Spurs: The Top 10 guys Tim Duncan dominated in his NBA career

1. San Antonio Spurs - Tim Duncan vs. Dirk Nowitzki: 53-37 record (58.9%)

With the most meetings of anyone on this list, the duels between Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki can't be matched. Just look at what these guys averaged against each other in their careers:

Tim Duncan: 21.7 pts, 11.3 rebs, 3.0 asts, 1.9 blks
Dirk Nowitzki: 21.5 pts, 8.9 rebs, 3.0 asts, 0.8 blks

The saga of Duncan versus Nowitzki spanned from 1999 to 2016 and featured six postseason series totaling 33 games. Their regular season matchups added up to 57, with Tim coming out on top in 35 of those.

In 2001, the two legends had their first playoff series that ended with an epic Game 5 duel. By the end of San Antonio's 18-point victory, Nowitzki had a stat-line of 42 points, 18 boards, and six steals on 14-of-24 shooting. Duncan posted a similarly dominant stat-line of 32 points, 20 rebounds, and five blocks to lead the Spurs past Dallas and onto the second round.

That 2001 season also saw a game in which Tim Duncan scored a career-high 53 points, including a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line, in a three-point overtime loss to Dirk and the Mavericks.

The rivalry between Nowitzki and Duncan was one for the ages and was full of class and greatness on both sides every time they shared the court. Without question, Dirk will join Tim in the Basketball Hall of Fame when he's eligible in 2023.

Tim Duncan Week continues here, with the Top 10 Opponents Quotes about Tim Duncan.