Im starting to hear people say he is better then Hakeem Olajuwon! Now Duncan is a great player but that is going way too far. anyone who thinks Duncan is better then Hakeem go ahead and explain why.
I will not say Better than Hakeem. But in alot of way he is underated- just because he doesn't put up 50 or dunk from the free throw line doesn't mean he isn't great! Greatness is judged on winning IMO and his teams ALWAYS WINS. Not saying better than Hakeem I think its inpossible to say either way BUt certainly one of the All time Greats!
I believe Greatness is defying the odds and beating great teams, not just winning. Anyone can beat the 03' nets, not everyone can beat the 95' Knicks.
<span style="font-family:Arial">I don't think Tim Duncan is better than Hakeem Olajuwon, but he is not overrated. If anything Tim Duncan may be a bit underrated. I rarely hear anybody give Duncan much credit because he's not as 'flashy' as the other superstars. He doesn't play with much flash, he's very unselfish, and he has a quiet personality. People seem too overlook him in many situations because of the way he plays.Duncan is one of the most consistent players in NBA history, as well as one of the best defenders. Look at his career stats from when he was a rookie, until now. His numbers don't decrease much at all, he constantly puts up his career numbers.</span><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>I believe Greatness is defying the odds and beating great teams, not just winning. Anyone can beat the 03' nets, not everyone can beat the 95' Knicks.</div><span style="font-family:Arial">San Antonio may not face great teams in the NBA Finals, but you have to look at the path it takes them to get to the finals. They have defeated plenty of great teams on route to the NBA Finals, they deserve credit in that situation. The weak Eastern Conference isn't Tim Duncans problem, he earned every title he as won.</span>
true but looking at the teams in teh finals is small minded - Duncan has had to beat great team in the west to get to the finals! The Lakers I would say is a pretty good scalp
On this board and during the NBA Finals he wasn't overrated at all and some people have been overrating him as of late.
Since Duncan has won his title lately I believe people have been overrating him alot. I bet itll die down though, when shaq won his title last year a good 50% believed he was better then Hakeem even though Hakeem schooled shaq in the 90s.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ Jun 17 2007, 10:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Since Duncan has won his title lately I believe people have been overrating him alot. I bet itll die down though, when shaq won his title last year a good 50% believed he was better then Hakeem even though Hakeem schooled shaq in the 90s.</div>Shaq didn't lead that team to the title though, D-Wade did.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ Jun 18 2007, 12:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Since Duncan has won his title lately I believe people have been overrating him alot. I bet itll die down though, when shaq won his title last year a good 50% believed he was better then Hakeem even though Hakeem schooled shaq in the 90s.</div>I hate when people say that, Hakeem did not school Shaq in those finals. Shaq took it back at Hakeem just as well as Hakeem took it at Shaq in those finals. Averages alone could tell you that he was doing his part, he just didn't have the team around him to beat those Rockets that were much more veteran and tried for the finals. As for regular season and everything, Shaq was almost just as good then as a much more developed Hakeem Olajuwan. I still think that Shaq in his prime was much more dominate and easily the one I would pick to start a team with over Hakeem.As for Duncan being overrated, I don't believe him to be overrated at all. He is an all time great for this game, that does everything it takes for his team to win.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (valo35 @ Jun 18 2007, 01:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I hate when people say that, Hakeem did not school Shaq in those finals. Shaq took it back at Hakeem just as well as Hakeem took it at Shaq in those finals. Averages alone could tell you that he was doing his part, he just didn't have the team around him to beat those Rockets that were much more veteran and tried for the finals. As for regular season and everything, Shaq was almost just as good then as a much more developed Hakeem Olajuwan. I still think that Shaq in his prime was much more dominate and easily the one I would pick to start a team with over Hakeem.As for Duncan being overrated, I don't believe him to be overrated at all. He is an all time great for this game, that does everything it takes for his team to win.</div>Hakeem Olajuwon made it to the finals against the boston celtics when he was younger then Shaq and actually nearly won. While I agree Shaq did play well against Hakeem also, Hakeem played perfect help defense the entire series. From game to game, he made big plays against the entire Magic team. Not only could Hakeem outscore Shaq but he could play MUCH better defense.I dont even need to say it just look at this video. Hakeem did everything!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0jrhRUj0jo
