Garnett vs Duncan

The 2009-2010 NBA season is set to tip off in about a month from now with all teams vying for a shot at the NBA championship. However, we all know that there are perhaps only a handful of teams with their current rosters will be able to compete for the NBA title; amongst those teams we have the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics which are anchored by the two best power forwards in he league: Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. These two players represent by far the cream of the crop of big men in the league when you look at their contributions on offense, defense, leadership and understanding of the game situations. It is a widely accepted opinion that Tim Duncan is the best power forward in the history of the NBA (although he is for all intents and purposes a center); however, who is the best power forward between them right now? In other words, if I am starting a franchise right now and I want to compete for a title, who do I want? Let’s break it down.

Marketing
Although this has no impact in terms of winning a title, it has an impact with the fans and a GM and owner would be crazy not to look at this aspect when making a decision. This one is not even close honestly, Garnett’s charisma as well as his personable nature make him the more marketable player and the guy that fans want to get to know. In contrast, Duncan is quiet and keeps to himself and his teammates. Ultimately, this leads to the Garnett jersey sales (well that and the fact that a Celtics jersey is better looking then a Spurs jersey) surpassing the Duncan jersey sales. While we’re on the topic, can anyone pinpoint a signature Tim Duncan interview? At least to me nothing came to mind; whereas Garnett has that sit down with Bill Russell (perhaps the best conversation ever witnessed between two transcendent players on camera) and also his reaction after winning the title when he screams “Anything is possibleeeeeeeeeeeeee!!” If you can’t get amped watching KG you have serious issues.

Big Edge: KG

Tim Duncan is possibly the most gifted low post scorer that I have seen in my life next to Olajuwon and McHale. Duncan will take you down in the box and score on an array of moves and make defenders dance like Omarion and hit them with the “Bump Bump Bump”. Furthermore, Timmy will take defenders out on the perimeter and kill guys with bank shots, an occasional crossover and a maybe a drive or two to the basket per game. His one weakness is his free throw shooting; if he is struggling from the line in a given game he may even seem to shy away from contact every now and then. Another aspect of Duncan’s game that does not get much acclaim is his passing; he is able to find open teammates and every now and then make a point guard type play. Nevertheless, great defensive teams have been able to confuse the future Hall of Famer and get him to commit turnovers.

Now when looking at Garnett, we may notice he relies on his deft footwork and shoulder fakes to get shots off. His low post moves are not necessarily the best but they are effective nevertheless as he is always able to get the jump shot he wants and does so with a certain wow factor. Occasionally, Garnett will come with a swing move and use his first step to take it to the basket for a thundering finish. One of the Big Tickets biggest strengths is his passing ability; he knows how to find guys whether they are covered or not. Even if the play is run for him, he will gladly give up the ball if he sees one of his teammates in a great position to score. That being said, Garnett’s biggest strength and weakness as an offensive player is his jump shot; he along with Rasheed Wallace are the best shooters from the post in the league, but Garnett will too often rely on his jumper instead of attacking the basket. Indeed, KG’s career scoring average is 20.4 points per game on 16.4 shots per game at a 49.4% field goal percentage with 5.1 free throws per game. Duncan on the other hand has a career scoring average of 21.6 on 50.8% field goal percentage with 7.3 free throws per game. Although a small difference between the two, it increases in the playoffs as TD gets to the line 8.7 times per game whereas KG only makes it there 5.3 times. Once again, the difference is not huge by any stretch, but with a game on the line, one of them is getting a quality shot in the form of a lay up, bank shot, hook shot, a play that draws a foul or a jump shot and the other one is simply putting up a jump shot; have you figured out which is which? In the end, although Garnett’s moves in the post just seem to wow you because of his grace and ability to make jumpers over 7 footers, Groundhog Day Duncan just gets it done more efficiently.

Edge: TD

It has always been widely assumed that Duncan was the better defender of the two because of the Spurs reputation as an outstanding defensive team as well as the fact that TD is a phenomenal help defender. Rarely have we seen a big man be a team’s defensive anchor and yet avoid foul trouble (for his career, Duncan commits 2.7 fouls per game while Eddy Curry commits 3.0 while not playing any defense) thus allowing him to maximize his rebounding and shot blocking opportunities. In addition, Duncan is a great pick and roll (staple of NBA offense) defender; he is able to hedge and contain the ball handler, trap the ball handler and on occasion switch depending on the player with the ball.

Garnett’s performance and defensive intensity during the Celtics title run have made me rethink KG’s ability as a team defender. His individual brilliance always stood out when guarding players individually because of his ability to contest shots with his length and jumping ability and also his ability to pick up any player in the NBA on a switch. I can remember a few years back, KG switched on the screen and got matched up with Steve Nash who did everything possible to shake KG and get to the rack but The Kid was not having any of it and forced Nash into a tough shot. That being said, what has impressed me with KG is his ability to defend the whole court and be the Celtics’ defensive anchor. Like Duncan, he plays all forms of pick and roll defense, except he does it a little better. His long arms, foot speed, anticipation, grit, pride, discipline and defensive footwork have allowed him to be a premier defensive anchor a Defensive Player of the Year.

