-2001 赛季横扫了马刺队，在 2001-2002 赛季五场比赛淘汰了马刺队，并在 2003-2004 赛季六场比赛击败了马刺队。
在维克森林大学度过了四个赛季后，他作为一名技术娴熟的内线球员进入了 NBA，并在新秀赛季就获得了最佳新秀和最佳阵容一阵的荣誉。
在进攻端，邓肯可以通过转身过掉防守球员得分，也可以通过传球瓦解包夹。他还可以命中空位中距离跳投，并且在 2008 年季后赛首轮对阵菲尼克斯太阳队的比赛中命中了制胜三分球，这也是他那个赛季唯一命中的三分球。
有一场比赛最能体现邓肯是如何摧毁对手的，那就是 2003 年季后赛第二轮第六场。他把罗伯特·霍里(Robert Horry)和奥尼尔打得落花流水，仿佛他们偷了他的东西一样，他在篮下蹂躏着他们，从他们身边穿过，就好像他们陷入了流沙一样。由邓肯和托尼·帕克(Tony Parker)领衔的马刺队在斯台普斯中心终结了湖人队的王朝，让一些身穿紫金战袍的球员在场边 wept on the sidelines。如果有人感兴趣，这场比赛可以在联盟通的“经典比赛” sección 中找到。
邓肯和帕克的挡拆配合是 NBA 历史上最具杀伤力的二人组之一。
随着年龄的增长，邓肯在第 10 个赛季之后，场均得分再也没有超过 20 分，但他在其他方面仍然能够做出贡献，并且仍然是球队的战术核心。他能够组织进攻，通过掩护为队友创造机会，并能够延缓对手的进攻。在第二道防线上，邓肯是终结者，他能够造成传球失误，并以极高的效率封盖对手的投篮。他的移动能力、臂展（7 英尺 5 英寸，约 2.26 米）和球商使他成为了一名高效的挡拆破坏者，因为他可以在防守端同时干扰两名进攻球员。
马刺队的第一个总冠军是在 1999 年获得的，但接下来的四个总冠军是在 2007 年到 2014 年之间获得的。尽管马刺队从未卫冕过总冠军，但他们在邓肯的带领下获得了与金州勇士队在 2015 年到 2022 年之间一样多的总冠军。
邓肯在常规赛篮板榜和盖帽榜上分别排名第七和第六，在季后赛篮板榜和盖帽榜上分别排名第三和第一。然而，他却从未获得过最佳防守球员奖。
然而，他并非完美无缺。他的罚球并不好，常规赛罚球命中率为 69.6%，季后赛罚球命中率为 68.9%。还有人记得他在 2005 年总决赛第六场比赛中五罚不中，最终导致球队九分惜败，给马刺球迷带来了多大的压力吗？
而且他还是个爱抱怨的人，以至于杰克逊有一次在比赛中诅咒他。杰克逊说：“蒂姆，你能不能好好打球，别再抱怨了？如果你想当裁判，就他妈的拿个哨子，出来当裁判。”
19 年后，邓肯的职业生涯以在第二轮被三号种子俄克拉荷马城雷霆队淘汰而告终，雷霆队的胜场数比马刺队少 12 场。那是马刺队历史上最辉煌的一个常规赛（2015-2016 赛季），他们赢得了 67 场比赛。在第六场比赛失利后，邓肯谈到了他的未来，据《圣安东尼奥快报》报道，邓肯说：“等我离开这里，开始新生活之后，我会考虑这个问题的。”
对于任何球员来说，承认职业生涯的结束都是一件困难的事情，更不用说像邓肯这样的标志性人物了，但他留下了一笔不可磨灭的遗产。他比奥尼尔和科比更出色，而且他是继张伯伦、比尔·拉塞尔(Bill Russell)和卡里姆·阿卜杜尔-贾巴尔(Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)之后最伟大的内线球员。
点击查看原文：Addressing the Tim Duncan vs. Kobe Bryant (and Shaquille O’Neal) debate
Addressing the Tim Duncan vs. Kobe Bryant (and Shaquille O’Neal) debate
A recent article from ESPN has once again stirred up the debate of who was the better player. We address it once and for all.
ESPN’s respected writer/analyst Zach Lowe rekindled an old, controversial debate - who was better: Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan?
It started with referencing ESPN’s new list of the top 100 athletes of the 21st century. Duncan, drafted in 1997 and retired in 2016, was placed 16th behind LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Bryant among NBA players, but put one spot in front of Shaquille O’Neal.
“I’m not ready to do the Tim Duncan thing just yet, but I think [Duncan] and [O’Neal] are becoming the most chronically underrated players in all of these top whatever discussions…”
Hear, hear.
Duncan’s accomplishments were listed, and then minutes later, Lowe said, “I have been pretty hard on the island of ranking him above Kobe [Bryant] all time. I think he’s probably closer to the 6-8 range than the 12-14 range.”
