Charley Rosen writes at FOXSports.com that Duncan’s ability to come through in pressure packed situations is what separates him from Karl Malone:
Here’s an example of how little opposing coaches thought of Malone’s ability to excel in important games: The Bulls and the Jazz played a total of 12 games over the course of the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals. Through it all, the Bulls’ philosophy was to play Malone one-on-one, and he came up with only two games in which his scoring turned the games in Utah’s favor. (Of course, when Michael Jordan did two-time Malone in Game 6 of the 1998 series, he came away with the game-winning steal.)
A Hall of Fame go-to scorer operating against strictly man-to-man defenses should dominate more than two out of 12 games.
Because of Malone’s limited offensive repertoire, his gambling defense and his penchant for choking in critical games, I’d certainly rate Duncan higher on the all-time list. In fact, I rank Duncan as the best power forward ever, followed by Kevin McHale and Bob Pettit, with Malone in fourth place. Dave DeBusshere is fifth, followed by Dolph Schayes and Dennis Rodman.
August 17th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
while I actually agree with Rosen for once, what is it about him that you like/respect so much?
August 17th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I’ll admit that Rosen can be a little over the top at times, but I really enjoy his Xs and Os type analysis. He has strong opinions, and his game and player breakdowns are filled with vivid description. He writes in an easy to read, free flowing, entertaining style. I also like that he views the game through the eyes of a coach/scout.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:40 am
Fair enough.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:05 am
as long as ginobli is playing at an MVP caliber talent level, then TD is gr8. what happens when manu isn’t 100%?
oh yeah, it was gr8 when duncan had to face MICHAEL JORDAN all those times in the finals just like malone had to.
lil’ hoff,
rosen is a toolbox, and he is polluting and corrupting your impressionable little peanut. you should stop reading him.
he’s holding you back.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Mavericks slap around Spurs _ within the rules
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
Posted Apr 23 2009 10:55PM
DALLAS(AP) During a timeout early in the third quarter, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and the rest of the San Antonio Spurs starters headed to the bench.
They never returned.
Humiliated since the opening tip, coach Gregg Popovich decided Game 3 of a first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks was a lost cause.
________
“This was an awful game,” Duncan said. “Hopefully I’ll come out here (Saturday) and be a leader.”
___________
__
__
but does duncan get murdered in the media for not single handedly carrying his team to a ring?
na.
he just gets called the best ever.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Okay, so that’s two votes for Duncan, one vote for The Mailman.
;)
August 18th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I used to try to figure Rosen out, but I gave up when he labeled Dwyane Wade as a good defensive player and LeBron James as a joke – and now he writes an article about defense saying that it’s not all about numbers. Well, pretty much all of Wade’s defensive accomplishments were about numbers, and he gambles pretty much more than any player in the NBA on defense.
So I gave up.
August 19th, 2009 at 12:14 am
I didn’t say I voted Malone the best. Stop putting words in my mouth.
I was simply trying to make a point.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Doesn’t mean it’s worth dung.
Has anyone seen Tim Donaghy around lately? Oh yeah. That’s right. The last time I heard that name, the Spurs were actually relevant.
The Mavericks.
Wow.
Get punked by heartless punks and your legacy still gets pumped. Nice.
August 19th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
To be fair, Duncan was playing on a bum knee and Roger Mason was MIA. Parker and Duncan were the only Spurs that averaged more than 10 points a game versus the Mavs.
So, who’s the best power forward of all-time?
January 11th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
John amaechi is basically a troll. If you knew anything about duncan you wouldn’t talk the trash you do. Manu? Manu basically gave us half of go career injured the other half as our third option. So I guess two Mvps and all NBA and all defensive squad every year isn’t good enough? Or the three finals mvps? He didn’t carry the spurs ever since he came in? The spurs recorded 574 wins in the past decade but I suppose he had nothing to do with it? Your argument is stale. Who are you a fan of? My guess is nobody so you don’t look like a fool.