When Dirk Nowitzki DESTROYED Kevin Garnett’s Defense [2002 Playoffs]

[Im Still Ballin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-h6MVxvrKA&ab_channel=PandaHank41

[RRR3]

McHale would have locked Dirk up amirite OP

[Im Still Ballin]

McHale would have locked Dirk up amirite OP

He would probably have done better because he was stronger, broader-shouldered, longer, and a better shot blocker. McHale guarded everyone from Dantley, Bernard King, Worthy, and Dominique, to Barkley, Moses Malone, Karl Malone, Kareem, Hakeem, and Ewing.

Stylistically speaking, he was a better matchup. Just more of a physical paint banger. And that's what hurt KG here: his lack of strength to deal with Dirk's physicality.

[Im Still Ballin]

Crazy to think about it and say it. McHale guarded any front-court player from 6'5" to 7'3". From Barkley and Dantley to Kareem and Ralph Sampson. I remember seeing him guard Bernard King, Moses Malone, and Manute Bol all in the same game. Although, Manute wasn't a threat on offense.

[jlip]

Interestingly, just from the clips in the video, while KG wasn't able to do THAT much to contain Dirk the few times he was guarding him, the vast majority of Dirk's points came either from switches with other players guarding him or simply with players other than KG being the primary defender.

[Kblaze8855]

Interestingly, just from the clips in the video, while KG wasn't able to do THAT much to contain Dirk the few times he was guarding him, the vast majority of Dirk's points came either from switches with other players guarding him or simply with players other than KG being the primary defender.


Yea it’s wild how easy it is to mislead in these situations with select highlights and assumptions. We always hear about how such and such scored Whatever on somebody then you go watch the clips and it isn’t nearly what was suggested.

This is Dirks big game that series…



https://youtu.be/cHdTYU-lGpw



He scored 39.

How many on KG would you assume when the story is him destroying his defense?


Whatever it is I bet the answer isn’t 4 points. And the 4 were a transition layup with KG being one of the people just in the way and the other two a foul on a help D block attempt.

He didn’t just score on him one on one in the whole video nor did he draw a foul on him. All 39 points shown. Not one of them what most would call scoring on someone.

He went 10/19 and 9/21 in the other two games so even if KG was on him most of both(which he wasn’t) he didn’t do anything worth calling being destroyed by Dirks standards.

in most of these claims people aren’t really getting the work the story suggests they are.

It does make me wonder who actually got the reputation of being destroyed while actually taking the worst individual beating. Drob guarding Hakeem in 95? Other were involved but he took that head on a lot of the time.

[Kblaze8855]

So far I’ve watched 69 of the 100 points Dirk scored that series and 6 of them are on KG. He was nine of 21 in the game I have not checked yet, so maybe that’s the game this narrative comes from if he gave him 7 or 8 of that. But let’s say he did….

Is Dirk making 10 shots in 3 games noteworthy?

It’s looking like the question should be why wasn’t he guarding Dirk not about how poorly he did.

[Wally450]

Destroyed seems to be a bit hyperbolic in this situation.

I watched a couple minutes of the video, and like Kblaze said, only a small handful are on KG.

[ArbitraryWater]

Why didnt KG actually defend him?


Isnt the argument for him that his defense makes the difference?

[Kblaze8855]

Why didnt KG actually defend him?


Isnt the argument for him that his defense makes the difference?


I would say it’s case by case depending on the team. Garnett is something like Draymond Green in that his job is to both organize the defense and be able to play everybody on the offense and that sticking to one person the entire game may not be the best use of his talents. I would say that’s especially true versus somebody like Dirk for whom getting a good shot is almost irrelevant. Dirk makes shots on unbelievable defense. His ability to make tough shots is probably his greatest strength.

With a guy like Nash on the other team? With multiple other scorers?

I might leave a KG or Draymond in the middle of the floor more than tell him to stick to one scorer exclusively.

Bowen? Prince? Different story. Case by case like I said.

[tpols]

People talking help but KG had a lot of help in that series too. Billups averaged 22/6/5 and Wally 20/7 on good %'s. The main difference is Dirk just totally destroyed KG on the offensive end.

Man shot on 52/72/89 efficiency with much higher volume.

That's not a typo. Dirk shot 72% from 3.

That's game over.

[ShawkFactory]

It's weird what recency bias does (or relative recency). I think most people now with the way Dirk is talked about and what happened in 2011 would take him over KG. But people seem to forget what a monster KG was in the 2002-2008 range.

At that time he vs Duncan was a very real and a borderline neck and neck argument, almost like Kobe/Lebron in the late 2000s. Somewhere along the line he fell off for some reason in peoples heads. He very well could have another ring if not for the injury in 09 so not having that to talk about hurts I guess.

[ArbitraryWater]

It's weird what recency bias does (or relative recency). I think most people now with the way Dirk is talked about and what happened in 2011 would take him over KG. But people seem to forget what a monster KG was in the 2002-2008 range.

At that time he vs Duncan was a very real and a borderline neck and neck argument, almost like Kobe/Lebron in the late 2000s. Somewhere along the line he fell off for some reason in peoples heads. He very well could have another ring if not for the injury in 09 so not having that to talk about hurts I guess.


By 2005, Dirk beat him for All-NBA Team every year but 08.



And how much value would a ring have had for him in 2009?


Its clearly not a superstar level ring, it wouldnt do anything for anyone except ring watchers.

He had a great chance in 2010 and stunk it up in game 7.

[ShawkFactory]

By 2005, Dirk beat him for All-NBA Team every year but 08.



And how much value would a ring have had for him in 2009?


Its clearly not a superstar level ring, it wouldnt do anything for anyone except ring watchers.

He had a great chance in 2010 and stunk it up in game 7.

No but he was an all star and the clear engine of the team. Pulling another one out is big.

I really think he also still could have been a superstar but dialed things back to accommodate the team, ala Duncan after 05 or so.

Ultimately I probably still take Dirk because he was a little more consistent over a decade but the highs were equal at best and potentially in KGs favor.

[90sgoat]

Dirk was so mobile for his size wow. Legit moving like a wing.

Also Garnett was not the greatest man defender, not on the block or on the perimeter.

[Full Court]

There's a reason why Dirk is ranked higher than Lebron. :confusedshrug:

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?465691-Dirk-or-LeBron-all-time

[FultzNationRISE]

The funny thing is that without a ring, nobody seems to count all the great performances you had, but then with a ring nobody remembers the bad ones.

People just keep it as simple as possible. “No ring = no good.” “Ring = top 20.”

Guys like Dirk, KG, Kidd, eventually Giannis, have 20 year careers and people end up defining that whole 20 years based on the result of literally one particular series. They go from “born to come up short” like Barkley, Nash, Stockton and Malone to “born winners” because of one ring in 20 years.

Cray.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Beast

At the time, I didn't really watch much of Dirk.

Wasn't till like 2003 or 2004. And even then it was mostly postseason games.

Shoutout to Gino though AKA Dmavs. Like 10 years ago...he put me on some nice game tape of Dirk. Also one of the few posters who'd claim Dirk upped his game in the playoffs. Despite the narrative around him before 2011

[paksat]

damian lillard is seen as one of the greatest shooters ever

but dirk has a higher career 3pt % than lillard

[90sgoat]

damian lillard is seen as one of the greatest shooters ever

but dirk has a higher career 3pt % than lillard

Dirk is possibly the greatest shooter of all time if we count all distances.

Dirk shot MJ level efficiency from midrange.

[Round Mound]

Garnett is a better team player. That means he is a better player cause its a team game
dirk is a better individual player and clutch performer player. He is a better street ball player aswell.