that's the biggest bitch of it all... even while trying to turn Amare into Duncan, they always failed to take into account that Duncan ALWAYS played with a solid 7 footer next to him so he wouldn't have to always be beaten down.
I hate to whine about something like this but don't forget the zebra advantage either. Duncan, from the moment he walked onto the court, was given Jordan-like treatment from the referees. Amare, dating back to the Heinson tirade involving Paul Pierce could never catch a break from them. After awhile, Stat was a big part of the reason he couldn't catch a break (that stupid "and one" yell) but still, the difference in ref support between the two was striking.
I've said this before but I'll mention it again. I remember the first time we played the Spurs with Duncan early in his first season. We fronted David Robinson and we literally beat the heck out of him from front and behind and almost never got a call against us. However, every time we got within two feet of Duncan we were whistled for a foul. I don't ever buy into the conspiracy theories but it really seemed like the refs had been given a mandate, protect this kid. And other than Joey, the refs did just that.
Steve