The Weekside: Giving thanks for another year of Timmy and KG

Their temperaments couldn’t be different. But they have been the two constants in the NBA for the past 20 years: Timmy and KG.

They battled for the title of best power forward in the game for years before Tim Duncan’s pile of rings made the debate too one-sided to continue. But then Kevin Garnett went to Boston and got some jewelry of his own. That didn’t rekindle a conversation, mainly because it’s simply unnecessary.

It doesn’t even matter who is better. All that matters is two of the best players of all time dominated the front court for so long and so thoroughly.

Somehow, on yet another Thanksgiving, both are still here.

The two elder statesmen have ceased being stars. Depending out your outlook the San Antonio Spurs now belong to either Kawhi Leonard or nobody, simply just existing as a wood chipper to destroy other teams.

And Garnett, back in Minnesota where he was drafted as a skinny(er) 18-year-old in the same year Hootie and the Blowfish had the nation’s best-selling record, is serving as a mentor to Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins as they build the foundation of a team that will soon be going deep into the playoffs every season.

Even more amazing than them both still being in the league, both are still starters in the NBA. Duncan, a 19-season vet and the league’s second oldest player at 39, has only twice in his career come off the bench. KG, born less than a month later and now in playing in his 21st campaign, hasn’t come off the bench in a game since he was a rookie 1995-96.

Duncan chalked his longevity up to “a lot of luck, honestly,” when talking to Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. He is lying to some degree, of course, but he noted just how much he has changed his mentality and habits as he has gotten older.

“I’ve had a lot of miles on my body throughout the years,” said Duncan, who turns 40 in April. “But the last couple of years, I could definitely tell a difference. Based on that, my game has changed. Based on that, my preparation has changed. I had to change my diet because my metabolism changed. It’s just realizing what’s happening and what point in your career you’re in and what your body is going to do with you.”

KG hasn’t changed one bit.

If anything, his unique brand of insanity has only become more ingrained as he has aged. What once seemed like the behavior of a lunatic now just being seen more as KG Being KG.

Jackie MacMullan broke it down in a fantastic profile of Garnett, the leader with what Chauncey Billups calls a “raving, crazy mind.”

Former teammate Chauncey Billups maintains that Garnett is the most unselfish superstar of his era and the most dynamic leader he has seen. Then again, if Towns is devoured by KG’s fire, he wouldn’t be the first. A partial list of ex-teammates who have endured the wrath of the Big Ticket includes Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Mason Plumlee, Ray Allen, Wally Szczerbiak, Rajon Rondo, Rasho Nesterovic, Patrick O’Bryant and Deron Williams. Some have survived to be welcomed into Garnett’s inner circle; others are forever dead to him. “If you don’t meet his expectations,” says Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, “he has no use for you.”

KG and Timmy are two of the most different human beings you could imagine. But their historically elite defense, their need to win, and their rivalry in the post-Jordan era will always connect them.

And somehow, they are both still here and still starting, and still centerpieces on the Spurs and Wolves — still (or again in Minny’s case) two of the most compelling shows in basketball.

Around the Association

Atlanta Hawks

Bud and Jason Kidd are both wilding out against these officials and the ref union is not too happy about it. Presume this will be an ongoing storyline for the rest of the season.

Brooklyn Nets

Just when you think the Nets can’t get sadder …

Charlotte Hornets

We have found what Frank Kaminsky is #elite at.

Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron is the “king of social media,” according to a HoopsHype breakdown of the most followed players on different networks. “LeBron leads all players on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram followers. He has almost three times as many followers on Instagram as the next player (Kevin Durant).”

Golden State Warriors

And in this week’s edition of Steph-tistics that are utter nonsense …

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have now gone 9-2 since starting the year 0-3, with those two loses coming at Cleveland and Chicago. Over this stretch, since November 4, they have the best defense in the NBA (allowing 94 points per 100 possessions) and the fifth best offense (scoring 104.9 per 100). That net rating, of 10.9, is second and isn’t even far from the seemingly untouchable Warriors’ number, 12.8.

