Well that's why he's known as groundhog day. He's a true professional. Can't see the Heat beating a team that is all business. It's not about flinging baby powder in the air and acting like you're Captain Swag.

I believe your reasoning makes sense but I'd add another reason; Shaquille O'Neal.

Shows how little I know about basketball -- but wasn't Yao Ming an overhyped bust?

Not really...he was very, very good, just too many injury problems.

Yao Ming was voted starting Center for the West every year he was on the ballot including 2011 when he played 5 games. When they started having internet voting Yao was almost always going to win.

Well you look like a sage now. I should have realized that Stern was going to fix the lottery in favor of the team he was selling...

That is true. But for the first five years of Duncan's career, it was Shaq that was the leading vote getter at the center spot for the West and it was Shaq that was the first team all-NBA center each of those years (even up until 2006) with the sxception of 1999, when he was second team. That's why I say it was first cause of Shaq then Ming kept it going.

However with Robinson on the team Duncan was more of a power forward. When he left he became the center but they kept his designation as PF. I mean it doesnt really matter because he has been a great player regardless

Yeah, but in any case going 30-36 this year if the trade was allowed to go through wasn't going to help anything.

The Spurs are up 2-1, but it isn't because of Duncan. He hasn't been very good at all in this series.

Are there any sports fans at all out there that don't know that the NBA is the most corrupt and fixed sport in this country?

Other than horse racing?

NBA is worse.

Despite the lack of lasix?

David Stern more than makes up for that.

Get a load of this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjvlxqJFOj0

I get the whole talk of conspiracies but I look at it a little different. Consider:

Historically, the worst team hasn't had a great history of landing the top pick. If they had gotten it, I would have expected to hear some grumblings about Stern helping out Jordan.

Could Washington have won again for the second time in a few years without there being some talk?

Could Cleveland win it back to back with no talk of conspiracies after there was talk last year?

What would the talk have been if the Nets had won right before moving into their new arena and while still being in the running for Dwight Howard?

My opinion is if there was a conspiracy at work, Brooklyn would have won it. Having Anthony Davis go to a bad team in small market New Orleans doesn't help the league at all and probably does more harm when he leaves at the first chance.

I don't think this is entirely accurate. Some impacts aren't as easily seen as others. Duncan’s presence on the court opens things up for everyone. You have to guard him down there and stay home. He's the main reason guys get open shots all game. He's also really good at passing out of the post and getting the defense moving. On defense, he allows guys to play tighter on their man and also play more in the passing lanes because he is an excellent help defender. Being strong on the boards means they don't have to commit the other guys as much to rebounding, which means they are getting out faster on the break. I think he's a much bigger factor than the numbers would suggest.

I don't agree. Perkins handles him pretty well one on one. There isn't a lot of help coming when he gets the ball, and he isn't shooting well at all. Parker was the key to games 1 and 2, not Duncan, and it isn't even a discussion in my opinion.

Like I said, Duncan isn't really a factor whether he plays well or not. The Spurs go as Parker goes, and he isn't going lately.

Duncan finished the game +17 over his 33 minutes even though they lost by 5 points.

In the 15 minutes he was on the bench, the Thunder outscored them by 23 points.

Duncan was +18 in the previous home game and lead the Spurs in that stat the last home game.

Maybe it's not so much that Duncan is the key guy when he's on the floor -- it's just that his replacements all suck? I don't know, I don't watch.