The Misunderstood Greatness Of Tim Duncan

The Numbers: NBA Finals Edition

If the playoffs are where the games really count, then the NBA Finals are the ultimate proving ground. Everything a player and team has achieved comes to a head in the NBA Finals, where legends are made and the weak are exposed.

For Tim Duncan, it all started in 1999, when he led the San Antonio Spurs to the first championship in franchise history.

In 1999—just his second season in the NBA—he averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.0 steal on 53.7 percent shooting as the Spurs beat the New York Knicks 4-1.

Four years later, Duncan averaged 24.2 points, 17.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 5.3 blocks, and 1.0 steal in the 2003 NBA Finals—another gentleman’s sweep en route to a second title.

That includes his 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and eight blocks in the close-out game.

Fast forward to 2005, and Duncan averaged 20.6 points, 14.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 blocks as the Spurs won a 4-3 war over Ben Wallace and the Detroit Pistons.

Two years after that, Duncan’s posted marks of to 18.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals in the 2007 NBA Finals. In the 2013 Finals, at age 36, he averaged 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game.

That all culminated with Duncan winning his fifth ring at 38 years old with averages of 15.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists against an overmatched Chris Bosh in his prime.

What I’m getting at is this: when it really mattered, few players have ever been as dominant as Duncan.

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