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Ducan And Garnett Drove Each Other Crazy, But They Also Made Each Other Better Players
There is something about the high intensity, packed schedule, and fast-paced action of the NBA that forges some of the greatest sporting rivalries of all time.
The NBA has given us Johnson vs Thomas; Shaq vs Bryant; and of course Tim Duncan vs Kevin Garnett. Don’t miss out on today’s NBA betting odds.
Like many others, we love a rivalry because it makes both of the players better in the process. They push each other to newer and better heights.
Today, we are going to look at the Tim Ducan vs Kevin Garnett rivalry.
Who Is Tim Duncan?
Tim Duncan is a professional basketball player who spent 19 years playing for the San Antonio Spurs. Duncan played as Centre and Power Forward for the Spurs. He only started playing basketball because a hurricane destroyed his local swimming pool.
Duncan is a 5-time NBA Finals champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014), and he is also a 3-time NBA Finals MVP (1999, 2003, 2005). He was also named NBA League MVP in both 2002 and 2003.
He is a 15-time All-Star (1998, 2000–2011, 2013, 2015) and was the All-Star MVP in 2000. He was the first overall pick in the 1997 Draft. He was picked by the Spurs and spent his whole career playing with them. He was named Rookie of the Year that season.
Ducan was the only player to be selected to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams for 13 consecutive seasons.
Duncan had a reputation for being a stoic player, and many of his college teammates called him Mister Spock. As a 6″11 player, Duncan was often called the Tower when he played in the NBA.
Duncan was also part of the USA Olympic team that won the Bronze in Athens.
Who Is Kevin Garnett?
Kevin Garnett is also a 6″11 professional basketball player who spent 21 years playing in the NBA. Garnett played for (1995–2007) Minnesota Timberwolves, (2007–2013) Boston Celtics, (2013–2015) Brooklyn Nets, and (2015–2016) Minnesota Timberwolves again.
Garnett was picked 5th overall in the 1995 Draft by the Timberwolves. He was named NBA League MVP in 2004. He spent 12 years playing for the Timberwolves before moving to the Celtics. He won the NBA Finals championship with the Celtics in 2008.
Garnett was named an All-Star 15 times (1997, 1998, 2000–2011, 2013), he was a 4-time NBA rebounding champion (2004–2007), and he was named Mr. Basketball USA (1995).
Garnett scored a total of 26,071 points across his career and got 14,662 (an average of 10 per game). Garnett started and played in every game in 4 different seasons; he holds the joint record for most games started in a season.
He repeatedly led the league in average rebounds per game for 4 years running (2004-2008). Garnett only won the league once in 2008.
Garnett was part of the 2000 Team USA team that won gold at the Sydney Olympics.
Duncan vs Garnett – The Rivalry
Garnett and Ducan’s careers overlapped for 19 years and they both retired at the same time in 2016.
The pair were frequently compared to each other because they were the same height, played the same position, and were both arguably one of the best Centres and Power Forwards of all time.
By the time they both retired, they had nearly identical statistics in every category – except that Garnett was rebound leader 4 times and Duncan never claimed that title. Duncan however, won the league 5 times (Garnett one it once), was named NBA Finals MVP 3 times (Garnett was never named this), and NBA MVP twice (Garnett only won this once).
Rebound and points per game statistics were both very similar for the pair by the time they retired.
We think it is fair to say that both players benefited from this rivalry, it made them better players and pushed them to achieve more than they might have without each other.
Other NBA Rivalries – Lebron vs Durant
This is one of the NBA rivalries that is still ongoing.
Both men have made it clear that they want to be the greatest of all time and both of them have a habit of getting very heated on the pitch.
As far as the statistics go, Lebron clearly has the edge – with more NBA Finals, Finals MVP titles, Seasonal MVP titles, invites to All-Star Games, and invites to the All-NBA team.
We won’t truly know who won the rivalry until both men have retired.
Other NBA Rivalries – Thomas vs Jordan
This is perhaps the most infamous rivalry in the NBA. There is no doubt that Thomas will go down in history because of his connection to the great Micheal Jordan. Many would class MJ as THE greatest of all time.
Jordan played for the Bulls and Thomas played for the Cavaliers. In the late 90s, the Cavaliers knocked the Bull out of the playoffs for three years in a row. In the 4th match, thanks to an amazing shot from Jordan, the Bulls went through and went on to win the NBA Finals for the next three years in a row.
The rivalry extended off the pitch, and the pair refused to play in any teams together – including at the Olympics, so Thomas was dropped from the 1992 team.