Giannis is a better player than Prime Dirk

[Lebron23]

Even though Dirk played more NBA seasons. I ranked Giannis over him. Dirk never had a playoffs as good as Giannis in 2021.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

Yeah giannis is better because the defense gap gap is massive, athleticism gap, giannis is also the better rebounder and better scorer, better ball handler and better passer as Dirk lacked in assists.

Giannis has already had a better playoff run and in 2019 playoffs he was also better then 06 Dirk but just ran into Kawhi instead of swimmer Duncan hahahhaa

Giannis from 2019-present has been better then Dirk ever was.

[ralph_i_el]

Yeah giannis is better because the defense gap gap is massive, athleticism gap, giannis is also the better rebounder and better scorer, better ball handler and better passer as Dirk lacked in assists.

Giannis has already had a better playoff run and in 2019 playoffs he was also better then 06 Dirk but just ran into Kawhi instead of swimmer Duncan hahahhaa

Giannis from 2019-present has been better then Dirk ever was.

ctrl+f "shooting"

:facepalm

Most important skill in the game.

[Jasper]

2 mvps , 1 defensive player of the year , chip ,and mvp of finals

what did Dirk do ??

/

[ralph_i_el]

2 mvps , 1 defensive player of the year , chip ,and mvp of finals

what did Dirk do ??

/

Yeah, pretty much nothing. I don't remember Dirk getting any accolades or winning any rings. I also got hit in the head with a tire iron this morning.

[LeCola]

2 mvps , 1 defensive player of the year , chip ,and mvp of finals

what did Dirk do ??

/

Beating a big 3 team (which has a top 10 and a top 20 player) without any star teammate?

[Rudeboy3]

ctrl+f "shooting"

:facepalm

Most important skill in the game.
Most important skill but yet the top 5 greatest nba players of all time are all bad to mediocre shooters, except jordan who's only good at the midrange. The most important skill in basketball is paint scoring, Jordan,Lebron,Kareem,Magic,Hakeem,Shaq all dominant paint scorers

[ralph_i_el]

Most important skill but yet the top 5 greatest nba players of all time are all bad to mediocre shooters, except jordan who's only good at the midrange. The most important skill in basketball is paint scoring, Jordan,Lebron,Kareem,Magic,Hakeem,Shaq all dominant paint scorers

Shooting enables paint scoring. Even if those guys were bad shooters, you still had to put shooting around them. All of those guys besides Shaq had a decent to good jumper.

[tpols]

Giannis has never beat a single team in his entire post season career as good as the 2011 Heat or Thunder. Maybe even Lakers from that year too.

Simply put, Dirk has beat all of the competition Gianniss has ever faced in his entire playoff career, in one run.

And if we start debating basketball skills it just becomes a landslide.

[ralph_i_el]

Giannis has never beat a single team in his entire post season career as good as the 2011 Heat or Thunder. Maybe even Lakers from that year too.

Simply put, Dirk has beat all of the competition Gianniss has ever faced in his entire playoff career, in one run.

And if we start debating basketball skills its just becomes a landslide.

The 2011 run might have been one of the toughest all time. I rewatched a 2011 Mavs Lakers game the other night just to remind myself how good those teams were. Mavs swept the Lakers who had just been to 3 finals in a row, winning the last 2. They foiled a possible 3 peat....THEN beat a team with 3 future MVP's....THEN beat the upcoming dynasty Big 3 Heat.

Don't quote stats at me. Just existing on the court with the best shooting big man of all time makes scoring easier for everybody. Giannis was amazing this past postseason, and really changed my mind on him...but Dirk's run is up there with any in history in the minds of folks who witnessed it. Bare minimum Dirk and Giannis' runs are on the same tier, but I give Dirk the edge from the difficulty of his opponents.

Giannis has plenty of time though. He could end up the GOAT when all is said and done. The future is still wide open for the guy.

[j3lademaster]

The 2011 run might have been one of the toughest all time. I rewatched a 2011 Mavs Lakers game the other night just to remind myself how good those teams were. Mavs swept the Lakers who had just been to 3 finals in a row, winning the last 2. They foiled a possible 3 peat....THEN beat a team with 3 future MVP's....THEN beat the upcoming dynasty Big 3 Heat.

Don't quote stats at me. Just existing on the court with the best shooting big man of all time makes scoring easier for everybody. Giannis was amazing this past postseason, and really changed my mind on him...but Dirk's run is up there with any in history in the minds of folks who witnessed it. Bare minimum Dirk and Giannis' runs are on the same tier, but I give Dirk the edge from the difficulty of his opponents.

Giannis has plenty of time though. He could end up the GOAT when all is said and done. The future is still wide open for the guy.Just to piggyback, Middleton closed a few of those suns games with clutch midrange shooting. Giannis can't close like that, the best closers historically are guys with elite midrange jumpshots for a reason. Dirk otoh, in all time elite at this.

[HoopsNY]

Peak Dirk dominated guys like peak KG and peak Duncan, also won an MVP with two finals appearances, and took a bunch of has beens to a title beating KD and the Thunder, the defending champion Lakers, and a super-team in Miami.

