Long-standing Tim Duncan criticism finally gets put to rest in time for playoffs

As the San Antonio Spurs prepare for their first playoffs appearance in seven years, a recent online discussion brought up a past Spurs championship team. CBS Sports' Sam Quinn was recently pulled into an online debate about Hall of Famer Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

One misguided X user mentioned that Duncan had far more help than Garnett and even pointed to the 2003 championship team. Fortunately, Quinn quickly shut down that ridiculous notion.

He brought up the fact that Duncan put that team on his back and carried them to a championship. In fact, Quinn went as far as to put his playoff performance among the greatest ever.

That includes Hakeem Olajuwon's famous 1994 playoff run. It's great to see national media give Duncan his props for being a truly all-time great player, though it does bring up another interesting discussion.

Tim Duncan's greatness continues to be overlooked

Although Duncan is widely considered to be a top 10 player all time, even ahead of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, he still doesn't get the props he truly deserves. Duncan had an historically great playoff run in 2003, carrying a team to a championship through force of will.

Yes, that team had three other Hall of Famers with David Robinson, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, as well as Stephen Jackson and Steve Kerr. That being said, Robinson and Kerr were on their last legs, and Parker, Ginobili, and Jackson weren't the players they would become at that point.

It was an odd roster that was made great by Duncan, who put up monster numbers time and time again. So much so that the Spurs did the unthinkable and eliminated the Lakers, who were going for a fourth straight championship.

During that series, Duncan averaged 23 points and 15 rebounds per game. That is impressive on its face, but that series was played at a far slower pace than today's game. Therefore, those numbers would be far better in the modern NBA.

Spurs legend Tim Duncan is a top-five player all time

The same could be said for his strong performance in the NBA Finals. Duncan averaged a stellar 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks against the New Jersey Nets.

His demolition of the Lakers and Nets doesn't get brought up nearly as much as it should when making a case for him being a top five player all-time. Instead, he still gets compared to former rival Kevin Garnett.

Garnett consistently gets praise for his versatility and how well he would adapt to today's game. Garnett would be fantastic in the modern NBA, but you know who else would be?

Duncan would. He was an elite low post player and rim protector. He was also a gifted passer, a terrific rebounder, and a solid, albeit inconsistent, mid-range shooter.

Across the board, Duncan was an incredible player who would more than thrive in today's NBA. That might not fit the narrative of Duncan deniers, but he was absolutely one of the greatest players ever.

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