Nick Wright's Top 50 NBA Players of the Last 50 Years #5-4: Tim Duncan & Magic Johnson

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difficult for me. And I know we're not doing Wilton Russell on this pod, but the top three are not only the top three of the last fifty years in my opinion, they are the top three of all time. But five and four how they would compare and contrast to Wilton Russell incredibly difficult to evaluate, and so I'm glad we don't have to evaluate. Also, number five is a player who I watched in real time the entirety

of his career. Number four is a player who I have very very few memories of, very few of his real apex and of honestly the majority of his playing career. And I had to go back and watch and research. And thanks to the Internet, you can really go back and watch almost any playoff game if you're willing to pay for it in any playoff game, certainly of the last forty years, in most of the last fifty years.

But they're two very different players. They are very similar in this Number five and four are both guys who have a handful of jewelry, as everyone does on the

rest of this list. They are both unique in that we had never quite had a player dominate from day one the way both of these guys did from day one from rookies being MVP caliber guys not even well, I don't want to give away the rest of the list, but guys who are in the goat conversation did not dominate as rookies as much as Number five and number four did. But let's get right to it. Number five on our list the fifth greatest player of the last fifty years, the big fundamental.

He's a fifteen time all defensive player that is the most in NBA history by a wide margin. He was twenty one twelve and three as a rookie, and in fact, he was twenty one twelve and three for averages over his first twelve seasons, which speaks to the consistency. His rookie year he was twenty one twelve and three and the first twelve years of his career combined, he was twenty one points, twelve rebounds, three assists, with all world caliber defense every step of the way. He is fifth

all time in blocks. He is sixth all time in rebounds. He is fifteenth all time in points. That's all in the regular season. Now to the playoffs. The top line of the playoffs are this. He is a five time champion and a three time finals MVP, with one additional finals appearance that won one of the most famous finals ever, the twenty thirteen finals against Lebron in the Miami Heat. His career playoff average twenty points, ten rebounds from ninety

nine to seven, his nine year playoff prime. In those nine years, he won four rings, he won three finals MVPs, and he averaged twenty four points fourteen thirteen rebounds, four assists, three blocks per game in forty minutes per game on fifty percent shooting. So that's the general Tim Duncan stuff. But as we do with everyone on this list, we

then go year by year to their playoff career. Oh and by the way, I should mention this playoffs every single season fifty or more wins every single year of his career, except for the year that there was only fifty games, the sixty six game season he won fifty games. The only year did win fifty games was the year there was only fifty games, And that, by the way, is one of the main reasons I have Duncan five

in Kobe six. Is Kobe had that little golf in the middle of his career, post shack, pre pal Duncan never had that fifty wins in the playoffs every year of his career. All right, So let's go to his rookie year nineteen ninety eight, his first career playoff game thirty two and ten opens Round two against Carl Malone with thirty three and ten, but they lose in round two. But as a rookie is dropping thirty and tens in

the postseason. Nineteen ninety nine, facing Shack in round two, averages for the series twenty nine and eleven and sweeps Shaquille O'Neal out of the playoffs. Kobe's on that team too, but Kobe's too young to take any flak for that. He had thirty seven and fourteen to go up three to zero and Shack on Shack and thirty three and fourteen to finish off the suite. By the way, Shack, who over the next three years after that in the

finals would average thirty six points per game. He held Shack to twenty four points per game in his first career finals game ever against the Knicks in ninety nine, thirty three and sixteen for this series average twenty seven and fourteen Finals MVP, and that season the Spurs went fifteen and two in the playoffs. He gets forgotten because his lockout year first year without Jordan, that team kicked

everybody's ass fifteen and two for the playoffs. The next year, he was injured, so the Spurs made the playoffs, but he got injured at the end of the season maniscus thing. They held him out so he didn't get to defend his title. Two thousand and one against Dirk in round two,

