Idk how some of you can act like it’s an insult to place KG over Kobe in 04. Kobe didn’t even really get to workout in the off-season because of the injury and than the case.
KG on the other hand was at his peak and had an all time great season for a big man. There wasn’t even any dispute on who was MVP that year. How many times has that happened?
Can't speak for everyone, but I know for me, the rebuttal isn't that KG had his GOAT year and the best individual year, because all that is true. And I definitely remember his name being in the hat that year...
I think what some people are saying, and what I certainly am getting at, is he wasn't by
consensus the best player...
I didn't even bring up the fact that by reputation he wasn't a closer, others guys did but I wasn't gonna touch that because it wasn't all that relevant for this specifically. In LA, you had two guys with viable cases, yes Shaq took the first big step back towards the back of his prime, but the climate
at the time was that he was still arguably the best player on his team and the best in The League if he was conditioned and motivated...
That narrative didn't change on Shaq in one year, just two years removed from a 3peat...
For Kobe, '04 woulda been the sharpest we saw him had there not been external factors, he was right in the middle (or beginning) of separating himself from guys like AI, Vince, Mac, that he'd mostly been seen as similar caliber to, and he just had that season prior ('03) the one month he averaged 40, and when you account for the toll the Colorado case had on his play, he wasn't simply dismissed from best player talk...
I spoke on Duncan upthread, there was never at any point in time I can recall there being a majority opinion that Garnett was better. They were compared often because they played the same position, KG had his GOAT year right after Duncan won back-to-back MVPs and we're in here dismissing Duncan...
Some people favored KG, and it wasn't crazy to call him the best player based on his season, but people are in here saying it was open and shut and that's not how I remember '04. Good to see some other people chiming in who remember the same lol. His name was in the conversation deservingly so but I'd give it to Duncan...