Dirk did all of this in a tougher/slower defensive era. Giannis had a phenomenal 2021, but it comes in a league that is more offensive friendly. Is there any doubt that Dirk would be lighting it up in today's game? Not to mention Giannis skated in an ECF and finals against two inferior opponents, benefitting from a series of injuries.

That being said, I think it goes either way, and Giannis probably has a slight edge because he can impact a game much more with his help defense.

[j3lademaster]

That being said, I think it goes either way, and Giannis probably has a slight edge because he can impact a game much more with his help defense.Okay, I agree with this. I'm typically not the biggest Giannis fan so I was a bit worried I was drinking the Haterade.

[Pointguard]

I keep hearing that its about shooters or the midrange, but a player that gets to the basket does much more than those players. Its like math. A player that gets to the basket will almost always get at least two defenders but most likely three defenders, and most likely get a better shot than the midrange shooter. Curry is a notch above any other shooter but he starts missing when the pressure is very high - same thing with Dirk most of his career. I am curious about Dame tho.

If you really want to talk about clutch shooters before Horry: Magic and Kareem, rarely get attention but both could really close a game. Giannis, was hitting a ton of big shots because he could get to the basket.

[FultzNationRISE]

Giannis is definitely benefitting from the fact history tends to whitewash your mistakes if you win.

He did have some monster games in the playoffs and his numbers look nice, and ofc the Bucks ultimately won the chip. But if you re-visit each game thread starting in round two, you see it come up routinely where his limitations were visible, and costly, and noted by numerous viewers in real time. Giannis looked pretty shaky at times against both the undermanned Nets, and the Hawks. Other times he looked unstoppable. If a couple bounces go a different way tho, he never makes the finals and the narrative is COMPLETELY different.

But obviously the lucky bounces went his way this time and now he’s a champion, and people dont remember how he performed game by game. He won the chip so they only remember the positive. He’s receiving the inevitable overrating that comes with winning a title. Thats just how these things always go. Kudos to him.

[lakerstekkenn]

Even though Dirk played more NBA seasons. I ranked Giannis over him. Dirk never had a playoffs as good as Giannis in 2021.

No he's not, maybe eventually but not right now, his game is to limited.

[Pointguard]

Giannis is definitely benefitting from the fact history tends to whitewash your mistakes if you win.

He did have some monster games in the playoffs and his numbers look nice, and ofc the Bucks ultimately won the chip. But if you re-visit each game thread starting in round two, you see it come up routinely where his limitations were visible, and costly, and noted by numerous viewers in real time. Giannis looked pretty shaky at times against both the undermanned Nets, and the Hawks. Other times he looked unstoppable. If a couple bounces go a different way tho, he never makes the finals and the narrative is COMPLETELY different.

But obviously the lucky bounces went his way this time and now he’s a champion, and people dont remember how he performed game by game. He won the chip so they only remember the positive. He’s receiving the inevitable overrating that comes with winning a title. Thats just how these things always go. Kudos to him.
Definitely some truth to this but it's not overall true. His best games in his career were in the biggest games and he's a two time MVP. The best defensive plays of the year were in these big games. The most dominant games of the year, were in these games. The player who faced his faults and triumphed in the most dramatic fashion... in these games. He kept coming and took the moment moreso than anybody in quite some time.



But obviously the lucky bounces went his way this time and now he’s a champion, and people dont remember how he performed game by game. He won the chip so they only remember the positive.
I can't agree here either. The ball wasn't bouncing on the rim like it did for Kawhi at the end of the Phillly game. Giannis takes care of that and dunks it. In fact that's what everybody loved about the series. It wasn't left to chance. It was secured by definitive plays on both sides of the ball. Hard blocks, dunks and fear of the paint. Most of the time teams are bricking the ball and nerves are making everybody miss. For a new team to play with that sense of purpose was truly rare. They won both of those series because of his leadership and him keeping it together. They performed like champions and he deserves a ton of credit for that.

[ralph_i_el]

I keep hearing that its about shooters or the midrange, but a player that gets to the basket does much more than those players. Its like math. A player that gets to the basket will almost always get at least two defenders but most likely three defenders, and most likely get a better shot than the midrange shooter. Curry is a notch above any other shooter but he starts missing when the pressure is very high - same thing with Dirk most of his career. I am curious about Dame tho.

If you really want to talk about clutch shooters before Horry: Magic and Kareem, rarely get attention but both could really close a game. Giannis, was hitting a ton of big shots because he could get to the basket.

Great shooters help their teammates get great looks at the basket. Shooters bail you out when forcing a shot at the basket isn't an option.

[Pointguard]

Great shooters help their teammates get great looks at the basket.
Great penetrators do this as well. And because they get more attention, they do it moreso.


Shooters bail you out when forcing a shot at the basket isn't an option.
In a game of stronger wills, we are comparing to a second option bail out to a first option design. .... .

[kawhileonard2]

Even though Dirk played more NBA seasons. I ranked Giannis over him. Dirk never had a playoffs as good as Giannis in 2021.

Dirk beat Kobe, Durant, LeBron/Wade in the same playoffs and two series without HCA.