... Unless you're San Antonio.
Then how did San Antonio win the championship?
Voodoo.
The same voodoo the Celts were using in 2008, which they called Ubuntu? (lol.)
Maybe when I mentioned San Antonio earlier in this thread as trying to state my case for why you NEED a legit center, I wasn't clear with what I was trying to state.
Like you mentioned, sure guys like Duncan, Splitter, Diaw technically aren't centers, they're power forwards.
BUT, from what I saw in the finals, they still outmuscled the Heat's big guys like Bosh, Birdman, Rashard Lewis, Battier, etc.
PLUS, the Heat didn't really have a legit center of their own to begin with (as all the guys that I just mentioned are also technically fowards.)
So, maybe the Spurs don't have your prototypical "big man" but their bigs still outplayed the Heat's bigs in the paint.
Granted, Parker, Ginobli, Danny Green and Leonard also contributed HUGE from outside the perimeter (and particularly Leonard's defense on Lebron.)
I guess what I am trying to say is there aren't many true centers in the league but the team with the more productive guys in the paint (that score, block, rebound, etc) is going to win.