Storyline: Kobe and Duncan couldn’t have been more opposite but, together, they ruled the league for 20 years.
Tim Duncan never had a flashy NBA game or even a great moniker. Duncan was dubbed “The Big Fundamental” early in his career, but it’s not a nickname that either inspired or easily rolled off the tongue. He will have to settle with being known as “The Greatest Power Forward to Ever Play the Game.”
Courtesy: foxsports.com
When Duncan sneakily announced his retirement last week (and without much fanfare) it made him the second NBA legend to call 2016 their final season. Kobe Bryant told everyone back in October that 2016 would be his last. What followed was a grand finale tour that lasted the entire NBA season. The Black Mamba even capped off the tour with an unbelievable, and oh so Kobe-like, 60-point explosion in his final game. Kobe and Duncan couldn’t have been more opposite but, together, they ruled the league for twenty years.
Kobe first entered the NBA landscape in 1997, drafted by the Charlotte Hornets straight out of high school. But the Los Angeles Lakers swooped in with a draft-day trade, offering up Vlade Divac and other spare parts. (Why do teams lose all functionality when dealing with the Lakers? Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Kobe and Gasol were all nabbed through draft day or straight-up trades made by L.A. That’s unbelievable.)
In 1998 the San Antonio Spurs somehow won the NBA Lottery and the rights to draft the #1 pick–the “can’t miss” superstar from Wake Forest, Tim Duncan. The only reason the Spurs were in the lottery was franchise center David Robinson’s season-ending injury. Luck and fate are so underappreciated in professional sports.
After Michael Jordan capped off his Chicago career (let’s not discuss D.C.) with titles in ’97 and ’98, it was time for Bryant and Duncan. Either the Lakers or the Spurs would play major factors in the NBA title race from 1999 until 2014. Sure Detroit, Boston, Dallas and Miami took home some Larry O’Brien trophies as well, but without having to go through the Lakers or Spurs.
Courtesy: nba.com
The year 1999 saw Tim Duncan (in just his second year) take the championship mantle from MJ. Duncan won the NBA Finals MVP as the Spurs dispatched the New York Knicks, 4-1. On their way to conquering the West the Spurs also swept out the Lakers and Kobe, 4-0, in the second round.
Duncan one series win and Kobe zero. The Spurs had their title, but also embarrassed the Lakers, who went out and lured Phil Jackson to coach the team. The Zen Master’s impact would be felt in a major way.
The Lakers roared to the league’s best record in 2000 behind Shaquille O’Neal’s MVP season. Jackson helped Shaq/Kobe reach their potential, turning them into the most devastating one-two punch in the League. The Lakers struggled a bit with the intense pressure of the playoffs, but eventually won their first title of the era with a 4-2 series win over the Indiana Pacers. Duncan never got a chance to help the Spurs defend their title as he missed the playoffs with a knee injury.
So who was the best team in 2001? The Lakers and Spurs would decide the question in a Western Conference Finals showdown. The last two champions were going head to head and Bryant vs. Duncan were doing that for a second time. The result was less than epic: the Lakers beat down the Spurs with a 4-0 sweep. The Duncan/Robinson combo was inefficient against Shaq. Both Spur’s big men shot under fifty percent in the series, while Kobe dropped 33 points per game on San Antonio. The Lakers cruised to a repeat title and Kobe was now 1-1 against Duncan.
The Spurs failed, again, to get over the hump in 2002 as the Lakers took them out 4-1 in the second round. Duncan was brilliant in the series (averaging 29 pts., 17 rebs, 5 asst. and 3 blk.), but Kobe made all the clutch plays in a close and defensive five games. Kobe now held a 2-1 series advantage over Duncan. The Lakers finished off with a three-peat and the Shaq/Kobe duo looked unstoppable. What could possibly keep them from winning several more titles?
Courtesy: www.foxsports.com
But in 2003 complacency and egos started to eat away at the Lakers. Kobe hated Shaq’s approach to the off-season–the bad habit of using the regular season to get into shape. Shaq hated Kobe’s shot selection and KB’s need to be the main guy in the offense. They could still probably beat most NBA teams when it mattered, but not the Duncan-led Spurs. Duncan won his second straight league MVP, finally getting revenge on the Lakers with a 4-2 series win in the second round. The Kobe vs. Duncan series was now tied up 2-2.
In 2004 the Lakers brought in reinforcements with former All-Stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton. No way could this Dream Team of all-stars miss out on a title. But they didn’t quite live up to expectations because the chemistry never seemed quite right. Kobe and Shaq weren’t exactly the even-keeled leaders of the team, willing to suppress their egos as two more Hall of Fame egos came on board.
