The truth is that Kevin Garnett was never as good as Paul Pierce

[TitleMaster]

Ok, I think I've have enough of the KG of '00 vs KG of '04 vs KG of '08 comparison.

I personally believe that KG is not the player of Pierce's caliber in any year.

Here's why ... the ultimate excuse of KG never leaving the first round of any western conf series was his teammates.

Yet, how mediocre were Pierce's teammates when we beat a 2003 Pacer's team with J O'Neil, Tinsley, and the Millers? And realize, even that Cs squad was a notch below the Kenny Anderson/Rodney Rogers over-achievement of '02. Seriously, since Pitino had left town, the C's had overachieved up until the '05 post season.

On the other foot, on a year by year basis, KG was considered one of the great big men of the league but then again, aside from the Spree/Cassell year, he was never able to advance because somehow, his other 4 players weren't good for anything.

Then in '08, that fabulous championship year ... why on earth did we not close out the series in LA in game 5? KG himself said that his performance was 'garbage' in that closing important game.

And likewise, wasn't it really Posey/Brown, who did the defensive magic of that game 7 against the Cavs, with Pierce lighting it up everywhere on the court.

So when we win a title, we have a "top tier" big man but on his sides are other big men like Perkins, Posey, Brown, Powe, & BBD? Well ... if Pierce and Walker had these fellows, along with Rondo (backed up Cassell, TA, or House), skipping Ray Ray, in the years from '02 to '05, we probably would have been ECF champs as well, and maybe even an NBA champ in one or two of those years.

Here's how I really feel ... Kevin Garnett is a closet Patrick Ewing but unlike Ewing, he had Paul Pierce, in place of John Starks, to help him win a title. Yes, on his own, KG will lose it, when the game is on the line. This is the Ewing effect and I see it in Garnett.

[RebusRankin]

Pierce had one good play-off run in a weaker East prior to KG arriving. KG played in a much stronger West. KG took the Lakers to 6 games in the ECF with a team playing without a pg (Cassell was hurt), an aging Sprewell, Ervin Johnson as starting center, Trenton Hassell as his SF, with Troy Hudson and Wally Szczerbiek coming off the bench. Your hypothesis is bunk.

[PosImpos]

. . . No.  Just, no.

[indeedproceed]

I think your reasoning would be sound if it weren't for the fact that the eastern conference was a joke compared to the west until the big 3 era started. Lebron and Howard both came of age, Rose came on strong, and the 'middle of the pack' teams (hawks, fading pistons) were more than just glorified .500 playoff proxies.

Lakers, suns, mavs, spurs, all in the way of kg for his entire prime with the wolves. On top of that only one good year with healthy teammates.

[TitleMaster]

Folks, having Perks in the frontline, does minimize the bump 'n grind dunking of a Shaq or a Duncan in the early 2000s.

And then, add in Brown, Posey, Powe, & BBD will help Pierce & Walker, quite a bit in the NBA finals.

[blaq]

I gotta disagree here. You could make the argument that Pierce is better than KG now, but in their primes, I would take KG over Pierce every time. Your argument is primarily based on how far each player was able to single-handedly carry their teams in the playoffs, but I don't find that to be a very compelling argument. You are certainly entitled to your own opinion, however, saying KG was never as good as Pierce is far from the truth.

[TitleMaster]

Folks, don't you get it ... Garnett was never a player who inspired a double-team on him. In reality, he passed the ball, way too early and settled for the jump shot, for a majority of his career, when he could have made an easy post move. Realize, his position is power forward/big man, not shooting guard.

If he doesn't inspire others to run doubles on him, then he's not effective in making teams pay for not over covering him. Realize, Pat Riley had to have Oakley/Ewing and then Mason/Ewing work on Hakeem throughout the '04 series, otherwise, Olajuwon would have dropped 50 on them.

[GreenFaith1819]

It is too bad that I am bogged down in schoolwork.

All I can say to this thread is......



  WOW .

Needless to say I disagree.

Perhaps I will come back and expound upon my thoughts later.

A "closet" Patrick Ewing? I'm sorry I disagree.

