Who do you think was a better "Robin": Kevin Durant or Anthony Davis?

[CIN-C-STAR]

Imagine thinking KD was ever the robin on those GS teams.

His trophy case says differently.

And notice every answer to how KD could possibly be a robin is never answered directly. It’s always Steph gravity, not what he actually did with the ball in his hands or some other **** that don’t got nothing to do with nothing

I have never in all my years of watching basketball heard that a man who averaged 35/8/5/1/1.6 on 50/40/90+, unanimous FMVP, was somehow the robin in that same series.

Curry fans trying to use every analytic possible to explain away common sense and insult people’s intelligence, like who in the **** put up KDs numbers back to back and was considered a “robin” to a player inferior to him in both series, and didn’t get one single FMVP vote in 2017, and scored all of 11 points in a series defining Game 3 in 2018

And what made game 3 "series defining"? Because KD had a good game?
The 2018 Finals was a SWEEP! How can the 3rd game of a series be the definitive game, when it was just a repeat of games 1 & 2?
The 2018 Finals was not even very competitive outside of game 1. KD faced zero pressure in that series and his role was basically a 3&D player with attributes turned up to 100. Great series and all, but what does it really mean in terms of his legacy?
Sorry but pretty much any top-50 player in league history could have joined that team with the fluky cap spike that season and made them into a juggernaut ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[rand]

Curry was not by far the more impactful player when you account for defense. I would still give the nod to Curry but by a slight edge.

Slight edge? Looking at impact stats, Curry was definitely more impactful player than KD in 3 seasons together.

Kevin Durant was never the Robin, Steph was.

How is someone considered more impactful to a team be considered a lot worse than someone who is only better on 1 on 1.

The last time I watched, basketball is a team sport.

:lol: @ a 2x FMVP being a “robin”

By your reasoning, I guess Steph Curry was a "Robin" to Andre Iguodala who won 2015 Finals MVP.

Or Kevin Garnett being 2nd fiddle to Paul Pierce (an All-Star unlike Iggy) who won 2008 Finals MVP.

KD was batman nice try.

Not really. Curry's impact stats tells otherwise.

Good use of plus/minus numbers but when they're aggregated, a very significant reality is concealed: Curry was almost always more valuable than Durant by +/- in all West playoffs series and always less valuable than Durant in the Finals.

West playoff rounds (2017-2019)
Curry +455
Durant +343

Finals (2017-2019)
Curry +57
Durant +129

Curry generally performs the same or worse in the Finals compared to earlier rounds while Durant always hits another gear in the Finals, including the Finals each played before Durant joined GS. Durant may not be as consistently valuable day-in and day-out, but he has a level that Curry simply can't reach and it tends to come out on the biggest stage. Recall also Durant's domination in both of the Olympic Gold Medal games he played, 2016 and 2012, with all the great scorers.

Which would I rather have built my franchise around? Curry, because Durant is much more mercenary. If however there was going to be one game or series for all the marbles and I can have either 2017-2019 Curry or Durant, I'm taking Durant without hesitation. But one of these players being better than the other doesn't mean they aren't both awesome. