that makes him a better teamate and person. not a better player. Durant just makes much better decisions than Tmac. At the end of games Tmac rolled the dice as if it were the 2nd quarter. But anyone comparing anyone to Tmac is unfair. Even Kobe or Jordan didn't have the natural gifts and combination of natural shooting, handles, vision that Tmac had. He was a once in a generation special talent blessed with every God-given ability to play basketball save a brain
Other than his first year, Durant's true shooting percentage has been around 60% while Tmacs has been around 51% for his career outside of his first season. To top it all off, it has been under 50% for about half his career. That's a big difference when you trying to win playoff games. Tmac is chucker and his true shooting percentage is worse than Iverson's and is close to Antoine Walker category. http://espn.go.com/nba/player/hollinger/_/id/3202/kevin-durant http://espn.go.com/nba/player/hollinger/_/id/532/tracy-mcgrady McLady was a turd. People forget how many 6 for 23 performances he had while he was here in Houston.
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I agree, because a lot people totally overrate McGrady here. They use bursts of brilliance and his once-upon-a-time ceiling (what could have been) to elevate his legacy. I'm not sure why. Yes, he was very talented and a joy to watch at times. I always hated watching his interviews -- it was more like cringing than watching -- after the game. You could just tell, most times, it was not going to inspire his teammates. At worst, his comments had negative effects. This matters. I agree with those who elevate team accomplishments. It's a team game. Not to bring a pineapple to an apples vs oranges discussion, but Hakeem took meager supporting casts into the playoffs a number of time. Even in 1994, it was amazing the load he had to take on. Something about Tracy -- I can't figure it out -- but he never seemed to make his teammates much better, despite having some nice assist numbers (for a wing.) Durant has much better true shooting percentages than Tracy (as I listed in another thread.) They do both shoot a lot. I disagree with similarities in their games b/c Durant very rarely drives. Durant is more like Purvis Short or Hersey Hawkins on steroids (I mean that figuratively ).
Because you didn't answer. 3rd request: Please explain to us all exactly how did Westbrook lead OKC to the WCFs while Durant just "rode along"? Ignore the regular season if you like. Just back it up. You made a very dumb statement and can't back it up at all, so you dodge and dodge again instead of discussing. This is what people do when they get caught posting drivel.
http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/poll/_/id/24/better Again, T-Mac was considered a superstar once before. I guess Z-Bo is a much better player then McGrady too! :grin:
I forget to mention that the 43 percent number for Durant is skewed by his only other playoff experience which he shot only 35 percent from the field against the Lakers. Durant is shooting 47 percent for this year's playoffs. If anyone even thinks these players are comparable from a winning standpoint, you don't anything about basketball.
As a player, I think that TMac in his prime was better. He was a better passer, a better defender (yes, there is another side of the court which everybody on this board is ignoring), better in crunch time (...in the regular season lol). TMac was also a better athlete imo. You gotta realize, back in TMac's prime, people were debating TMac v Kobe. I don't think Durant is even being mentioned in the top tier (Kobe/LeBron tier). Yes Durant has passed the first round, but that is more of a team accomplishment. He has one of the best PGs in the league in Westbrook and a solid supporting cast all around. TMac only had a similar cast once and we got robbed by the refs against the Mavs.
TMac was 23 and 24 when he won the scoring title. Durant was 21 and 22. Here is my break down. Scoring ability - Equal. Passing - McGrady. Rebounding - very slight edge Durant. Shot selection - Durant. Defense - Equal. TMac's decline was so rapid people forget how good he was. TMac had a few years where he had equal talent to what OKC has now. Unfortunately the Rockets either had injuries or bad match ups. I think they are pretty similar talent wise. Durant will probably have a better career than TMac, barring injury, because I think he will work harder on his game.
Not even close. Points does not equal scoring ability. Tmac had to take a lot more shots and dominate the ball more to get his. People forget how often Tmac had the ball in his hands. He was a ball stopper in every sense of the word. The numbers prove that Durant is 20 percent more effecient at scoring while still producing high numbers..
I was looking at numbers slightly wrong. In Tmac's best season, his true shooting percentage as around 47%. Still lower that what Durant does every year.
they still had a chance to win game 7, no refs could have changed that outcome. also, don't forget the supreme choke job against Utah when the Rockets had home court advantage. That series led to JVG getting dumped for Rick the Ruler. And Durant has passed two rounds of the playoffs not just one. Tmac had an all star center named Yao Ming.
McGrady put on some muscle that allowed him to defend some physical 4s. I know Durant is closer to 6'11 than he is to 6'9. It would be great to have a photo of Durant and TMac standing side by side. TMac was just silky smooth but didn't advance as much as Durant. When I first saw Durant I thought he was somehow mentally impaired.