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ Jun 18 2007, 12:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Im starting to hear people say he is better then Hakeem Olajuwon! Now Duncan is a great player but that is going way too far. anyone who thinks Duncan is better then Hakeem go ahead and explain why.</div>I wouldn't take Duncan over Hakeem as Hakeem was basically just a more athletic version of Duncan, but I do not consider Duncan overrated as he is rarely hyped up and normally doesn't get the recognition Kobe, LeBron or Wade get.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW4uXlRGAF0...ted&search=Just look at Hakeem destroy Drob. There is no doubt in my mind he was the best big man of our lifetimes. I even consider Drob a better defensive player then duncan and much more athletic. Imagine if he would have played the Spurs with Duncan. Like I said, 90s competition was a much higher peak. With teams like the Rockets of the 90s, Duncan would have never made a finals appearance. That is why I dont take anything away from Drob because he didnt win a title in the 90s.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ Jun 18 2007, 01:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Hakeem Olajuwon made it to the finals against the boston celtics when he was younger then Shaq and actually nearly won. While I agree Shaq did play well against Hakeem also, Hakeem played perfect help defense the entire series. From game to game, he made big plays against the entire Magic team. Not only could Hakeem outscore Shaq but he could play MUCH better defense.I dont even need to say it just look at this video. Hakeem did everything!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0jrhRUj0jo</div>I don't need to watch the video, I watched the whole series, because I was living in Orlando at that time. Furthermore, the final two minutes of game 4 of the NBA Finals doesn't prove anything of how the series went. If anything, you saw that they was needing help defense on Shaq because Horry had to come over to do it that one play, and Shaq blocked Hakeem, and scored on him in another play. So your clip isn't showing much to help you right now.Shaq did a better job of passing out of double teams and getting his team involved offensively, was outrebounding Hakeem that series and did just as good of a job helping his team out offensively as Hakeem was. His biggest problem was that he had a team around him that was young, and sometimes didn't do what was the smartest plays. Like in game 1 when Orlando had the lead in a closer game, and down the stretch the Orlando team stopped going to Shaq. Meanwhile Hakeem's team kept passing the ball downlow to them. Defensively Shaq was doing a great job of rotating and causing problems that series. That was when Shaq was younger, quicker, and was a much better rotating center to try to cause the guards problems. For anybody that actually watched the series, he did not play MUCH better defensive than Shaq did that series. The only area he really outperformed Shaq was at scoring, and that wasn't by a big margin.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Since Duncan has won his title lately I believe people have been overrating him alot. I bet itll die down though, when shaq won his title last year a good 50% believed he was better then Hakeem even though Hakeem schooled shaq in the 90s.</div><span style="font-family:Arial">Hakeem Olajuwon did outplay Shaq in that series, but it's not like many people expect anything different. Shaq was a young player, while Hakeem was already a polished veteran. Shaq actually scored a ton of points on Olajuwon in that series. He couldn't stop Hakeem from scoring, but Hakeem couldn't stop Shaq from scoring either.EDIT: Valo beat me to it.</span>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (valo35 @ Jun 18 2007, 02:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't need to watch the video, I watched the whole series, because I was living in Orlando at that time. Shaq did a better job of passing out of double teams and getting his team involved offensively, was outrebounding Hakeem that series and did just as good of a job helping his team out offensively as Hakeem was. His biggest problem was that he had a team around him that was young, and sometimes didn't do what was the smartest plays. Like in game 1 when Orlando had the lead in a closer game, and down the stretch the Orlando team stopped going to Shaq. Meanwhile Hakeem's team kept passing the ball downlow to them. Defensively Shaq was doing a great job of rotating and causing problems that series. That was when Shaq was younger, quicker, and was a much better rotating center to try to cause the guards problems. For anybody that actually watched the series, he did not play MUCH better defensive than Shaq did that series. The only area he really outperformed Shaq was at scoring, and that wasn't by a big margin.</div>Hakeem Olajuwon by the 1995 finals was the same age shaq was last season when he was in the finals against the Magic or close. That alone speaks much to how great a player he is compared to shaq. If you watched the series like you said, Hakeem was a ballhawk the entire series taking over anybody who even approached the basket. Shaq may have scored but Hakeem made sure to outscore Shaq in every game while keeping shaqs team shut out with superb help defense like ive never seen before. It wasnt like shaq was yet to reach his prime yet either, that was one of the better seasons of his entire career. His only finals matchup against a truly great center and it showed. You can give all the excuses you want but Hakeem was a better player then shaq in 1995 and career-wise.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ Jun 18 2007, 01:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Hakeem Olajuwon by the 1995 finals was the same age shaq was last season when he was in the finals against the Magic or close.</div>That was only Hakeem's 10th season or so compared to Shaq, who played I believe 13 seasons when he won the title last year.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It wasnt like shaq was yet to reach his prime yet either, that was one of the better seasons of his entire career. His only finals matchup against a truly great center and it showed. You can give all the excuses you want but Hakeem was a better player then shaq in 1995 and career-wise.