"At some points it was just funny" - Tim Duncan on why Kevin Garnett could never get under his skin
Kevin Garnett always showed up with a fiery side. Whether it was a preseason game or a playoff war, Garnett brought that same furious symphony, trash talk, chest thumps, staredowns.
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Tim Duncan was the complete opposite. Cooler than the other side of the pillow. Danced to a beat. A very different one.
In a league that has always rewarded emotion — the screams, the snarls, the scowls — Duncan rewrote the script. His face rarely changed. His voice never raised. His tempo didn't flinch, no matter who stood across from him. And for the better part of two decades, the player most intent on rattling that rhythm was Garnett.
Unrattled Duncan
Garnett used psychological warfare as casually as a mid-range jumper. But his attempts never worked on Mr. Fundamental.
"It never bothered me," Duncan said, reflecting on Garnett's verbal aggression. "At some points it was just funny, 'cause some players do that for their own hype, for their own reason. It's a hype if it serves up. But nothing ever got under my skin."
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Duncan and Garnett were built differently from day one, but their careers often ran parallel. Both were drafted in the 1990s — Garnett in '95 straight from high school, Duncan in '97 after a four-year stay at Wake Forest University. They defined the power forward position for a generation, transforming it from a bruising role into something far more dynamic and technical.
Garnett, the firebrand, thrived on emotion. He screamed at opponents, whispered taunts at free-throw shooters and once famously banged his head against the basket stanchion to get "into character." Duncan, in contrast, was an introvert in a game that rewards extroverts. He let his game explain his ambition.
From 1999 to 2007, the two faced each other 56 times in the regular season. The San Antonio Spurs won 33 of those meetings. In the playoffs, Duncan's Spurs held the edge again, taking down Garnett's Minnesota Timberwolves in 1999 and 2001. Across the years, Duncan averaged 20.6 points and 11.1 rebounds against Garnett, who averaged 18.7 and 10.9. The numbers were tight, but the scoreboard rarely was.
Duncan knew that neutralizing Garnett's game wasn't enough, so he learned to neutralize his energy. There was no need to meet fire with fire.
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Related: "God, I hope I don't get into this game. I'm not ready for this stuff" - Steve Kerr said watching Michael Jordan for the first time made him feel he didn't belong in NBA
Legacy carved in stone, not noise
One of the most enduring aspects of Duncan's career is how little he let outside theatrics shape his performance. He was resolutely unmoved. He didn't clap back. He didn't stare down. He didn't sell shoes with slogans about dominance.
He won.
And he did it with the same blank expression that made KG's antics feel like theater performed for an empty house.
Duncan retired with five championships, three Finals MVP awards, two league MVP awards and over 26,000 career points. Garnett, though one of the most gifted and intense defenders the league has ever seen, won his lone championship after joining the Boston Celtics in 2008 and subsequently pulled off an achievement that finally cemented his status among the greats.
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Yet, even in that championship run, Garnett's emotional wiring was always part of the story. For Duncan, it was never personal. It was professional. That was the difference. Garnett wanted to break the opponent's spirit. Duncan wanted to break the game down piece by piece.
And when the Celtics legend shouted, glared or cursed, Duncan simply watched and kept walking.
That gap in temperament didn't mean the Spurs legend lacked passion. It meant his fire lived under the surface. His detachment wasn't disinterest; it was deadly focus. It allowed him to brush off psychological distractions and trust the process more than the pressure.
Related: Kevin Garnett left Michael Jordan off his all-time starting five: "He is the god, and we copied him and s—t, but I got Kob' at my two"
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
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