Some of this has been about hot shooting (they hit a franchise record 19 3s vs the Wizards) and Paul George taking his game to another stratosphere. But some of it is just the now-obvious fact that the Pacers are pretty damn good.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers defense is a train wreck. Through 15 games, they are allowing 104.0 points per 100 possessions, 23rd in the league, and they got absolutely annihilated by the Jazz in the second half last night.

Utah made 20-of-32 (62.3%) shots in the final 24 minutes while going to the line 18 times. Sure, the Clippers shot an impressive 54.3% in the half themselves, but it didn’t even matter, as they got outscored 57-46 and dropped under .500. You don’t want to read too much into pre-Thanksgiving standings, but Los Angeles has now dropped four of its last five games and sit in 8th place. Not exactly ideal for a team that thinks it can win a title.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Sad Lakers are still sad.

Miami Heat

The Miami defense has grown fierce. Erik Spoelstra has restructured his system away from the turnover-creation engine that was the LeBron/Dwyane squads, and put together a team with the second best defensive rating in the league so far this year.

While there are many factors, Justise Winslow has been present in all the team’s best defensive lineups. It is rare for a rookie to come in and be a defensive force. So this much evidence this early means that the Heat have likely found a foundational player to start building around as Wade slows down.

Milwaukee Bucks

Jason Kidd: Such a good decision maker with the ball in his hands yet only seems to make bad choices while out of uniform. Chill out, Pitbull.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns are going to finish first and second in MVP voting one season.

New York Knicks

Kristaps Porzingis, looking 18 feet tall.

Oklahoma City Thunder

These guys.

Philadelphia 76ers

For the second straight season, the Sixers have recorded 15 (plus) losses before their first win. This is less a basketball team and more a schadenfreude convention.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings and DeMarcus Cousins are in such a state of disarray that even what end up being minor, non-incidents get a bit blown out of proportion. That’s not entirely fair but it is to be expected when the franchise bunkers down into crisis mode every other week.

Toronto Raptors

Best sentence of the week, via the Wall Street Journal:  “The Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat lead the league in covering up appendages, with 28 sleeves or leggings worn by players on their respective rosters.”

Washington Wizards

More like @WashedWizards.

Great Expectations

In the preseason, the consensus view seemed to be that the Celtics would be a good team. ESPN’s Marc Stein, for example, had Boston 13th in his power rankings. That made them the sixth best team in the East, ahead of squads like the Pacers, Wizards, and Pistons, and his projection included a comment that the Cs “will be a (regular season) team to reckon with and perhaps even topple Toronto” in the Atlantic Division.

Currently, Boston does have a better record than Washington and is tied with Detroit. But does anybody still think they will be the end of the year? Does anyone think they’re in the same weight class as Toronto and Indiana?

The basis for high expectations were rooted in two things: (1) Brad Stevens being a very good coach, and (2) the teams’ relatively good stretch of play in the second half of last season. However, the collective wisdom seemed to ignore the fact that their roster simply doesn’t have that many good players — which is a problem.

The team did manage to mount a late comeback last night to avoid falling victim to the still-winless Sixers, but they also lost by double-digits to the lowly Nets in their previous game. Yes, they have some quality wins as well (over the Hawks and Thunder, for example) and have crafted a formidable defense (5th best in the league so far), but they don’t really have any offense (scoring less than 1 point per possession, via NBA.com).

Perhaps worst of all, from an optics standpoint, heed this: Evan Turner’s reaction to the team’s near-loss to Philadelphia included him comparing himself to Michael Jordan making plays in the NBA Finals. “When I was dribbling, I was like, ‘Oh snap, I’m at 15 feet, I’m about to end this.’ And then I thought about [Michael Jordan] passing to Steve Kerr. And I thought, ‘Well, let me add that to my legacy.'”

