Shaquille Oneal versus Tim Duncan

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Michael Jordan’s retirement in 1998 marked the end of basketball’s Jordan-Era. The question became which franchise and players would ascend to dominance if anyone in Jordan’s abscence. This question was answered by two big men, whose unique play and winning attitudes would allow the coming decade, to of NBA basketball to be just as historic as the previous one had been. Despite their stylistic differences, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan shared a knack for success. The begining of this era saw eight of the next nine NBA champions teams lead primarily by either Shaq or Duncan. Shaquille O’Neal, whose endless amount of nicknames, including the The Big Aristotle, Shaq Daddy, Shaq Diesel , stemmed from his dominant, loud style of play, as well as his boisterous personality. Duncan’s nickname, “The Big Fundamental”, a nickname which was actually given to him by Shaq, is a perfect way to sum up what Duncan represents. This nickname pays homage to Duncan’s no flash, strictly precise game plan and execution. These two superstars can break down through stats and style. I can't possibly sit here and pick Shaquille O'Neal over Tim Duncan or vice versa. They're just too different, yet identical in their impact. Shaquille O'Neal was all about power, while Duncan was/is about consistent non-flashy production.
Statistics
It In terms of regular season success both Shaq and Duncan have proved to be lead their teams to successful postseason runs. In terms of regular season records, each have been on teams that were consistently on the top of the standings in the Western conference. However, Duncan has received two regular season NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, as opposed to O’Neil’s one. In 16 year NBA career, Duncan accolades also include being...

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... of Shaq’s championships have been shared with super star guard by his side. The Laker’s 3-Peat from 2000-2002 was lead O'Neal and a young star named Kobe Bryant, arguably the best players of the decade. O'Neal was the NBA Finals MVP in all three of their championship. Their ego’s got in the way of their pursuit of greatness and their roles on the team seemed hard to coexist. In 2004 the Lakers traded Shaqille to the Miami Heat, where Shaq joing another up and coming superstar in Dwayne Wade. In 2006, lead by the new duo, the Miami Heat won the 2006 NBA championship. It seems that Duncan’s selfless attitude, and focus on the title allowed him to create an enviroment that was condusive to wining. Duncan has the ability to make more out of less in his teamates. Shaq on the other hand, has a history of both having an excellent supporting cast, and leadership qualities

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