Is Kevin Durant already the Goat ?

[jamesmax1991]

Is Kevin Durant already the Goat ? If not, what does he still need to do ?

In my opinion:
- 1 more scoring title
- 2 more NBA Titles/Final MVPS
- Leave Brooklyn and create your own team and win the chip (NOT a super team)

At this point, 6 foot 11 with a MEAN jumper that can pull up from anywhere AND efficient. I will take him over ANYBODY. PERIOD.


https://youtu.be/y_Dy8CMxUrc

[Manny98]

Not yet



Needs a couple more championships

But in terms of talent it could be argued that KD is the best player ever

[jamesmax1991]

Agreed! Who you want ? MJ or KD if KD finally become the top dog/player that we know he can be ?

If we wins only ONE without another top players (similar to what Giannis does), its over... He has to do this move very soon though!

[coastalmarker99]

Not yet



Needs a couple more championships

But in terms of talent it could be argued that KD is the best player ever



Wilt is the most talented player ever.


He has a case to be ranked as the GOAT scorer and Rebounder along with shot blocker in NBA history.



Here are Wilt's career highs

Points-100

Rebounds-55

Assists-21

Blocks-30

Steals-11





He won 11 rebounding titles



He won 7 scoring titles.



He led the NBA in FG% 9 times


He led the NBA in blocked shots over 7 times during his 14-year career.

[pandiani17]

:facepalm

[Manny98]

Wilt is the most talented player ever.


He has a case to be ranked as the GOAT scorer and Rebounder along with shot blocker in NBA history.



Here are Wilt's career highs

Points-100

Rebounds-55

Assists-21

Blocks-30

Steals-11





He won 11 rebounding titles



He won 7 scoring titles.



He led the NBA in FG% 9 times


He led the NBA in blocked shots over 7 times during his 14-year career.

Can't be the GOAT scorer when you shoot free throws worse than Ben Simmons and average 11ppg in the finals

[j3lademaster]

Not yet



Needs a couple more championships

But in terms of talent it could be argued that KD is the best player everFair enough.

[jamesmax1991]

At least KD shoots 90% from the free throw line :oldlol::oldlol::lol

Just let him get a few more rings and and an MVP, and we will be talking about KD on the same level as MJ and LBJ!


https://youtu.be/y_Dy8CMxUrc

[StrongLurk]

KD is a Bird-tier player, which means not GOAT.

[jamesmax1991]

Really man? KD in the same Tier as Bird ? KD is much faster, taller, better defender, shooter, all around player - better everything!

You cant compare KD to BIRD! I grew up watching Bird but KD is a different breed!

[Gohan]

Ill take iverson over kds weak minded ass

[AlternativeAcc.]

Post Achilles rupture dursnt peaked higher than anybody not named LeBron or MAYBE shaq.... maybe

But otherwise thats just crazy

I have lebron 1 and durant 2 all time.

[j3lademaster]

Really man? KD in the same Tier as Bird ? KD is much faster, taller, better defender, shooter, all around player - better everything!

You cant compare KD to BIRD! I grew up watching Bird but KD is a different breed!Bird's a better passer and leader.

[Back In Shape]

KD is a Bird-tier player, which means not GOAT.

I'm not convinced he's transcended beyond a Dirk/Giannis tier player yet. Chasing super teams will definitely hurt his legacy. In terms of raw talent you could say he's in convo for GOAT along with Lebron, Wilt and Shaq

[jamesmax1991]

Yeah, take a 6 foot versus a 7 foot better shooter :lol

KD is the best talent ever, I cant wait till he gets a few more chips so he can prove everybody wrong.

We just need Kyrie to stay level-headed :lol

[Rick Bottom]

.../s?

[coastalmarker99]

Yeah, take a 6 foot versus a 7 foot better shooter :lol

KD is the best talent ever, I cant wait till he gets a few more chips so he can prove everybody wrong.

We just need Kyrie to stay level-headed :lol



Durant was getting his ass handed to him in the playoffs every single year before he joined the Warriors in 2016.


Every time I see people talk about how KD is the best scorer ever or how he’s better than X player because of his playoff production and how his game is playoff-proof I lose a few brain cells.




KD benefited massively from the Warriors spacing and the fact that he did not draw the most defensive attention on the team, Steph Curry did.



The numbers:

KD on OKC: 28.8/8/3.7 on 57.5%TS. ~46/33/85 splits. 0.177 WS/48, 4.8 BPM.

KD on GS: 29.6/7.1/4.5 on 64.2% TS. ~51/40/90 splits. 0.242 WS/48, 6.6 BPM.

Huge increases in every category, his 3 point % by 7%, and by even more if you only include playoff games he played with Steph, cause outside of those it was back below league average.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

You're an odd poster who posts random and terrible quality videos on YouTube. Is it self advertisement or what?

Top 50 GOAT maybe.

You can replace him with Adrian dantley and still get the same team results. He joined a 73 win dynasty.

His last two playoffs without warriors he choked a 3-1 lead and a 2-0 lead.

