RealGM

How large is the cap between Duncan and Bird? And putting aside nostalgia and the tendency to hype up the accomplishments of every (great) past player, is it inconceivable to rank Duncan ahead of Bird in the all-time list?

I rank Shaq over Bird but find it hard to put Duncan or Hakeem over him.

I think you can probably make a reasonable argument for Duncan over Bird.

I feel that certain older legends like Wilt/Bird tend to get overrated.
Bird because people don't take into account his full career and at times only focus on his legendary peak/short prime.
Wilt because people focus primarily on his regular season numbers and dont take into account his level of play/efficiency in the playoffs.

I really don't see any case for Bird over Shaq.
Shaq had a better or atleast equal Peak and a much better and longer Prime.
He also had a higher number of high level years and much better overall longevity.

Duncan and Hakeem don't have Shaq's playoff resume (even though Duncan has his success) but they are close enough to where you could probably make a case for them over Bird, albeit a weaker one.

Duncan is better. I ALWAYS take the Elite 2 Way player

However Duncan losing 6times with HCA and Bird losing 7 times is quite alarming.

Neither successfully defended their titles, but at least bird went to consecutive finals, Duncan never came close

I rank Duncan higher as of right now, but it's really close, and I kind of keep going back and forth to be honest. They're basically equal.

But if I had to choose, I'd go Duncan because of the defense. He can be your anchor on both sides of the ball, Bird only on one. Now, Bird was an all-time great offensive player, significantly better than Duncan, which is why many might choose him, but I'd still prefer Duncan's two-way game.

Close but I rank Duncan higher. My top 15 lost is divided into levels and they are on the same level along with Hakeem and Shaq.

I have Bird at 5 and Duncan at 6. Though im considering putting Bird lower and Duncan higher on my list.

Either or both please. One is the greatest small forward ever and one is the greatest power forward ever. Hard to directly compare them as their games are so different and they both did so much winning. Im calling it a tie or close enough not to matter.

Bird at his best was simply on another level from Duncan. That's what makes me rank him higher.

JingoWolf wrote:I rank Shaq over Bird but find it hard to put Duncan or Hakeem over him.

I think you can probably make a reasonable argument for Duncan over Bird.

Why?? Both were two way players and both brought organizations titles that never won prior to them arriving. It would be one thing if Bird had a few more titles than either but he didn't.

Bird.

He can control the game without scoring.

You want a steal, 3 point shot, assist, rebound, he could do whatever he wanted on the court.

I have Bird in the slot ahead of Duncan, but they are very comparable in terms of accomplishments and impact. Bird at his peak just seems slightly better. Both in the 5-7 range.

Duncan is an amazing player with a stellar career and superhuman longevity.

With that being said, Larry Bird was a better basketball player. I mean, I rank players by how good they were at their peak. That's just how I do it. Bird from '84-'87 was the best basketball player I ever saw. And yes, I actually WATCHED him.

Dude could do it all. He passed the ball like a point guard, rebounded the ball like a 7 footer, shot the ball like....well, like Larry Bird. He had perhaps the highest baskeball IQ of any player ever. He was one of the best help defenders I've ever seen. He was clutch. He made everybody he played with better. He was fiery and took no s***. He instilled fear in those who played against him. All this and he played in a much more competitive era(imo). Hand checks, hard fouls, no mercy.


I love Tim Duncan's game and he seems like a legitimately good guy to boot. No knock on him whatsoever.