SC’s NBA All-Decade Team (Pt. 3)

Also see: SC's NBA All-Decade Team (Pt. 1) | (Pt.2)

It's time to close the book on the decade that was the 2000s in the NBA.

All week, we've been unveiling SC's NBA All-Decade Team, and today we finally get down to it: the best of the best.

It wasn't easy to narrow the list down to just five players to name to the first team. Eight different players won the MVP award in the 2000s, the most of any decade, so clearly there were plenty of suitable options.

And while there are plenty of players on the Second and Third Team that can make strong cases for themselves to be on All-Decade First Team, the following five players amassed resumes over the past decade that simply could not be ignored.

Without further ado, it's the NBA All-Decade First Team.

First Team

G Jason Kidd

As I mentioned earlier, eight different players won the MVP award last decade. Jason Kidd was not one of them.

But he accomplished just about everything else.

Kidd played in seven all-star games, was All-NBA five times (four first team, one second), was named to the All-Defensive Team eight times (three first team, five second team), accumulated more assists than any other player over the course of the decade, and had the second most steals.

One of the most complete packages to ever play the point guard position, Kidd could beat you in any number of ways. His 77 triple-doubles were the most any player had in the 2000s, and was more than three times as many as second place.

Kidd's leadership was just as strong as his actual play on the court. Though he came short of winning an NBA title, Kidd's teams were constantly in contention. He led his team to the postseason in all 10 seasons, reaching the NBA finals in 2002 and 2003. The only starting point guards to play more postseason games in the decade were Derek Fisher, Tony Parker, and Chauncey Billups.

Kidd's peak may not have been as high as Steve Nash's, but his consistency, longevity, and his overall team success inevitably landed him a spot on the All-Decade First Team.

G Kobe Bryant

Kobe was recently named Sporting News NBA Player of the Decade, and you won't find any arguments from me.

In fact, you won't get much from me on this one at all. His resume speaks for itself.

Ten all-star games, 10 All-NBA teams (seven first team, two second team, one third team), nine All-Defensive teams (seven first team, two second team), two scoring titles, four NBA Titles, one Finals MVP, one NBA MVP, and all that despite being the most polarizing figure in the league.

Kobe provided more drama both on and off the court than any other player in the NBA over the past ten seasons. But love him or hate him, there's no denying that his spot on the All-Decade First Team was a lock.

F LeBron James

LeBron James' decade started a little differently than most players on this list. While the rest of his fellow First Teamers celebrated Y2K by entering the primes of their careers, LeBron was entering high school.

Ten years later, LeBron has already established himself as one of the greatest individual player in NBA history.

He's got the speed of Isiah and the size of Karl Malone. He's got the athleticism of Jordan and the vision of Magic. Whichever hybrid of hall of famers you want to use to describe LeBron is acceptable. You could put the names of every Hall of Fame player in a hat, draw two of them out, and chances are you could make the case that LeBron is somehow a combination of the two.

If LeBron was using the Decade of the 2000s as a springboard to launch his career and establish himself as one best individual players of all time, mission accomplished.

But if LeBron finishes the teens with as many titles as he had in the '00s, he might go down as one of the great underachievers to ever play.

We're a long way from that point, though, and there's no use playing the "what if" game. I have a feeling that there will be some NBA championships on LeBrons 2010's All-Decade resume. And at just 24, you might as well ticket him for the First Team for 2010's First Team, as well.

F Tim Duncan

Mr. Consistency, The Big Fundamentals, or just plain Tim, call him what you'd like, just please don't call him boring.

Anyone that thinks that Tim Duncan is boring obviously doesn't understand the game of basketball.

Over the past decade, Duncan has established himself as the greatest power forward in NBA history.

He played in all 10 all-star games, made all 10 All-NBA teams (seven first team, three second team), all 10 All-Defensive teams (seven first team, three second team), won two MVPs, won three NBA titles, and two Finals MVPs. How is greatness like that boring?

Sure, he wasn't exactly a staple on Plays of the Week, but that makes him far from boring.

Duncan's never led the league in any major statistical category. He's also never finished outside the top 10 in rebounds per game, blocks per game, or player efficiency rating.

He was the only player to average a double-double in each of the ten seasons in the 2000s.

One-time teammates Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry were the only forwards to play in more playoff games than Duncan in the past decade.

With Duncan leading the way, no team won more games over the past decade than the San Antonio Spurs.

There are a lot of words that you can use to describe a resume like that. "Boring" simply isn't one of them.

C Shaquille O'Neal

When his career is over, Shaq may be most remembered for being the NBA's all-time leader in sound bites and self-given nicknames. What he's accomplished on the floor isn't too bad, either.

Like Duncan and Kobe, Shaq made every all-star team in the 2000s. He was on eight All-NBA teams (seven first team, one third) and three All-Defensive teams (all second team).

The self-proclaimed "Most Dominant Ever" lived up to his hyperbolas nickname throughout most of the 2000s. He was a beast on the inside, and led the league in field goal percentage seven times in the 2000s.

His decade started off with an MVP award, a scoring title, three straight NBA titles, three straight Finals MVP awards, and one giant feud with teammate Kobe Bryant.

That feud eventually led to Shaq being traded to the Heat, where two seasons later he delivered on his promise to bring the Larry O'Brien trophy to Miami.

As Shaq prepares to play for his third team in three seasons, his years of being the "Most Dominant Ever" look like they may be a thing of the past. Fans tend to have short memories, and what we see now is just a shell of the Shaq we all knew and love.

But that's what NBA Hardwood Classics are for. Turn on a classic Laker game from 2000 to 2004 and watch the Big Aristotle (as I believe he was calling himself at the time) go to work. It's an absolute thing of beauty.

Shaq's entertainment value would have been the tiebreaker had anyone threatened him for his spot on the First Team, but no one else was even close. Shaq was hands down the easiest choice for any player at any position, and his spot on this list is the perfect way to end SC's NBA All-Decade Team.