However, that year did lead to the most dramatic Lakers-Spurs series of the decade. In the second round the Spurs took a 2-0 lead with two convincing wins in San Antonio. The Lakers returned the favor with two smackdowns in L.A. Then came historic Game 5. The Lakers led throughout a tough and defensive battle. It was 62-53 going into the fourth. Then the Spurs made a run (this is the NBA) and were up 71-70 until Kobe hit a 20-foot jumper with 11 seconds left. Of course Duncan responded with a fall-away, leaning 18-foot jumper that banked in.
“The Shot” (photo, ballislife.com)
With only 0.4 seconds left the game seemed over. Then Derek Fisher entered his name into NBA lore. Fisher caught a perfect inbound pass. In a superhuman motion he flicked the ball at the basket. Swish! 72-71. Game over.
The Lakers stormed off the court in jubilation as the Spurs stared in space dumbfounded. Tim Duncan’s wide eyed stare of disbelief may be his lasting impression. The Lakers closed out the series in Game 6, but then were upset in the Finals by the Detroit Pistons. It was the first time in 5 years that neither the Lakers nor Spurs won the title.
Those were “The Glory Years” of the Kobe vs. Duncan rivalry. Bryant held a 3-2 series edge. The Lakers’ implosion in 2005 ended the rivalry. Shaq was traded and Phil left for a Zen-like walkabout in the hills of Montana. The Lakers would not be relevant for the next three years. The Spurs took great advantage of that. They won the title in 2005, lost to the NBA runner-up Dallas in 2006, and recaptured their rings in 2007. Sure, Kobe had the series lead, but now Duncan had four titles to Kobe’s three. In the NBA, bragging rights are all about RINGZZZZZZ!
Kobe wouldn’t stay quiet much longer. Phil returned to the bench. The Lakers were bolstered by Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Both additions helped put the self-anointed Black Mamba and the Lakers back in championship contention. While they eventually lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers did manage to beat the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. It was the final Kobe vs. Duncan playoff matchup. Kobe took the personal playoff series battle over Duncan, 4-2.
Courtesy: www.balldontstop.com
Kobe had now lost his last two NBA Finals matchups but, in 2009, his Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic. It was his fourth ring. And Kobe got revenge on the Celtics in 2010 with an epic seven-game series and another Laker championship. Kobe, who was always driven by what he perceives to be personal slights, had this to say immediately after that fifth championship: “It’s one more than Shaq.”
But there’d be no threepeat for Kobe and the Lakers. The eventual 2011 champion Mavericks swept the Lakers out of the second round. Then, after the 2011 season, Phil retired for good. The Lakers evolved to mediocrity and eventually atrocity. Kobe battled injuries in-between jacking up shots. But even with his issues and ego Kobe goes down as the second-best shooting guard of all time behind MJ. He’s the closest thing we will ever see to his Airness in terms of competitive fire and talent.
Kobe had his fifth title in hand, but Duncan seemed pretty far away, especially after lackluster Spur playoff efforts from 2009 to 2011. Duncan was now 36 and had leg injuries. Nobody beats Father Time in the long run. The Spurs blew a 2-0 lead in the 2012 WCF to young and talented OKC, and it looked as that might be it for TD. But we just didn’t realize at the time that Duncan was a modern day Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Duncan led the Spurs to the NBA Finals in 2013 and actually had the LeBron James led Heat down 3-2. Another historic moment of Duncan’s career was about to unfold, but again he was on the wrong end of the outcome. Ray Allen staved off a Spur’s title with a clutch three pointer at the buzzer. The Heat prevailed in OT. Duncan had 30 pts. and 17 rebs. in one of the best throwback games of all time, but he also had that wide-eyed looked of dismay as the Heat miraculously escaped.
Courtesy: cjkingentertainment.com
The Spurs lost Game 7 and, for the first time in his career, Duncan had to watch an NBA team celebrate a Finals victory over his Spurs. However, the greatness of Tim Duncan would not be denied. In 2014 at the age of 38 Duncan led one of the best ‘revenge campaigns’ in NBA history. The Spurs won 62 games and marched into a Finals rematch with the Heat. No drama or wide eyes this time. The Spurs demolished the Heat for their 5th title of the Duncan era.
That’s a lot of NBA history in one story, but there’s a lot of history between these two–39 season’s worth–plus countless NBA playoff moments that are legendary.
NBA immortals they are. I honor their royalty.
