The best champions to never win NBA Finals MVP

23 April 2013: Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett (5) during game two of the first round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY The Knicks defeated the Celtics 87-71 to lead the series 2-0. (Photo by Rich Kane/Icon SMI/Corbis via Getty Images) /

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David Robinson

The Admiral, while being a surefire Hall-of-Famer even before winning a title, did not get over the championship hump until the arrival of Tim Duncan, who Robinson then went on to win two titles with in 1999 and 2003. In both of those seasons, it was Duncan who won Finals MVP instead of Robinson. By the time Duncan arrived in 1997, Robinson was in his early 30s, and at the end of his prime. While he remained an invaluable part of those two championship teams, he was no longer the dominant force on both sides of the ball that he was during his peak years in the early and mid-nineties. Robinson remains one of the greatest centers of his era, though, being the 1995 MVP, along with a 10-time All Star, in addition to making a combined 18 appearances on All-NBA and All-Defensive teams.

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