</div>Going by your logic, Bron was a better player 2 years ago as he had a better statistical season than this year. Stats mean half the story. Shaq was a MUCH more dominant and smart player in the 3 peat. And in that 1 series he played against what you consider a truly great center he went play for play with Hakeem basically the whole series. A 2nd or 3rd year player almost matching a 10 year veteran. Your logic is flawed, man.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ Jun 18 2007, 01:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Hakeem Olajuwon by the 1995 finals was the same age shaq was last season when he was in the finals against the Magic or close. That alone speaks much to how great a player he is compared to shaq. If you watched the series like you said, Hakeem was a ballhawk the entire series taking over anybody who even approached the basket. Shaq may have scored but Hakeem made sure to outscore Shaq in every game while keeping shaqs team shut out with superb help defense like ive never seen before. It wasnt like shaq was yet to reach his prime yet either, that was one of the better seasons of his entire career. His only finals matchup against a truly great center and it showed. You can give all the excuses you want but Hakeem was a better player then shaq in 1995 and career-wise.</div>The final two minutes of game 4 of the NBA Finals doesn't prove anything of how the series went. If anything, you saw that they was needing help defense on Shaq because both Horry and Drexler had to come over to help out on a couple of plays and Shaq was able to score on a double team, and Shaq blocked Hakeem, and scored on him in another play. So your clip isn't showing much to help you right now. They tried to stop double teaming him for a second because of how good he was doing at kicking the ball out for three point shots, but they had to go back to doubling because Hakeem couldn't guard him one on one.As for their age, it's going to effect people differently. Shaq by that age had been carrying 320+ pounds up and down the court for 13 years, so of course by his age last year and this year he will have been broken down. That doesn't prove that in their primes Hakeem is a better player.As for the series, Shaq was a ballhawk also, and was causing alot of problems defensively it wasn't like Hakeem was the only one to play defense that series. The Rockets just did a better job of shooting throughout the series. He wasn't a better player at all in those finals. He was marginally better as a defender in that series, and as a scorer. Shaq was the better rebounder, and did better at kicking out for open shots for the series than Hakeem was. All around, offensively, Shaq was able to lead his team just as well. Hakeem was in no way a better player that series.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (valo35 @ Jun 18 2007, 02:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>The final two minutes of game 4 of the NBA Finals doesn't prove anything of how the series went. If anything, you saw that they was needing help defense on Shaq because both Horry and Drexler had to come over to help out on a couple of plays and Shaq was able to score on a double team, and Shaq blocked Hakeem, and scored on him in another play. So your clip isn't showing much to help you right now. They tried to stop double teaming him for a second because of how good he was doing at kicking the ball out for three point shots, but they had to go back to doubling because Hakeem couldn't guard him one on one.As for their age, it's going to effect people differently. Shaq by that age had been carrying 320+ pounds up and down the court for 13 years, so of course by his age last year and this year he will have been broken down. That doesn't prove that in their primes Hakeem is a better player.As for the series, Shaq was a ballhawk also, and was causing alot of problems defensively it wasn't like Hakeem was the only one to play defense that series. The Rockets just did a better job of shooting throughout the series. He wasn't a better player at all in those finals. He was marginally better as a defender in that series, and as a scorer. Shaq was the better rebounder, and did better at kicking out for open shots for the series than Hakeem was. All around, offensively, Shaq was able to lead his team just as well. Hakeem was in no way a better player that series.</div>You keep saying hakeem was in no way better but he swept their team. It wasnt like it wasnt a talented team either. He also outscored Shaq in every game. They both played excellent, but Hakeem had a obvious edge that series.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ Jun 18 2007, 01:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>You keep saying hakeem was in no way better but he swept their team. It wasnt like it wasnt a talented team either. He also outscored Shaq in every game. They both played excellent, but Hakeem had a obvious edge that series.</div>It wasn't Hakeem and Shaq playing one on one the entire series, had that been the case Shaq could have shot ever time, and his weight would wear down Hakeem sooner or later. Your making it sound like Hakeem directly outplayed Shaq that series and that's why they won, which is not the case at all. It was the Rockets against the Magic, where the Rockets as a whole outplayed the Magic as a whole. Shaq did his part, unfortunately he didn't have another player on his team match what Drexler did for those finals, nor did he have players like Cassell and Horry that each stepped up in different games, Kenny Smith set a NBA finals single game three point record in the first game, Mario Elie played awesome throughout every game. He had a team around him that stepped up and played as well as they could, meanwhile Orlando's team really only played well in the first game of the series, except Shaq who played well every game. Shaq had a good team, but in that finals the rest of the team played very poorly compared to what Hakeem's team did.
