I don't know if the gap was far enough for their relative team performance. Duncan's teams had better talent, yes, but they didn't exactly squeak by Garnett's Wolves teams. One franchise won 4 rings while the other took almost a decade to get out of the first round. Heck, Pierce made it out of the first round with worse teams.
Pierce played in the East. If KG played in the East he would have gotten out of the first round. West was way better then the East. Kobe, Shaq, Duncan just to name a few..These are the teams KG played against in the 1st round. You have to have more talent then KG had around him most of the time to beat these teams
Also no teammate on the Wolves teams were ever as good as Antione Walker
We should probably mention that KG's early first round losses were to the Rockets, Sonics, and Blazers. No Shaq, Kobe, or Duncan there. And Gugliotta and Marbury weren't that bad in his earlier days.
KG's teammates were lesser than Duncan's. No doubt. But the gap isn't as wide as some would make it out to be.
You mean the 57-win Rockets that featured Olajuwon, Barkley and Drexler?
Or the 61-win Sonics featuring Gary Payton and All NBA (pre-alcohol) Vin Baker?
You're actually incorrect, as the third Wolves first-round loss was to the Tim Duncan/David Robinson-led Spurs that won the title.
And that Portland team that you mentioned also won 59 games, was dumbly stacked with talent, and came within an epic game-7/4th-quarter choke against the Shaq/Kobe Lakers of a ring.
You can't possibly be suggesting that the talent on those Wolves was anywhere near that of their early opponents...right?