averages twenty seven and seventeen. In the one Western Romfens Finals against the defending champion Lakers in Game two, he had forty and fifteen, but that Lakers team was on the show short list of maybe best Lakers team ever. They then sweep San Antonio. San Antonio swept him in ninety nine, the Lakers sweeping back in two thousand and one. Two thousand and two against the Lakers in round two, he's absolutely unbelievable, but the Lakers are too good. But

what does duncan do? He is in Game one twenty six points, twenty one rebounds, five assists, four blocks, but they lose. In Game five, down three to one, he has thirty four points and twenty five rebounds, but they lose. For the series, he averages twenty nine, seventeen, and five, but they lose in five, which speaks to what a juggernaut the Lakers still work now. Two thousand and three, his perfect season. Okay, two thousand and two, he had won, he'd won an MVP, he wins another one and o

three and it is truly his perfect season. So what does he do? Nineteen sixteen and five. Round one average against Phoenix gets the Lakers. In Round two has thirty seven and sixteen to end the series, averages twenty eight to twelve and five for the series. Round three, Western armends Finals against Dirk starts the Western armends Finals with

forty fifteen and seven tied one game apiece. Game three has thirty four points, twenty four rebounds, six assists, six blocks thirty four to twenty four, six and six to go up to one. Averages for the series twenty eight seventeen to six and three, and in the finals a total annihilation of the nets. Game one of the Finals

is some of these box scores is so bananas. Game one of the Finals thirty two points, twenty rebounds, six assists, three steals, seven blocks, thirty two to twenty six, three and seven, a near quadruple double to end the finals twenty one points, twenty rebounds, ten assists, eight blocks, and for the finals averaged twenty four points, seventeen rebounds, five assists, five blocks. Just absolutely Banana's production to win his second

Finals MVP in his second ring. Two thousand and four, another round they kept playing the Lakers in round two instead of the conference finals. Another round two battle with the Lakers, they lose after being up two zero. Duncan average twenty one to twelve and that's you know the famous uh Derek Fisher games that year where Derek Fisher hits the point four second shot after Duncan hits the crazy shot, but Duncan average twenty one to twelve gave

Shack fits for the series. Two thousand and five, another angry playoff run for Duncan thirty nine and fourteen in round one against Mellow and Denver to go up three to one, twenty five and ten average in round two against Ray Allen against National Mary in the Western Conference finals twenty seven and fourteen for the series to close them out, goes thirty one, fifteen, four and three in Game five. Now he's back in the finals against the

defending champion Pistons. Ben Wallace and Rashid Wallace are their front line. He opens the finals with the twenty four and seventeen and then it goes seven. In Game seven, has twenty five and eleven wins another finals MVP, averaging twenty and fourteen against a great defensive team and a team that was this close to winning back to back

titles in the Five Pistons two thousand and six. See this is where you remember like man, if not for the Derek Fisher shot, does Duncan win the ring that year? In four? And then in six what happens? He has an all time duel with Dirk and round two average thirty two to twelve. For the series down three to one, has thirty six and twelve, and then in Game seven has forty one, fifteen and six in an overtime loss.

The what if there is? That's the game where the MAVs are down three, Dirk's driving to the basket man who slaps him on the elbow. Dirk gets the end one they end up winning in overtime. They then go on to lose to the Miami Heat in the finals. But that's another gosh with the spersable in that title. But seven the angry Duncan years, the years he didn't coming off when he didn't win the title. Lookout another ring.

