Who's stopped him? Please don't reply with the Lakers... his numbers in those two series have been unbelievable. He shouldn't be discounted because of the failures of his teammates.
Dream cancelled out Shaq's brute force with his veteran wiles during that Finals. That Finals forced Shaq to practice some more moves like his drop step and the ill-fated baby hook... I wonder what would be the outcome if Dream didn't pull out of that Taco Bell one-on-one promo they had. Dream was in his prime and Shaq was still looking up to Stanley 2-ton Roberts... Duncan is only the "best player" because 7 footers of his caliber are rare or non-existent. If "best" was in terms of skills, then IMO, it would be a hard choice between T-Mac or Kobe. T-Mac is showing to be more and more athletic than Kobe, but Kobe has proved his role on the Lakers and has that killer instinct.
This confuses me a little... Allen Iverson Scores more points than Shaq Ben Wallace, Tim Dunca, Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand, Marcus Camby and Dikembe Mutumbo all get more rebounds And of players currently in the league, Shaq is by no means number one in terms of winning more titles - I cite Jordan, Pippen, Horry as just a few; as far as Centers go, Luc Longley has won as many titles as Shaq has, but he clearly isn't the best player. 'If blah blah played for the Lakers' IS pure speculation, but why is that conclusive proof that Shaq is the best player?? Why isn't it Derek Fisher? Shaq may have an outstanding supporting cast and is a part of a well-drilled team, but that doesn't make him the best player.
Maybe stopped is too strong of a word since no superstar can be stopped. They Lakers did not stop him for a whole game but they did stop him during the fourth quarter when it counted and that was the difference in that series. Don't get me wrong. I think Duncan is a great player and is the only player besides Shaq that can turn any team into a contender but he is not dominant like Shaq. There were times when the Lakers including Kobe was bricking shot after shot but Shaq kept them in the game.
Shaq can shoot. That little jump hook is almost automatic. I don't see any other center in the league right now that can make that shot with the ease that he can do it. Yes, Dream killed him but Shaq still averaged over 25 pts for the series. I have game one on my Tivo and Shaq ran over Dream just like he runs over everyone right now. Dream was just able to outscore and outplay him but he did not stop Shaq.
Shaq IS the most dominant player right now simply by default, 'cause the refs allow his illegal buttbullying move in the paint for easy dunks. The current best player should be defferented into their role on the court. * Post : Tim Duncan, he's the closest thing to Hakeem post dominance in the paint back in his glory days then. Though still not that dominant, TD is still quite young, and developing. He could be as good as Hakeem IMHO. * Wing : Kobe Bryant, though few other might close to him, his clutchiness is priceless. Still on the right track to be as good as the Airness ( Though that would be hard to achieve IMHO ) * Playmaking : This is a bit difficult, but Jason Kidd is the right choice for me. His shooting touch is suck though. Most of today PGs are hybrid, in the sense that they could score a lot ( ala Franchise, BDavis, Starbury, ETC ), but couldn't set the game as good as JK. The first one to acknowledge the importance of playmaking and make teammates better would be future best player in this position IMO.
You can be the Finals MVP only if your TEAM gets to the Finals. Duncan didn't have the team to get him to the Finals the past 3 years. If the Spurs were in the Finals instead of the Lakers, who do you think would be the MVP?
He jump hook is "automatic" only when he is within 5 feet to the hole. He can be that close to the basket is because of the combination of his bulk and the officiating allowing him to move the defender with his bulk. Being able to hit a 4-foot shot, to me, doesn't really count as being able to shoot. I bet even Tony Gonzales can hit from within 5 feet.
Reggie Miller, Allen Iverson, and Jason Kidd! Just kidding, but the lEast would have had a better chance to steal one, at least.
You don't think that it should be considered as a plus for Shaq that his team has won the Finals three years in a row?
I think he's saying that it shouldn't count as much as the criteria for the best player in the league. It takes an entire team to win a championship, and many superior players do not have the teammates to accomplish this. Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karla Malone, etc. are all all-time greats that have not won a championship in their careers. Does that diminish their careers? No, because it takes more than a superstar to win a championship, no matter how great that superstar is; supporting casts are very important. Championships are what all athletes should strive for, and should be treated as incentive, not make or break criteria. Barry Bonds is considered by many to be one of the top 5 players to ever play the game of baseball. Should Derek Jeter be considered better than him, because he has more rings and a World Series MVP? No, because these are team sports, where it takes an entire team to win a championship.
Tony Gonzales is not 350lbs. Shaq may not have range but he can shoot the ball for someone so big and strong.
If Shaq is within 5 feet of the goal, he isn't shooting a jump hook. He's dunking on you. He can hit that jump hook from 10-12 feet out. Are you forgetting how big he is? On the "who stopped Duncan" argument.....I have never sen anyone stifle Duncan for an extended period of time other than himself. Shaq gave him some fits in a few playoff games down the stretch though.
Kobe will get the props because of the exposure and the media bandwaggoner's but TMac is better. If Hill can hold up and take some of the pressure off, TMac will have a great year and distance himself from Kobe. Following TMac in some pre-season games and against Philly he has looked SOLID. Hill and TMac are going to be a tough match-up. Too bad Orlando has zero inside game and thank God they won't get Duncan.
if the magic got Duncan we would see O town with a dynasty and the laker would be the Eastern confrence b****.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves there! I think if the Magic got Shaq, that team would be far superior to the same team with Timmy Boy. Tim Duncan is soft & likes to defer to other in crunch time, there is no disputing that!
