For some strange reason I hear Dirk’s name mentioned a lot for leading a somewhat weak cast to a chip and also Dream, but rarely ever a mention of Duncan’s ‘03 team. JasonTerry was a more reliable and efficient scorer than anyone on Duncan’s team. I think people forget that Ginobli and Parker were nowhere close to the players they would eventually become. In the finals, Parker was the 2nd leading scorer with 14.0 pg on 38% shooting. He was so erratic at times that Speedy Claxton had to take over. I respect the hell out of Speedy, but he was a journeyman who never got considerable pt in the playoffs again. Admiral and Stephen Jackson averaged 10 a game and Ginobli just 8. Duncan averaged 24/17/5/5 and 10 minutes a game more than any of his teammates. They took out 3 good teams in Phoenix, Dallas, and the Lakers and Duncan was the absolute best player on the court in every series.

Obviously Duncan is lauded for his consistency and leadership, but he had a very dominant peak that often gets overlooked.