This time he sweeps twenty two year old Lebron the biggest challenge was again in round two rather than the Western Conference Finals, was against Phoenix. He goes for twenty seven points, fourteen rebounds, four blocks per game, including a thirty three to nineteen game. In the finals, he averaged eighteen to twelve. They gave Tony Parker to the finals MVP. I didn't really agree with it, Dan, I don't agree with it now, but fine, it's whatever. And then it

looks like maybe we're getting to the end. Oh eight. He opens his title offense with a forty to fifteen to five against Phoenix, averages twenty five to fifteen for the series. They lose, though, to the Lakers in the Western Roarmends Finals, despite the fact that in game one he has a thirty point eighteen rebound, two assists, two steeal four block game, and for the in the final game of the Western Umens Finals has triple double nineteen points,

fifteen rebounds, ten assists, but they lose. And then two thousand and nine, twenty ten, twenty eleven, he only wins one series. His averages dropped to seventeen to ten, and it's like, oh, okay, all right, So the Spurs, you know, they won their four titles in eight years. It's unbelievable, but they're done. Twenty twelve, though, it's like, wait, are

the Spurs gonna win the title? They open the playoffs with ten straight victories, but then if you remember they're up too to azer on ok see, then it all clicks for OKC. OKC wins four straight. Twenty thirteen, the Spurs are back in the finals. We are now fifteen years removed from their first championship. In the ray Allen game, he has thirty points in seventeen rebounds. In the game. To win the title, he has thirty points in s seventeen rebounds, including twenty five in the first half. But

they lose the most heartbreaking championship game ever. In Game seven, they lose. Duncan misses that little bunny that could have tied the game, but he did put up twenty four and twelve. So how do they respond? They win the damn title The next year twenty fourteen, he averages eighteen and eleven against Durant and OKC to win the Western Amorge Finals. At age thirty seven, to win the finals.

To win the Western Arms Finals in six games, he averages eighteen and eleven twenty one and ten to open the finals, average fifteen and ten, and that year he could have won finals MVP. Again they give it to Kawhi and then twenty fifteen, he's thirty eight years old. They're playing a game seven against the Clippers. That's the Chris Paul falling down banking game. He has twenty seven and eleven at thirty eight years old. At thirty seven years old, he a he averaged. He's eighteen eleven to

beat Durant. At thirty six years old, he has a thirty and seventeen to win the title and Ray Allen beats him. He's sixth all time in playoff minutes or second old time in playoff minutes, pardon me, sixth all time in playoff points, first all time in playoff blocks, third all time in playoff rebounds, behind only Wilton Russell. He has won one hundred and three career twenty and ten playoff games, which is the fourth most all time. He's the fifth best player of the last fifty years.

He is Tim Duncan. We have a Tim Duncan caller. Let's squeeze her in Tim Duncan at five.

of the last fifty years. Guy won fifty games every year, was one of the in my opinion, the second best defensive player on this entire list, behind only a team the consonant pro, the consonant teammate, the consonant winner. Tim Duncan. We will now get to a player who truly did have goat potential but saw his career cut a little bit short. You know who he is. We'll discuss him next. What's right. Welcome back in as we continue our countdown to the fifty greatest players of the last fifty years.

And now a player that I truly regret that I was not able to enjoy his prime by watching it live. I was alive for a lot of his prime, but I was too young to remember it. But when you go back and watch these games, playoffs or regular season, he is just playing the sport differently than anyone ever had up to that point, and honestly than anyone ever has since. Another thing to remember about this man is while we go through this, keep in mind he essentially

played twelve years. He had twelve healthy seasons, and then the career cut short. He is the fourth greatest player of the last fifty years. He is, of course number four. Magic Johnson so again twelve years, playing nine time first team All NBA, one time second team All NBA. He is a three time MVP with nine top three MVP finishes. Seventy five percent of his SEA seasons, he finished in the top three in MVP voting. He retired as the NBA's all time assist leader. He's now six he's a

four time assist champion. He averaged for his career eleven assists per game, and he has won one hundred and thirty eight career triple doubles. So that's the top line, regular season resume stuff, the playoff stuff. It is. Honestly, I am just believe me when I tell you I left a lot out because there is so much here. So he's a five time champion, a three time finals MVP, and a nine time finalist. So again, nine of his twelve years he was top three in the MVP voting.

