Veteran NBA analyst Zach Lowe recently made waves when he stated that Tim Duncan rated higher than the late Kobe Bryant among the NBA’s greatest players. Some, if not the majority, of people disagree with this assertion. An often-overlooked reality, however, suggests that the San Antonio Spurs Hall of Famer should be chosen over the Los Angeles Lakers star.
Before we get into why Duncan was superior, Bryant’s benefits should be discussed. He’s possibly the league’s best clutch performer outside of Michael Jordan. In addition, despite playing less games than Duncan, the “Mamba” has over 7,500 more career points, including playoffs.
There are additional ways in which the Lakers great outperforms the Spurs iconic power forward, but none are more important than Duncan-Bryant playoff matchup specifics. Though it is easy to argue that Duncan’s Spurs never had greater talent than Bryant’s Lakers in any of their six postseason meetings, TD won two of them and secured his legacy in the process.
Why Tim Duncan outranks Kobe Bryant.
Between 1999 and 2003, Kobe Bryant lost only two playoff series. Tim Duncan was responsible for both.
So how about this?
Combine Duncan with a prime Shaquille O’Neal, and place an aged David Robinson next to Bryant. Who emerges victorious in the matches?
Four of their playoff matchups occurred while O’Neal and Robinson were still on their respective clubs. Their participation in this conversation cannot be underestimated.
The most important measure of a legacy is its success and context. It’s why Jordan is regarded as the best NBA player, and perhaps the greatest athlete of all time. He was so dominant, especially in big situations, in earning two different “three-peats,” that he is venerated even if others have won more titles or scored more points.
Tim Duncan was so dominant that Robinson, a Hall of Famer who, by most metrics, is much closer to 25 than 10 when rating the game’s finest players, was his best teammate across his five championships.
Specifics, however, reveal more.
When Duncan led the Spurs to their first championship in 1999, the 32-year-old Robinson, because to age and injury, was no longer the David Robinson we see today on social media highlight videos. In a Western Conference Semifinals sweep of Bryant, O’Neal, and the Lakers, Duncan outscored the “Mamba” in three of the four games and scored the game-winner on the one night he didn’t.
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