When the NBA's new millennium began, there was a reasonable belief that it would belong to Kobe Bryant. The star Lakers guard cohabitated with Shaq long enough to win the first three titles of the decade. He was clearly the best young scorer in the league, and when the inevitable L.A. divorce came in 2004 -- after being knocked out in the postseason by the Spurs and Pistons in consecutive years -- the Lakers chose Kobe. Of course they chose Kobe. He had five-to-six years of top-five status remaining, while Shaq's health was a ticking time bomb. Any team would have chosen Kobe.

But it didn't go well. The Lakers' dynasty didn't just fall apart, it crashed and burned. In the first post-Shaq season, Kobe got injured and the Lakers ended up in the lottery while O'Neal's Miami team competed for the conference title. Meanwhile, Tim Duncan led the Spurs to the team's second championship of the decade. Phil Jackson came back the following season, but the Lakers exited in the first round and Shaq's Heat won the title. In 2007, the Lakers barely finished above .500 and Kobe's trade demand rumblings began.

Shaq's downturn began in earnest as the Heat became the worst defending champs in memory (non-1999 Bulls division). But Duncan, the Big Fundamental, claimed another title -- his third of the decade and fourth overall. Barring a major resurgence from Shaq or drastic upgrades around Kobe, it became rather clear at that point that history would consider the 2000s to be Tim Duncan's reign.

But Kobe did get drastic upgrades -- Pau Gasol arrived in early 2008 -- and now history is muddy. Kobe and Pau took the Lakers to the Finals in 2008 and won the title in 2009. (They also won a revenge match with the Celtics in 2010, but that falls outside our neat decade bucket.) The very late '00s were the Spurs' sole major swoon -- it lasted until 2013, when a rejuvenated San Antonio went back to the Finals, which also falls outside the decade in question.

The final count for the '00s (and this is the 1999-00 season through the 2008-09 season): four titles and two MVPs for Tim, four titles and one MVP for Kobe, four titles and one MVP for Shaq. It's also worth noting that Shaq had three Finals MVPs -- all of them during the Lakers three-peat -- while Tim won two and Kobe landed one. Based on all of that and Shaq's importance to the 2006 Heat, it could be argued that O'Neal was the best player of the '00s, even though he was a shadow of his former self as the Big Cactus and later LeBron's consigliere. Either way, all three titans are neck and neck.

That Pau trade really did change everything. It kept Kobe in L.A. and allowed him to become one of the two or three greatest Lakers ever. It swelled the Laker Nation, multiplied Kobe's army of fanatics and it even resulted in Ron Artest giving a championship speech on the floor after a heroic Game 7 in the NBA fricking Finals. Even this Lakers hater can admit that was a cool turn of events.

The debate could go on forever, but the real glory of the 2000s was in the brightest lights that flamed out spectacularly. Let's talk about them.

SB Nation presents: The time Kobe asked a 10-year-old for advice

FIRST TEAM

Tim Duncan

See above. In the debate for G.O.A.T. Duncan's not winning most days, but he's in the conversation.

Kevin Garnett

Duncan's foil and a star-crossed one for most of the decade. He was an MVP-level talent every year, but bad supporting casts and buzzsaw opponents kept him in the first round of the playoffs for years on end. Once the Kings fell apart and the Mavericks went through their Antoine Walker phase, the Timberwolves did get deep in the playoffs, but it was an unreasonable hope. The team broke up, KG landed in Boston and immediately won a title. An incredible Hall-of-Fame career rewarded, and validation for a crazy talent who won't be forgotten by anyone who watched him play.

LeBron James

LeBron arrived in 2004 and immediately changed the league. He won an MVP, a scoring title and was responsible for carrying perhaps the worst Finals roster of the decade to the championship series in '07. He made second-team All-NBA as a rookie. He didn't have a ton of playoff success, but he really was carrying an underwhelming supporting cast most of the aughts.

Kobe Bryant

See above. An incredible career, most of which happened in this decade.

Steve Nash

Two-time MVP, and though those were controversial awards, it says something that the folks watching the league most closely during that period handed them over. (He damn-near won a third straight in 2007. I would have given Shaq the 2005 trophy and I think LeBron and Kobe had strong cases in 2006.) Best point guard of the decade in my book, and he was closely linked to basketball's uptempo revolution. A quintessential '00s player.

SECOND TEAM

Shaquille O'Neal

Knocked down here only due to Duncan playing center for basically all of the '00s. If you wanted to get him on the first team, you could shift Duncan to forward and knock LeBron down, but really, Duncan was a center. We have rules. Stupid rules, but they are rules.

Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk won the MVP in 2007 and almost gave Dallas a championship in 2006. (He'd get it in 2011.) The best 7-foot shooter ever, a revolutionary power forward who pushed along the stretch-4 concept more than any other player. Also a hilarious figure in a league filled with hilarious figures.