Zach Lowe on Tim Duncan: “I have been pretty hard on the island of ranking him above Kobe all time. I think he’s probably closer to the 6-8 range than the 12-14 range.” https://t.co/Ed3DIszOSO pic.twitter.com/Qxkzbsjy6v
— Josh Paredes (@Josh810) July 23, 2024
So, who was better?
It’s hard to go wrong with picking an order for these three. They each produced at the top level and got it done as the guy. The Diesel’s peak was greater than all, but his powers abandoned him first. The Black Mamba was as skilled as any player who lived but was difficult to be around. And TD became a made man before the rest and was elite on both ends until he retired, but he wasn’t on the same level as scorer scorer.
With all the current debate going on about this topic, I thought I would rank them myself, with the scale set by impact and leadership (often overlooked qualities beyond stats and sheet athleticism). Let’s review.
3. Kobe Bryant
The Black Mamba didn’t show up as a rookie lighting the world up despite his insistence that he could. At age 18, he was skinny, emotionally unready and played selfishly. That’s why the Los Angeles Lakers brought back Byron Scott to mentor Bryant.
But he was arguably a superstar in year four. That year’s Playoff moments that proved it were breaking down Jason Kidd, hitting a double-clutched, game-winning jumper on the left side in Game 2 in round two, and taking over in overtime of Game 4 of the Finals at Indiana. In the latter, Bryant scored six of his eight points when O’Neal fouled out to lead the Lakers to a W and 3-1 series lead.
He recorded plenty of other heroic moments and finished with five championships, including back-to-back wins in 2009 and 2010, notably without O’Neal and as the primary option on the team.
Offensively, Bryant had a tight handle, an explosive first step and deep range but his best physical asset was his footwork. His pivoting skills were as sharp as any player in history, allowing him to age gracefully before tearing his Achilles tendon in April of 2013. He could turn over either shoulder for a long jumper, back down smaller players for closer shots or swivel past them.
Additionally, he was a high-level athlete, which made him an above-the-rim threat and he was a useful playmaker.
On defense, Bryant could blow up actions on the perimeter and had good helping instincts.
His ability to compartmentalize was abnormal. While charged with sexual assault in 2003, he was facing life in prison, flying to court hearings on game days, getting booed in every area but Staples Center, and was still playing after the Lakers had privately discussed offering him a leave of absence. Charges against Bryant were dropped because Jane Doe didn’t want to testify. On the civil side, he settled with her for an unknown amount and bought her a home.
He was also a workhouse, finishing in the top five in minutes registered on six occasions.
His weakness on offense was his tunnel vision, which led to poor shot selection. As a result, many teammates resented his ego and decision-making. On defense, it was covering the post, as stronger and longer players could beat him by going to the body. And he could bite on fakes, much to coach Phil Jackson’s displeasure.
Another flaw was his inability to connect with teammates early. Jeff Pearlman reported in his book Three Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty that “None of the Lakers had ever visited his house, and most had never even shared more than one or two meals.”
At other moments, Bryant’s actions were venomous towards his teammates. His coach also explained that many practice sessions turned into “one-on-one battles over manhood instead of exercises in polishing team concepts.” He threw O’Neal under the bus with investigators and ran Jackson out of town, too. Then comically, when Rudy Tomjanovich was coaching the club at the 2004 Christmas Day game, Bryant tried to run the “What the f-” play, a set commonly used by Jackson and, before him, Red Holzman and the 1970s New York Knicks. Jackson later returned after Tomjanovich’s resignation, and his relationship with Bryant improved.
As he matured, he developed into an on-court leader and was coach Mike Krzyzewski’s first choice for the 2008 Team USA basketball roster, known as the Redeem Team, which successfully went on the hunt for Gold after a bronze-winning debacle in 2004. Bryant is one of the greatest players in NBA history because his peak made him the best in the world for a time, and he was producing at a top-five rate until he popped his Achilles in his 17th season.
2. Shaquille O’Neal
O’Neal was a 7-foot-1, 300-plus-pound giant who often refers to himself as the MDE (most dominant ever) since no one could stop him without help at close range, and he often beat multiple defenders. Wilt Chamberlain’s ghost might be the only one complaining as far as offense is concerned.
In the post, O’Neal had a dependable drop-step hook and he muscled past men for dunks and layups. Still, when he touched the rock, on many occasions, defenses were sending help, requiring him to pass. He would look to score on the return feed, after swinging the ball moved the defense.
During a three-year span (2000-2002), he was the league’s premier player because his size, speed, and power overmatched anything in his path. He attempted 21.2 attempts per game and logged 55 percent of effective field goals, with 14.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks during the Lakers’ three-peat in the Playoffs. His last great season was his first with the Miami Heat. He was second in MVP voting in 2004-05 as a 13-year player, but still had three more All-Star campaigns.
Since he devoured up close protections, he had little need to extend his range from the field. Yet, he was one of the most poorly officiated players in the league, taking more hits than usual and was constantly at the line. His free throw percentage was abysmal, but he did try to improve at it often, changing routines and even working with shooting coach Ed Palubinskas. His percentages were raised training with Palubinskas, but the Lakers, cheaply, didn’t want to pay the instructor a salary or give him a ring if they won. O’Neal couldn’t maintain his success. Whenever a brief hot streak began at the charity line, Jackson was convinced it was luck.
