Tim Duncan

Presented with a full 10 days to prepare for the test of the 2003 NBA Finals, the New Jersey Nets spoke favorably of their chances of avenging the season prior’s championship loss, citing each of their star players as being “on the same page.” As fate would have it, that “page” wasn’t quite comprehensive enough to offset what Tim Duncan had planned for the history books on June 15, 2003. Seemingly a step ahead of the Nets at every turn, the San Antonio Spurs superstar assembled one of basketball’s greatest box score demonstrations, recording 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and eight blocks across 46 minutes. The end result: title No. 2, and a seat among an exclusive nine-player table of players to win a regular season and Finals Most Valuable Player Award in the same season. Complementing his still-standing record of 32 blocks in a single Finals, Duncan also provided 24.2 points, 17.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 5.3 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game. The efforts helped San Antonio — as they had done in every round prior to— win in six games, using a 19-0 fourth quarter run to officially bury New Jersey for good.

Championship Year

MVP Year