KG vs. Team USA in '00 :damn:

[FTBS]

In the 2003 playoffs, Duncan led his team in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks for the entire playoffs. They won the championship.

People straight up overlook how he carried them that first decade. He was surrounded by vets that had seen their best days and young pups whose best days were ahead. People conflate what we have seen the last decade with TP and Manu in their primes and Kawhi's ascendance and that beautiful offense with what we saw from 97-07. Their offensive philosophy back then was "Timadoit" and he was the defensive anchor. It's criminal how people underrate how great he was during that period. People belabor the system and the other players and ignore the fact that when it was Tim carrying the load for a decade in a prehistoric offense with the likes of Derek Anderson being brought in to be the answer for Kobe they won 4 rings and never lost in the first round (except for when he was out). After he passed the reigns and started to get flabby and it become more about the other players and the system, they got 1 chip and numerous first round exits (including a 1 vs 8) to show for it. You give Duncan in his prime this version of Kawhi and the Spurs would have challenged the 60s Celtics.

 

[tremonthustler1]

In the 2003 playoffs, Duncan led his team in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks for the entire playoffs. They won the championship.

Did he do that in the regular season too?

MVP KG couldnt beat the lakers when it was his year to do so in 2004.
MVP Duncan did it one year earlier on his own in the same situation.

The Lakers added Payton and Malone that summer AND Cassell got hurt in the WCF. Not even the same rosters

 

[tremonthustler1]

7 Straight first round exits. I dont know any all time player other than TMac with that on their resume.

Duncan wouldn't have made it 7 times on the worst franchise in NBA history. You cant understate that enough. No one has made that situation remotely respectable before or since. Duncan woulda ran to Orlando if he had the same circumstances

 

[dakidblu]

Got damn he was bodying everybody . Hopefully we can get some footage of kobe in 2008 i know he was cooking all them nikkas.

 

[Shorty K]

Duncan wouldn't have made it 7 times on the worst franchise in NBA history. You cant understate that enough. No one has made that situation remotely respectable before or since. Duncan woulda ran to Orlando if he had the same circumstances

Do these nikkas not even comprehend that they're talking about a franchise that mortgaged it future for Joe Smith

 

[TheNig]

If your mother had a dikk she'd be your father

True

 

[premier58]

Are we forgetting that KG was the 7th seed that year vs. Dirk and Dallas? How has that turned into a series that KG was supposed to win?

Would Boomer have done as well on those Niner teams Montana had? Maybe, maybe not. Would Duncan have done the job KG did with his teams? fukk no.

Im definitely not saying KG shouldve won, im saying Duncan couldve..What did KG do? He led a substandard team to a first round exit each year..Why couldnt Duncan do that?? The real question is if KG could led the Spurs team to multiple titles while beating the Shaq, Kobe Lakers, Nash/Amare Suns, Dominant defense Pistons and Dirks Mavs..I think you already know he wouldnt have a chance..

 

[ManBearPig]

Barkley didn't play with a prime dr.j and once Barkley came into his own Moses malone was with the wizards out of all of the players you named he only had one at their best and that was KJ let's not rewrite history....I'm not saying Barkley is better Id personally take kg, but kg winning a chip isn't what put him over Barkley

The ring proved that KG can change a culture of a team if you give him cast.

Barkley doesn't really do that. He'll make your team get more buckets and possibly weaken your defense

 

[ManBearPig]

Dog, you cannot be serious..Moses and Dr. J were at the end of their chapters...Clyde was damn near.done.as well
.KJ was hurt alot when Chuck was there..and Pippen, lets be honest, his back injury.his last yr in Chicago finished.him as a star..

The Sixer's were 2 years removed from winning a championship before drafting Barkley. Moses Malone was still in his twenties I believe

 

[ManBearPig]

KG was one of the worst fourth quarter players in the league when he was in Minnesota. This guy would have 25 and 10 throughout 3 quarters and in the last quarter he'd shy away from shooting. He didn't do shyt in Minny until Cassel came along because he was one of the most clutch players in the NBA.

That's not necessarily a knock on KG, but Tim Duncan would take the game to you no matter the quarter or the scoreline. If Duncan isn't the best PF of all time I don't know who is.

U gotta point. Peep what rasho said.



I must say that to me especially Duncan.It is a true team leader. Garnett is a phenomenal basketball player, with exceptional […] and knowledge, but I think that is mentally strong enough to be a team leader. Where [he] to stay in Minnesota, in my view, it won the rings.Thus, when he went to Boston, he made the right move and he did it because the Celtics Paul Pierce, who is the team leader says that in the critical moments range bins.

 

[ISO]

You are crediting them with the Spurs being a championship defense year after year after year. Shouldn't there be evidence of this when they aren't playing with Tim? He's got evidence without each of them. Notice, I never said they weren't quality defenders that contributed. Just that the common thread and most important piece for damn near 20 years was Tim, while all of them came and went. A defensive anchor, especially in that era, was the most important part of your defense.

Duncan was 2nd team all defense as a rookie (same age as KG btw) AND as a 39 year old (once again same age as KG). You are calling a guy the GOAT PF and belaboring Duncan as a C (like there is a huge difference between PF and C) AND sitting here telling me that the guy you got as GOAT PF wasn't even a big man the first few years of his career . He stepped into the league as a great defender bu...bu...but it took him 5 years to make an all defensive team 15 all defense selection in 19 years vs. 12 in 22. Duncan got almost twice as many seasons in the top 10 in defensive rating (17 to 9) in 2 fewer seasons. Stop...just stop .

No, he doesn't he played with a mixture of these individuals throughout his career. I already told you he wasn't even the leader in defensive box plus minus for the first four years of his career and D-Rob was an elite defensive big man until his retirement. KG never had the privilege of playing next to these type of individuals period, as soon as he got some strong defensive coaches (Doc & Thibs) and played next to some better defensive players he happened to win DPoY and anchored some of the G.O.A.T. defenses. TD would not have top defenses if he was playing in Minnesota, period. Citing defensive rating is pointless because that stat is heavily dependent on team, and TD undeniably played on better defensive teams from the get-go.

KG wasn't a PF to start his career, he played SF his first two seasons. After switching to the PF he played it for 14 seasons, TD actually spent more seasons in his career as a 5 and even when he was labeled a 4 he was playing up to 44% of his minutes at the 5.

 

[ISO]

Outside of '03, Tim Duncan had some of the strongest supporting casts in the league...

 

[ISO]

KG was one of the worst fourth quarter players in the league when he was in Minnesota.

You gassing it

 

[Malta]

Outside of '03, Tim Duncan had some of the strongest supporting casts in the league...

"outside of 2003" like that's some minor footnote, he won a title with a statistically poor team, while playing PF


GOAT PF

 

[ISO]

"outside of 2003" like that's some minor footnote, he won a title with a statistically poor team, while playing PF


GOAT PF

Played 50% of his minutes at C in that playoff run