Your legacy? Which legacy is that? Easy, dude. You are Evan Turner and you nearly lost to the worst team — perhaps ever — in the league. You should be embarrassed that a big play was needed down the stretch, not thinking that not losing to Philly’s D-League roster will be remembered as a part of your “legacy.”

The Celtics are a nice little team with potential.

But I’ll be surprised if they make the playoffs. The Wizards will figure it out — they have too much talent not to — and the Pistons have Andre Drummond and Stan Van Gundy. Even the Hornets or the Knicks could conceivably block Boston.

Then again, they could have a few balls bounce the right way and finish 8th rather than 9th or 10th and squeak into the postseason. It’s feasible. Trying to project a May record in November is no better than trying to do it in the preseason.

But it looks quite clear that everyone who thought they might be a top five or six team in a now-respectable Eastern Conference were drunk on preseason hopes that an interesting but limited roster could make something of itself so quickly.

Words With Friends

This week’s five must-read articles about the NBA. Excerpts here — click through to read the full piece.

1. Steve Kerr Q&A: 2015-16 Warriors vs. 1995-96 Bulls
by Ethan Sherwood Strauss, ESPN

I believe it would hinge on a step-back Steph Curry 3 over Michael Jordan at the buzzer. And we’ll never know if it goes in or not.

2. Kevin Love is dominating like he once did in Minnesota
by Jason Patt, SB Nation

The primary complaint about Love’s role last season was that he too often became a stationary spot-up shooter, which wasted his talents in the post. Against the Magic, Love’s full repertoire was on display. In the first half, he used a right-handed jump hook to beat the smaller Tobias Harris twice inside. Andrew Nicholson was a victim as well … Love has been more efficient with the increased touches, and it’s also led to a more powerful Cavaliers offense as a whole. Cleveland’s offense is currently one-tenth of a point higher per 100 possessions (107.8) than last season, and it’s been especially devastating with Love out there. The Cavaliers have scored 112.7 points per 100 possessions with Love in the game, the best mark on the team, per NBA.com

3. Raptors survive challenging stretch of early-season schedule
by Josh Lewenberg, TSN

Sunday’s was the last leg of a five-game trip, spanning eight days out West. It was Toronto’s 11th road game of the season — two more than anyone else in the NBA has played and four more than any of the Eastern Conference’s other top-9 teams. Overall, the Raptors have played a league-high 15 contests. To say their early-season schedule has been daunting would be an understatement but, despite the usual angst from the fan base, they’ve prevailed with a commendable record of 9-6. It hasn’t necessarily been pretty, nor should we have expected it to be … They’ve left some wins on the table, which can certainly be a source of frustration for those hoping to see them take the next step … But the perception that they’ve been a moderate disappointment to this point is misguided.

4. The Heat are building a ferocious defense that can take down the Cavaliers
by Yaron Weitzman, SB Nation

The Heat have built a contender by following a blueprint that goes against all the principles that led them to two championships when LeBron was in town. Miami is playing slow, barely hoisting any three-pointers and not forcing many turnovers. Yet the strategy has worked. Not only have the 9-4 Heat won three in a row and eight of their last 10 games, but they’ve done so by riding a defense that’s become one of the best in the league. The Heat are No. 1 in points allowed per 100 possessions (94) and opponent field goal percentage (40.4). They’re holding opponents to 30 percent shooting on three-pointers and rank in the top-10 in rebound percentage.

5. Hakeem Olajuwon praises 16-0 Warriors, but ‘small ball is nothing new’
by Fred Katz, Fox Sports

No one other than these Warriors knows what it’s like to be 16-0. But Hakeem Olajuwon, the Hall of Fame center on those Houston teams, knows 15-0. And he’s not surprised by Golden State’s dominance. To the NBA legend, the Warriors are defending what’s theirs while enjoying their time in the stratosphere …  The ’93-94 Rockets didn’t just start 15-0. After losing their first game, 133-111 to the Hawks, they reeled off another winning streak. This one was seven games long; come Dec. 22, 1993, the Rockets were 22-1.