The Spurs Dynasty & Player Debatin'

The Spurs have done it again. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN summed it up pretty well when he asked Tim Duncan why the Spurs seem to win a title every other year or so. Duncan joked that they like to make it interesting. It would almost seem as if the Spurs need time off here or there to work out the kinks. Some may even say the Spurs were a few shots and foul calls away from being 6 time champions about now. Nonetheless, it begs the comparisons now amongst sports commentators and fans as to who's better, Duncan or Shaq? And are the Spurs a legitimate dynasty?

The stats and numbers tell the true tales. The Spurs have one of the best winning percentages amongst professional teams of the last 10 years. They also have won 4 titles over the past 9-10 years. This puts them in pretty good company, as the only other teams to have won at least 4 titles are the Bulls, Celtics and Lakers. So technically the Spurs appear to be a dynasty, if not entering into that territory. As much as I love to hate this team, they keep getting it done, and that deserves the respect.

Now as to whether Duncan is a better player than Shaq..Well I'd say Shaq is a more dominant force in the league. He's accomplished more in his career. Both men have 3 NBA Finals MVP awards, and 4 titles. Shaq has won a title with two different teams and many argue that he had the services of a star guard or forward in D-Wade and Kobe. I still believe if you matched Duncan vs. Shaq in their primes, Shaq would take that matchup probably 8 or 9 out of 10 times.

So I'd put the Spurs in the Dynasty category or at least teetering on the brink of it. In terms of the Duncan vs. Shaq comparison, you can argue it both ways, but the Diesel has seemed to have a bigger impact wherever his imposing frame goes.