In front of packed NBA arenas with fans screaming and dozens of fans waving towels or balloon animals in your face, battling against 250-300 lb NBA players all night long? Plus, anybody with rudamentary basketball knowledge knows that big guys generally shoot a lower percentage at the free throw line than everybody else... ...Your blanket statement of "you're not a great player if you can't make free throws" is complete BS, though...
I could care less about numbers, quite frankly. I am saying that Duncan has won more than Olajuwon at similar ages. Duncan has shown the ablity to carry his team much like Dream did. Only difference is that Duncan did it much earlier in his career than Olajuwon. Obviously, stats, athleticism, whatever are in Olajuwon's favor. Bottom line is that Duncan has 2 rings at a young age.
Dream had to play against Magic, Bird and Jordan. He made it to the NBA finals in his second year by beating a lakers team with 3 hall of famers on it with 2 being arguably the best ever at their respective positions. He was double teamed by Kareem and Worthy and still managed to score 40 points in the playoffs. He then played against the arguably the best team ever assembled in Bird, McHale, Parish, Ainge, and Dennis Johnson with Walton on the bench and won 2 games. Duncan won a championship against an 8'th seeded Knicks during a stike season, got injured, got swept by the lakers twice, and then won the championship against the Nets who aren't any better than the current rockets. They barely beat the Mavs who was missing their best player, a barely beat the lakers with both Kobe and Shaq hurting. Duncan accomplishing more that Dream at the same point in their careers has more to do with the state of the league than Duncan's skills. Duncan may go down as the best power foward ever, but he has no where the skills or the dominance Dream exhibited over his career.
Duncan isn't overrated as a player, but he is as a person. He has a reputation of being a calm, collected, cool player on the court. In reality, he's the biggest f***ing whiner in the league.
Duncan only got swept by the Lakers once in 2001 In 2002, it was 4-1 Was it this same Duncan that helped sweep the Lakers 4-0 in 1999? Shaq and Kobe were there... Thank YOU VERY MUCH He also ended the latest dynasty to date...
It's official. After that Grizzlies game, Tim Duncan is clearly the MVP this season. The Spurs are barely CBA material without him...