Paul Pierce

The Truth toiled on a second-tier East team until 2007, when KG and Ray Allen arrived. Pierce got one title, turned into a phenomenal LeBron foil and kept grinding (especially in the clutch). His elder statesman turn and championship land him above the two studs on the third team, but don't underestimate how much of a killer he was early in the decade. Those Boston teams were almost good enough. Almost.

Allen Iverson

A.I. was the face of a generation in many ways -- from the fashion statements to the unstoppable crossover to the fierce unwillingness to be cowed. He was also hugely flawed as a person and player. I'm breaking one of my basketball commandments by discussing Allen Iverson on the Internet already; he is the single most divisive star of the last three generations at least (maybe ever). Kobe inspires polemics, but even the haters acknowledge his greatness. With A.I., there's a subset of basketball fans who think he was seriously trash all those years he was winning scoring titles. There are also those who think he is the greatest ever. It's very difficult to navigate the (accurate) middle path and I fear I've already said too much.

Jason Kidd

Professor Flannery has Kidd above Nash, and that seems acceptable considering Kidd's incredible defense over the years. Kidd was the point guard object of desire for a number of stars over the years, including Kobe. He made his co-stars better (Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin, eventually Tyson Chandler and other Mavericks). He won his title outside of this decade, but knocked on the door frequently enough. His Nets teams early in the decade were considered an easy mark when they made the Finals, but that was only because the West was so tough. Ask the Bostons, Torontos, Indianas and Philadelphias how easy the Nets were to beat.

FLANNERY: Taking absolutely nothing away from Nash who was a brilliant player, but what tipped the scales for me was what Kidd did in New Jersey for a moribund franchise with little history of winning. Granted the early-00s were not a great time for the Eastern Conference, but it's not like the Nets were loaded with All-Stars either. Is it possible to be an all-time great and still be underrated? That's Jason Kidd in my book.

THIRD TEAM

Dwight Howard: Howard debuted in 2005, quickly became the best defensive center of his generation, led the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009 as the fulcrum of an interesting four-out Stan Van Gundy offense and ... fell apart physically and socially in the 2010s. Ah well.

Tracy McGrady: T-Mac might belong above Pierce, and on a different day I'd have him up there. He was just an incredible scorer, capable of dropping 25 any given quarter. The smoothest player of this generation. The Houston teams he led with Yao Ming just were never quite good enough to compete with the Spurs, Mavericks, Suns or Lakers, but man were they good and often great. There were a couple of years in the first half of the decade in which T-Mac vs. Kobe was a very legitimate argument.

Carmelo Anthony: I don't expect Melo over Pau, Shawn Marion or Chris Webber to be a popular argument, but hear me out. He instantly sparked the Nuggets to be better, made the playoffs every year, challenged for scoring titles, led one deep playoff run (2009) and -- most importantly -- survived like five years of George Karl and a couple seasons of Allen Iverson. The man thrived despite a drama-heavy environment, and is the No. 6 per-game scorer in the decade with a respectable, league-average scoring efficiency. He deserves our respect.

FLANNERY: For the record, I have Pau over Dwight (Gasol's performance in the 2009 Finals was the deciding factor) and Marion over Melo. The Matrix was an evolutionary player who did so many things well that he sometimes got lost in the shuffle, especially playing on a team with Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire. He was a better rebounder and much better defender than Anthony, and Marion also benefits from having four extra seasons during the decade. If this list proves anything it's that there was an incredible amount of talent during this period.

Tony Parker: Three titles in the decade and the 2007 Finals MVP award. An infrequent All-Star (only three in the decade) and never made first-team All-NBA. He was never the best point guard in the league, and often wasn't mentioned in the top three or even top five. There was a legitimate belief the Spurs were trying to trade the much younger Parker for Kidd in the middle of the decade. Parker's a remarkably decorated team player who has never really gotten a ton of individual recognition.

Vince Carter: It feels wrong having Carter so low, but this is the right place for him. A brilliant scorer during the '00s noted for his incredible dunks, loafing it to force a trade out of Toronto and missing one crucial shot in the Eastern Conference Finals. He's still a sure-thing Hall of Famer. Hopefully in his absence we can grasp fonder memories of Air Canada.

MORE TEAMS!

FOURTH TEAM: Yao Ming | Pau Gasol | Shawn Marion | Ray Allen | Dwyane Wade

FIFTH TEAM: Amar'e Stoudemire | Chris Webber | Peja Stojakovic | Chauncey Billups | Chris Paul

SIXTH TEAM: Tyson Chandler | Chris Bosh | Andrei Kirilenko | Gilbert Arenas | Manu Ginobili

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SB Nation presents: The 3-pointer explosion through the decades