[4THQTR]

Folks, don't you get it ... Garnett was never a player who inspired a double-team on him.

Have you watched Garnett before he came to Boston...?
Have you watched him in 08...?

No way Paul Pierce is a better player than KG when both are in their primes...

[byennie]

Folks, don't you get it ... Garnett was never a player who inspired a double-team on him. In reality, he passed the ball, way too early and settled for the jump shot, for a majority of his career, when he could have made an easy post move. Realize, his position is power forward/big man, not shooting guard.

If he doesn't inspire others to run doubles on him, then he's not effective in making teams pay for not over covering him. Realize, Pat Riley had to have Oakley/Ewing and then Mason/Ewing work on Hakeem throughout the '04 series, otherwise, Olajuwon would have dropped 50 on them.

Patently false. Are you honestly tell me that when Garnett was scoring 24+ per night, with 5+ assists and 3 offensive rebounds, he didn't attract double teams... with no other credible scoring options on his team.

No, he wasn't Olajuwon in his prime, but neither was Paul Pierce. Hakeem was as dominant a single player in 1994 as anyone not named Michael Jordan in the past 25 years.

[Who]

That was a very talented Pacers squad but they had a lot of inner-turmoil and had under-achieved throughout the year (especially late in the season if memory serves, dominant start to the year but limped to the finish line).

They had that big mid-season trade and were still finding their chemistry. Had several off the court issues. Isiah Thomas never managed to bring that team together. They never maxed out their talent levels.

It wasn't really until the year after when Rick Carlisle came in that they turned that squad into a title contender. With a lesser squad really after losing Brad Miller.

[TitleMaster]

Folks, don't you get it ... Garnett was never a player who inspired a double-team on him.

Have you watched Garnett before he came to Boston...?
Have you watched him in 08...?

Yes, in '08, a Cav's team, where the 2nd best scorer was Delonte West, pushed us to a game 7. And throughout that game 7, the Cavs didn't implode, unlike the Hawks, and we got some lucky stops and scoring by Brown, followed by Posey, which sealed the deal.

And now, you'll tell me that KG was a post player but all the evidence points to him being a jump shooter.

[BudweiserCeltic]

That was a very talented Pacers squad but they had a lot of inner-turmoil and had under-achieved throughout the year (especially late in the season if memory serves, dominant start to the year but limped to the finish line).

They had that big mid-season trade and were still finding their chemistry. Had several off the court issues. Isiah Thomas never managed to bring that team together. They never maxed out their talent levels.

It wasn't really until the year after when Rick Carlisle came in that they turned that squad into a title contender. With a lesser squad really after losing Brad Miller.

If it's the team I thinking of, that was the year with the Detroit brawl so various of their main guys were suspended through much of the year, so the season record was not representative of the strength of their team.

[ms.ball]

They are both great players in their own right.. With PP being my favorite player its hard to say I would pick KG over him, but KG (the kid) was one heck of a player!

[TitleMaster]

Folks, don't you get it ... Garnett was never a player who inspired a double-team on him. In reality, he passed the ball, way too early and settled for the jump shot, for a majority of his career, when he could have made an easy post move. Realize, his position is power forward/big man, not shooting guard.

If he doesn't inspire others to run doubles on him, then he's not effective in making teams pay for not over covering him. Realize, Pat Riley had to have Oakley/Ewing and then Mason/Ewing work on Hakeem throughout the '04 series, otherwise, Olajuwon would have dropped 50 on them.

Patently false. Are you honestly tell me that when Garnett was scoring 24+ per night, with 5+ assists and 3 offensive rebounds, he didn't attract double teams... with no other credible scoring options on his team.

No, he wasn't Olajuwon in his prime, but neither was Paul Pierce. Hakeem was as dominant a single player in 1994 as anyone not named Michael Jordan in the past 25 years.

When you inspire a double team, as a big man, you draw 'em in the paint, and then you pass out to a man in the mid-range for a jumper. Do you think that if Ewing had Pierce on his squad, to receive that ball, that the Knicks wouldn't have dominated the Rockets?

And yes, I'm Hakeem's greatest fan.