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Marc Serota / Reuters Tim Duncan

TIM DUNCAN
Did we miss something? All the furor about whether Phoenix’s Steve Nash’s election as league MVP over Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal was racially motivated obscured another issue: What about Tim Duncan? Would the Spurs be the favorites to win their third NBA title since 1999 without the league’s best player? Duncan is a master of the bank shot, can score in close or from outside, shoots with either hand, block shots the same way, passes out of the pivot and makes clutch plays. So what’s the problem? He’s unusually quiet and unassuming for a superstar, doesn’t seek publicity, doesn’t have a nickname, doesn’t cause controversy and as a player, isn’t particularly flashy. Merely fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game. Should be enough, don’t you think?

Honorable Mention:

Elgin Baylor: He lacked a nickname but not hang time as the NBA’s first high-flyer, before slam-dunk competitions, nightly highlight shows and style points.

Joe Dumars: The ‘other guard’ alongside Isiah Thomas on the Pistons’ Bad Boy championship teams, but he was a tough defender and big-time shooter.

John Havlicek: All he did was run full speed for 48 minutes, play defense, run the break, hit the shots and ‘steal the ball.’ But it was always Bill Russell’s team.

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