However, he didn’t care too much about stopping the ball despite being a game-changing presence when he wanted to be. He admitted himself, “I’ve always been an offensive player. I’ve never been a defensive player.”
His screen roll coverage was so inadequate that the Utah Jazz exploited him in multiple series before Jackson arrived, and later, going at O’Neal this way was a strategy used by the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings.
Furthermore, on screen roll defense, Jackson wrote in his book, The Last Season: A Team in Search of its Soul, that the reason the club picked up Karl Malone and Gary Payton for the 2003-04 season was to deal with the Spurs’ screen roll attack. The Silver and Black’s PNRs decimated the Lakers’ previous season partly because O’Neal sat behind the screen. He also revealed he once told him, “You’ve been here for eight years and you still haven’t figured it out…”
It’s unclear how many hours of sleep Jackson and the late Tex Winter lost over him getting targeted, but another issue was laziness. Jackson blamed him to a degree for the Lakers not winning a championship because he opted to have toe surgery in September before the 2002-03 season. As if he worked in the oil fields, O’Neal said “I got hurt on company time, so I’ll recover on company time.”
Since he didn’t take care of himself well, he stopped being the Diesel before it was his time and ended his career as a journeyman.
Nevertheless, his spot in the Pantheon of NBA legends is secure. The greatest compliment Jackson gave him was in his book. “I took this job for the opportunity to coach him, and he made it an experience I will cherish forever. In an environment that often becomes too serious, Shaq always made me laugh.” He made plenty of teammates cackle, too, and was like a big brother to many.
1. Tim Duncan
The greatest Spur of all time won five championships in three separate decades and retired as a more impactful player than Bryant and O’Neal, and had a higher emotional intelligence from day one. Duncan was the cornerstone for 19 years, too, as a low post and shot-blocking presence.
He was so dominant as a sophomore that broadcaster Doug Collins called him the “most complete player in the game” during Game 2 of the 1999 Finals. It can’t be forgotten that the Spurs squad also swept the Lakers in the second round and, notably, Duncan outplayed O’Neal. The Lakers later swept the Spurs in 2000-01, eliminated them in five in 2001-02 and beat them in six in 2003-04.
He entered the league as a polished combo big after four tours at Wake Forest and earned a First Team All-NBA selection in year one on top of the Rookie of the Year crown .
On the attack, Duncan pivoted through and around defenders for baskets and dissected double teams with the pass. He could also hit the open mid-range jumper and, famously once, connected on a game-winning trifecta against the Phoenix Suns in round one of the 2008 Playoffs, his only three of the season.
One match that sums up best how he could destroy opponents was Game 6 of the second round in 2003. He whooped Robert Horry and O’Neal so badly like they stole something, pulverizing them at close range and maneuvering past the two as if they were stuck in quicksand. The Spurs, led by TD and Tony Parker, shut the door on the Lakers’ dynasty at Staples Center, leaving some of the Purple and Mold weeping on the sidelines. If anyone is interested, this gem is available on the league pass’ Classic Games section.
The pick-and-roll sets with Duncan and Parker were as lethal as any two-man action in NBA history.
As he aged, Duncan never averaged over 20 points per game past his 10th season, but he supplied the goods in other areas and was still the main scheme catcher. He kept the ball moving, opened up avenues with screens and slowed down the other team’s offense. At the second line of defense, TD was the terminator, causing pass outs and deflecting shots at a high rate. His mobility, wingspan (7-foot-5), and IQ made him a productive pick-and-roll disrupter because he could bother two at once from the back.
The Spurs’ first championship came in 1999, but the next four were between 2007 and 2014. Despite the Spurs never winning back-to-back titles, the group won as many championships as the Golden State Warriors between 2015 and 2022, all with TD as the centerpiece.
Duncan is seventh and sixth all-time in rebounds and blocks for the regular season, plus third and first in these categories for the Playoffs. Somehow, he never won Defensive Player of the Year.
Yet, he wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t great at the line, making 69.6 percent of freebies in the regular season and 68.9 percent in the Playoffs. Does anyone remember the stress he put Spurs fans under while bricking five free throws in a nine-point loss in Game 6 of the 2005 Finals?
And he was such a whiner that Jackson cursed him once during a game. He said, “Tim, why don’t you just play basketball and quit b******* all the time? If you wanna be a referee, get a f****** whistle and come out and be a referee.”
After 19 years, Duncan finished his career as part of a second-round collapse to the third-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who had won 12 less games. It was the finest regular season in Spurs history (2015-16), winning 67 outings. After the Game 6 loss, Duncan spoke on his future and was quoted in the San Antonio Express-News. “I’ll get to that after I get out of here and figure life out.”
Recognizing the end is difficult for any player, much more an iconic figure like Duncan, but he left behind an unassailable legacy. He is superior to O’Neal and Bryant, plus he is the best big man ever behind Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
By MateoMayorga, via Pounding The Rock