[SATAN]

No.

[kawhileonard2]

MJ is the GOAT, never lost a series with HCA. Every other player that won league or finals mvp has.

[Thenameless]

Can't be the GOAT scorer when you shoot free throws worse than Ben Simmons and average 11ppg in the finals

He would be the best free throw shooter ever if they hadn't changed the rules because of him. Learn your basketball history first.

[Thenameless]

Bird's a better passer and leader.

And a better player.

[Sulico]

Not even top 10. Not yet at least.

Or did you mean best player of all time?

There is big difference between greatest and best.

40% of todays league are better than best player of 1980's. There's at least 10 players better than Jordan today, who is considered as the GOAT.

Players getting better every decade, every season, every game. But to be great you have to do great things against your peers, not be copared skill-wise against those who came before.

[Marchesk]

40% of todays league are better than best player of 1980's. There's at least 10 players better than Jordan today, who is considered as the GOAT.


https://youtu.be/_-I7oZBn5q8

[Sulico]

https://youtu.be/_-I7oZBn5q8

Well, that's just a fact. People getting stronger and faster every decade. And that's just physical side. In gaming sports, or in e-sports that is amplified 10x times by rise of the knowlege about the game and skill polishing. Increased population and popularity of gaming sports, modern medicine etc. etc. also make a great contribution.

In NBA in particular, a lot of people of influence are salty and competitive ex-players. That's why there is promoted opinion, that NBA players of the past could go head to head or even win against todays players. Which is nonsense that goes against simple and undeniable logic. But it is what it is.

[coastalmarker99]

Well, that's just a fact. People getting stronger and faster every decade. And that's just physical side. In gaming sports, or in e-sports that is amplified 10x times by rise of the knowlege about the game and skill polishing. Increased population and popularity of gaming sports, modern medicine etc. etc. also make a great contribution.

In NBA in particular, a lot of people of influence are salty and competitive ex-players. That's why there is promoted opinion, that NBA players of the past could go head to head or even win against todays players. Which is nonsense that goes against simple and undeniable logic. But it is what it is.



The average players in the NBA with each era passing by are getting better and better.


The Stars of older eras don't get me wrong could still go head to head or even win against today's players.



But the average players of those older eras would struggle to go toe to toe against today's average players




Does anyone honestly think that



Adam Keefe and Greg Foster could make an NBA roster today



Steve Kerr: “Just watching our guys and how talented they are and how talented Houston is, there’s no way I could have played in the NBA today."



Dr. J, Larry Bird, and Magic all talking about expansion diluting the league during the 1990s.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p57WjbKSoJ0

[coastalmarker99]

Well, that's just a fact. People getting stronger and faster every decade. And that's just physical side. In gaming sports, or in e-sports that is amplified 10x times by rise of the knowlege about the game and skill polishing. Increased population and popularity of gaming sports, modern medicine etc. etc. also make a great contribution.

In NBA in particular, a lot of people of influence are salty and competitive ex-players. That's why there is promoted opinion, that NBA players of the past could go head to head or even win against todays players. Which is nonsense that goes against simple and undeniable logic. But it is what it is.


In the 1998 finals.

Byron Russell at 6-21 led the Jazz in threes for the 1998 Finals.

John Stockton was 2-9 from three for the entire 1998 Finals.


Combined. Jeff Hornacek was 3-9 from three for the entire 1998 Finals.

Howard Eisley went 1-7 for the whole Finals.

Chris Morris went 0-9.



The entire team was 13-60 combined. FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES.

They shot 21.7% from three. Steve Kerr shot better from three than anyone on the Jazz in the 1998 Finals,



Utah supporting cast besides Malone managed the following numbers in the finals.

Stockton: 9-2-8 on 49% shooting, only hit 2 threes all series

Hornacek: 11-3-3 on 41% shooting, only hit 3 threes all series

Russell (added to the starting lineup to guard Jordan): 9-5-0 on 41% shooting

Malone: 25-10-5 on 50% shooting

Keefe: 3-3-0 on 43% shooting

Foster: 1-2-0 on 27% shooting

Ostertag: 2-2-0 on 42% shooting



And It wasn't like the 1998 Jazz were playing against the prime Bulls in those finals


Chicago had 3 guys over 35 in their top-7 and Pippen had missed half that season with an injury and wasn't close to his peak).

[coastalmarker99]

Well, that's just a fact. People getting stronger and faster every decade. And that's just physical side. In gaming sports, or in e-sports that is amplified 10x times by rise of the knowlege about the game and skill polishing. Increased population and popularity of gaming sports, modern medicine etc. etc. also make a great contribution.

In NBA in particular, a lot of people of influence are salty and competitive ex-players. That's why there is promoted opinion, that NBA players of the past could go head to head or even win against todays players. Which is nonsense that goes against simple and undeniable logic. But it is what it is.



This is defence in 1992. Full-on hand checking allowed yet they're getting to the rim repeatedly in a critical game in the Finals.



