I think you over value Randolph. Until last year, like Boozer, people questioned if he even made his team better. Often power forwards with attitude problems that shoot a lot of twenty footers can have that effect on their teams.
Randolph absolutely destroyed Tim Duncan and the Spurs other big men, they wouldn't have been able to upset San Antonio without him. The truth of the matter is reliable big men are in short supply in the NBA and Memphis has 2 of them, Randolph and Marc Gasol, I am a Celtics fan and I would die to have Marc Gasol.
He had a good series. But even him outplaying Duncan was not why they lost. The Spurs aren't depending on him to be the man any more. Ginobili was not fully recovered from his injury yet.
And back in the day, it was all about the big men. But Stern decided that he would call anything and everything a foul and it became more about wings and guards than it naturally should be. Watch the 1981 ECF Game 7 (before Stern) and you'll see the best most grueling game ever. It was on yt. It got pulled. It'll be back on eventually.
Tim Duncan helped David Robinson win a championship before he retired. I believe the Spurs are trying to give Tim one more before he goes.
I would have bet my left nut that Tim Duncan would not have won 4 championships in his career, and here he is going for 5?
Makes me so mad. Especially the 4th one they won in 2004 against Detroit. That would have given Detroit Back to Back Championships. That would have made them a Dynasty. Instead the Spurs are a Dynasty. The Tim Duncan era. He's boring but great. Gotta give him props. 4 rings?