Edge: right now KG gets it

This aspect may seem overrated to some but think about guys whimping out at the sight of a certain player because he brings fear and a mouth for a motor like Ray Lewis. Tim Duncan intimidates with his game; he rarely utters a word at the opposition, he is content to let his game do the talking and slowly cut your heart out and let you talk yourself out of your game. I am reminded of the Spurs-Sonics series from a few years ago in which Reggie Evans kept taking cheap shots at Duncan and kept talking in his hear, Duncan never spoke a word but yet never backed down. Duncan just called for the ball and put Evans in the torture chamber on the low block and kept scoring all the while being fouled by Evans and getting him taken out of the game.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have Kevin Garnett who makes sure you know he is on the court; he talks the talk, walks the walk and screams the scream. Off the court, KG is cool, calm, respectful and humble, but on the court he is like Chad Ochocinqo; he will let you know what’s happening as the game progresses and will make sure to yell in your ear if given the opportunity. Once again, this may seem unimportant, but think of the Atlanta Hawks folding against the Celtics in the first round in the 2008 playoffs and think of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom handing over all their lunch money to Garnett for the entire 2008 Finals; KG’s intimidation got to a point that Kendrick Perkins started acting like he was the best center in the league, it basically became contagious.

Edge: KG

This one is not a deal breaker at all; however I just figured it would be interesting to have a look at how Duncan and Garnett matched up against some of the best players at their position throughout their respective careers when they played head to head. Let me reiterate once again that the raw numbers themsevles did not sway me at all but are still interesting to look at nonetheless. The numbers represent the career averages of the players when playing head to head against the other, and the players used for comparison are Karl Malone,Rasheed Wallace, Dirk Nowitzki and Amare Stoudemire. Have a look....


TIM DUNCAN
Duncan 25.2 ppg 11.3 rpg 2.2 bpg 3.0 apg 52.8 fg%
Malone 20.7 ppg 9.9 rpg 0.8 bpg 4.0 apg 42.9 fg%

Duncan 19.5 ppg 11.9 rpb 2.5 bpg 3.1 apg 45.6 fg%
Wallace 15.2 ppg 7.0 rpg 1.4 bpg 1.7 apg 41.6 fg%

Duncan 22.7 ppg 11.6 rpg 1.9 bpg 3.2 apg 52.2 fg%
Nowitzki 21.6 ppg 8.9 rpg 1.1 bpg 2.6 apg 44.6 fg%

Duncan 24.2 ppg 13.9 rpg 3.2 bpg 4.7 apg 55.0 fg%

Stoudemire 19.1 ppg 9.3 rpg 1.4 bpg 1.3 apg 51.9 fg%

Duncan 20.6 ppg 12.1 rpg 1.9 bpg 3.4 apg 45.9 fg%
Garnett 21.2 ppg 11.6 rpg 2.3 bpg 4.6 apg 44.7 fg%

KEVIN GARNETT
Garnett 19.3 ppg 10.0 rpg 1.7 bpg 3.6 apg 46.8 fg%
Malone 24.5 ppg 8.8 rpg 0.7 bpg 4.1 apg 51.7 fg%

Garnett 19.3 ppg 10.6 rpg 1.9 bpg 4.3 apg 47.1 fg%
Wallace 16.0 ppg 7.1 rpg 1.1 bpg 1.7 apg 48.1 fg %

Garnett 24.3 ppg 12.8 rpg 1.4 bpg 4.9 apg 52.6 fg%
Nowitzki 22.6 ppg 8.7 rpg 0.9 bpg 2.2 apg 46.2 fg%

Garnett 25.8 ppg 14.0 rpg 1.5 bpg 4.5 apg 54.1 fg%

Stoudemire 21.2 ppg 7.0 rpg 1.3 bpg 1.3 apg 53.7 fg%

Duncan 20.6 ppg 12.1 rpg 1.9 bpg 3.4 apg 45.9 fg%

Garnett 21.2 ppg 11.6 rpg 2.3 bpg 4.6 apg 44.7 fg%

Conclusion
After carefully examining both players head to head, if I were looking to build a title contender for the upcoming 2009-2010 NBA season, I would unequivocally select Kevin Garnett to be my starting power forward. This is not to say that Garnett is the better player of the two when comparing their careers (Duncan has played twice as many playoff games as Garnett), but rather that at this juncture in their careers I would rather have The Big Ticket patrolling the paint for me and psyching out the opposition.