Weak-ass calls left and right. this is what they're telling us is supposed to scare LeBron, Curry, Durant, etc.?

The only clogging in that era was so many guys standing within 15 feet of the hoop cause no one was afraid of outside shooting.


But those guys are just standing around, they don't even move their feet effectively on a drive.


All sorts of players are getting easy shots within 5 feet of the hoop over and over, and when there is some resistance you see a foul called more often than not.


Where's all the deadly hand-checking? I'm sorry, but a team that played defence that weak today wouldn't go anywhere in the playoffs.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTow_OI60NE


Do you want even more proof of how overrated 1990's defences were?

Here's Game 6, the 4th quarter of an elimination game.


The bulls have a championship within reach, Blazers are playing for their survival, and the defence isn't any more intense than a ****ing regular-season game right now.


MJ and Scottie were getting layups repeatedly without hardly getting touched.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByNeavLHSRU

[coastalmarker99]

Well, that's just a fact. People getting stronger and faster every decade. And that's just physical side. In gaming sports, or in e-sports that is amplified 10x times by rise of the knowlege about the game and skill polishing. Increased population and popularity of gaming sports, modern medicine etc. etc. also make a great contribution.

In NBA in particular, a lot of people of influence are salty and competitive ex-players. That's why there is promoted opinion, that NBA players of the past could go head to head or even win against todays players. Which is nonsense that goes against simple and undeniable logic. But it is what it is.



From 1991-1998, the league had 10 teams with a (overall) winning percentage under 40.0. Including 4 teams under a .31.6 winning percentage, overall.

From 2004-2021, the league had 2 teams with an overall winning percentage under .40.0, with the worst team having an overall .37.9 winning percentage (Minnesota).

1996 Dennis Rodman:

"This league is so filtered and watered down, we can beat anybody with our eyes closed, pretty much"

Charles Barkley and Larry Bird have expressed comparable sentiments about the way the league has thinned out.

Bird even used the Jazz as an example, and people in the Jazz camp have a hard time disagreeing.

"You look at the overall picture, it is diluted to some extent," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, whose team is in Los Angeles preparing to meet the Lakers on Friday night.

"You can get by with three great players on a team, and have a chance to win it all.

Before, you had to have four or five great players, and some good players around them."

[Sulico]

I agree with everything you wrote, except the stars part. I don't think they would match up well too. I think stars of the past would look like very talented rookies if they magically teleported in today's NBA, like Zion was in his first year. Eventually Jordans, Birds and Magics of the world would somewhat catch up, but that would take at least 4-5 years, and I don't think they would nearly reach the hights they did in their time.

[j3lademaster]

Well, that's just a fact. People getting stronger and faster every decade. And that's just physical side. In gaming sports, or in e-sports that is amplified 10x times by rise of the knowlege about the game and skill polishing. Increased population and popularity of gaming sports, modern medicine etc. etc. also make a great contribution.

In NBA in particular, a lot of people of influence are salty and competitive ex-players. That's why there is promoted opinion, that NBA players of the past could go head to head or even win against todays players. Which is nonsense that goes against simple and undeniable logic. But it is what it is.you can’t compare esports because it’s too new. Sports like football, soccer, boxing and basketball have plateau’d and improvement with every generation has become marginal. I do agree sports in general gets better with every generation, but you really think 40% of the current nba is better than prime Larry Bird?

[Sulico]

you can’t compare esports because it’s too new. Sports like football, soccer, boxing and basketball have plateau’d and improvement with every generation has become marginal. I do agree sports in general gets better with every generation, but you really think 40% of the current nba is better than prime Larry Bird?

Oh yes.

That doesn't take away from Birds greatness, who I think is 5th greatest player ever. But it was standing league back there, and Bird took full advantage of that.

Now players not only move, they have to cover much bigger areas both offensively and defensively and Bird just wouldn't be able to do that. He would be reduced to 3pt catch and shoot from the corner or the wing on offense and a bad defense vs much faster bigs.

Look, it's not rocket science. Here is the game from 1986, watch it. Everyone is just standing still 70% of the time and Bird is no exception. How do you think that type of game would look in 2021?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFPG5351E-A

[tpols]

Way too soft to be the GOAT.

Relies on soft calls and FTs way too much. The league literally had to implement a rule change on him because any time a defender would press him he'd do that bullshit "rip through" move. If you allow defenders to get in his shirt he folds. (too lanky to dribble against real pressure)

Still a great player but simply too physically weak to ever be GOAT when there were guys who had his skill but much superior physical (and mental) toughness.

[hold this L]

At least KD shoots 90% from the free throw line :oldlol::oldlol::lol

Just let him get a few more rings and and an MVP, and we will be talking about KD on the same level as MJ and LBJ!


https://youtu.be/y_Dy8CMxUrc

2 MVPs is all it takes to get compared to MJ or Lebron?

https://c.tenor.com/fWg9gm1CrdYAAAAC/lebron-james-crying.gif

[Phoenix]

.../s?

You'd think, but no this is ISH.