Nine of his twelve years he got his team to the NBA finals. It's just unbelievable that he had twelve seasons before the before the HIV diagnosis, and he had nine top three MVPs, nine finals, five rings three MVPs. Still the all time playoff leader and assists, retired as the all time playoff leader in steals, He's now fourth. He's the all time playoff leader in triple doubles with thirty.

Lebron might catch him. Lebron's at twenty eight, but when he retired, the second most playoff triple doubles ever was Bird with ten. He had thirty He is the all time finals leader and assists and steals. His career average is twenty and eleven. His career playoff average is twenty and twelve. Only Kareem and Lebron in the last fifty years have played more finals games. Only Jordan, Kareem and Lebron in the last fifty years have scored more points

in the finals. So how to do it well? He did it by instantly kicking ass So again, trust me when I say I had to gloss over some of this or else this would have been forty five minutes on Magic alone. But we'll start with nineteen eighty his first two playoff games. He's a rookie. He's a kid too, because he was young when he came into the league on like bird first two playoff games thirteen twelve and sixteen, followed by twenty five, thirteen eleven, and six his first

series ever. He averaged a triple double fifteen eleven and eleven. And keep in mind with Magic that the we're gonna say is points and sometimes points, rebounds, assists, sometimes just points and assists. You hear a lot a guy at twenty four and seventeen that typically means twenty four points, seventeen rebounds with magic. If we only give you two numbers, remember the second number is assists, because these assists totals

are so bananas. He closed out Seattle in the Western Governerence Finals as a rookie with twenty ten to ten, and then, of course, the game that still might be the finest game of his career came as a rookie in the finals. No Kareem in game six because Kareem is hurt. He plays center and goes forty two points, fifteen rebounds, seven assists, playing out of position to win

the championship as the rookie. As a rookie for the finals, playing against Doctor J and Philly, averaged twenty one points, eleven rebounds, nine assists for the playoffs that year, eighteen points per game, eleven rebounds per game, nine assists per game, three steals per game. He's twenty years old, nineteen eighty one,

so that was nineteen eighty nineteen eighty one. Loses in round one to Moses the guy, also very high on our list, despite averaging seventeen points, fourteen rebounds, seven assists. Now we're to nineteen eighty two. Round one. They sweep the opposition. He has three round one triple doubles and averages twenty twelve and eleven. Western Armends Finals sweeps. The Great George Gervin against Doctor J in the finals averages sixteen, eleven and eight for another Finals MVP and for the playoffs.

He's now twenty two years old and a two time champion and a two time finals MVP. He averages for the playoffs seventeen points, eleven rebounds, nine assists, three steals nineteen eighty three. Opens his title defense with nineteen points, nine rebounds, eighteen assists and seven steals nineteen nine eighteen seven to open the playoffs. Closes out Round one with a twenty five point seven rebound fifteen assist for steal. Game playing George Gervin again Game four of the Western

Conference Finals thirty one points, eight rebounds, seventeen assists. Again do you know how bad insane that is? Just throws up a humble thirty one point eight and seventeen for the series, averaged eighteen eleven and fourteen. In the reason the points were low was Game six of the Western Almends Finals. He had one of the most bizarre games ever. He scored two points, but had fifteen rebounds and sixteen assists.

Now in the finals they're playing Philly, who again they beat nineteen eighty a Philly team that beat them in nineteen No, Moses beat them in eighty one, but who they beat nineteen eighty and who they also beat nineteen eighty two in the finals, and this time Philly has

Moses and Philly sweeps them. But Magic does average nineteen points, eight rebounds, thirteen assists put up we're being fair six turnovers per game still nineteen eight and thirteen for the series nineteen eighty four one sweep of the Kings, averages twenty two, seven and twelve in round two against Dallas, averages seventeen, six and thirteen averaged in the Western Commens

Finals eighteen six, fifteen and three. Again for Magic is flu series averages because there's there's too many games like, oh, he had nineteen, Sissy had twenty one, a Sissy at eleven. It's too much. Gets back to the finals, this time playing Bird in the Celtics for the first time, averages eighteen points, eight rebounds, fourteen assists. But Bird was better

than him in the series, and it's unbelievable. Magic in game four, had twenty points, eleven rebounds, seventeen assists, but missed a couple of free throws and had a bad turnover late. And that's the game where people came up

with tragic Johnson again. You think the media has only been hard now The guy had twenty eleven and seventeen was already a two time champion in two times finals MVP and people are like, oh joker nineteen eighty five, right after the tragic Johnson label gets thrown on him.

Opens the playoffs with an eighteen point nineteen assist game, closes out Drexler and Portland in round two with thirty four nine and nineteen thirty four, nine and nineteen in a series where he averaged twenty two, seven and seventeen. Dude average seventeen assists per game regularly in these playoffs, gets revenge on Boston beats him in six. In the finals. Magic has another just typical for the finals and for the playoffs eighteen points, seven rebounds, fourteen assists per game.

It's his finals and playoffs averages, getting eighteen seven and fourteen doad win Finals MVP Kareem wins nineteen eighty six, defending champ lose to Houston the Western Conference Finals, and for the first time in four years, he does not make the finals. In that playoff run were they lose in Houston to Houston, Magic average twenty one points per game, six rebounds per game, fifteen assists per game. It's too

many insane games to list them all again. He averaged twenty one, six and fifteen for the postseason run nineteen eighty seven, wins League MVP for the first time, and guess what he's gonna be back in the finals. Missed the finals for a year, said that it was whack. Let's go back to the finals. Run to the finals, the Lakers go eleven to one. He averages on the way to the finals twenty eight and twelve, and then in the finals it's the rubber match with Boston. Game one,

Magic Johnson twenty nine points, eight rebounds, thirteen assists. Game two, Magic Johnson twenty two points, five rebounds, twenty assists. Game three, Magic Johnson thirty two points, eleven rebounds, nine assists. For this series, twenty six points per game, eight rebounds per game, thirteen assists per game, and another Finals MVP nineteen eighty eight another year, So yeah, It's probably time for Magic to make the finals again, this one not quite as easy.

Round two Game seven against Malone and stocked It twenty three, nine and sixteen against against Stockton's one of the best defensive point guards ever twenty three to nine and sixteen. That Round two go seven, Round three goes seven against Dallas in game seven, Magic twenty four, nine and eleven. Another seven game series in the finals. This should have been Magic's MVP. They gave it to Worthy because Worthy of the unbelievable Game seven. But Magic in those finals

averaged twenty one points, six rebounds, thirteen assists. Don't bring those finals up to Isaiah Thomas and the Pistons. They think that should have been there is understand it still Magic. If the Lakers are gonna win it, Magic's probably got to be finals MVP. Despite what Worthy did twenty one, six and thirteen. Nineteen eighty nine, Magic wins another league MVP. They're going for three straight titles. They sweep their way to the finals. And this is one of the things

that has forgotten about Magic's career. They're going for three straight titles. Magic is League MVP. They sweep the entire Western route to the finals. Magic averages twenty points, seven rebounds, thirteen assists in route to the finals. In the finals, Detroit is awesome, but we also never know what will happen because Magic got hurt in game two and they get swept. Magic misses games. He gets hurt in game two, so we don't know. I think Detroit probably wins no

matter what. But heart it is a it's hard to prove. Let me put it like that. In that ended an eight year stretch of seven finals appearances in four titles. Overall in the eighties, he had eight finals appearances in five titles in that decade. Nineteen ninety Kareem is now retired. Magic wins another MVP, but they lose to Phoenix in around to despite and this is what was amazing about Magic all those games. I told you he's not scoring forty in really any of them. Kareem retires in the playoffs,

they're facing adversity Games four and five against Phoenix. Forty three points in game four, forty three points in game five. Averages for the playoffs twenty five, six and thirteen, nineteen ninety one, it's been a year not being in the finals. Like we said, Magic didn't go multiple years without being in the finals, so nineteen ninety one he's back in the finals. Average twenty three, eight and thirteen in the

playoffs leading up to the finals. In round one, he had a twenty assist game and a thirty eight point game. In the same series, round two, he had a forty four point game and averaged in round two a triple double twenty six, ten and thirteen. This nineteen ninety one. This is his twelfth year in the league. In the Western Conference Finals, averages twenty one to eight and thirteen against Portland, who's the defending conference champs. They're facing MJ's Bulls.

Game one is a triple double, but then they lose three straight down three to one. Magic did put up in game five sixteen eleven and twenty assist, playing all forty eight, but it's not enough and then he's diagnosed with HIV so again. Nine years first year Finals MVP Champion, second year Finals MVP Champion, sixth year Champion, eighth year League MVP, ninth year League or tenth year League MVP,

with three more titles mixed in there. Year twelve back in the finals and could have won a couple of years prior, but lost in the finals when he got hurt. And then he gets diagnosed with HIV and his career is over, but not actually so. He's out of basketball for four full seasons, comes back at age thirty six after missing his age thirty two to thirty three to

thirty four in thirty five seasons. In his first game back after four years out of basketball nineteen eight and ten, he played the two time defending champion Rockets in Round one of the playoffs. An average for the series twenty three or average of the first two games of the series. I should say twenty three to ten and four. He's thirty six years old. He's been out of the league for four years. But then that's it, and the career

is over. One one hundred and forty three career ten assist playoff games, a two full seasons of double digit assist playoff games. Ten career twenty assist playoff games. Little context there. The rest of NBA history combined has ten twenty assists payoff games. Magic has ten, and the career was cut. I don't know, three four five years short. He's the fourth greatest player of the last fifty years. Magic Johnson let's go to a couple of magic callers.

Is joke time? What of I had to holler at you, Nick is Calvin Man and I heard you got magic in the top five. Matter of fact, you got magic in them before you see he's smiling. I'm smiling because that's the right place for him, right transcend It six foot nine running a point, dropping dives. Two Bucs said, how do you want it? You want rebounds, assist points, it don't matter. He delivered five rings. Transcend It on and off the court, The Magic Man.

And Magic of six? Kareem is in the Goat conversation. Kaream has six, but Kaream won five of his alongside Magic. He is. I can't call him underrated, but it is, you know, a little frustrating to me when I heard people arguing, is Steph the greatest point guard ever? No, the conversation the greatest point guard ever starts at number two because Magic Johnson transcended the rankings. He is, without questioning, the greatest point guard of all time. He is the

fourth greatest player of the last fifty years. And if we did all time, would he still be the fourth greatest player? Would I have him ahead of Wilton Russell?

Three years ago, Giannis wasn't on it. Now he's in the top Twenty three years ago, different guys active players had to move up. And by the way, I had a few guys on it that haven't played in years and years. They got kicked off. For example, Pistol Pete was on my initial list and then I really dug into it and I said he can't be on the initial list. So there's been some movement. The movement was

pretty except for guys like Yannis Katie Steph. There wasn't a lot of movement amongst the very very best guys except for in the top three. And I know everybody already thinks they know how this list is ending, and they think they have, you know, they have figured out

how this thing's going to go one through five. What I will tell you is this, six months ago, I had a different top three than I currently have, and it has to do with digging into the full depth and width of all of these guys' careers, which is why I think maybe I'm wrong I think most of you will be surprised by who I have at number three, But everyone left you know who they are. Kareem has left, Michael has left, Lebron is left, has an argument to

be the greatest player ever. We will just go us each of them within the context of why they are or are not the greatest player ever, as we give a full episode to each of our last three. As we amazingly finish off our countdown of the fifty greatest players of the last fifty years, the number three coming to you next week.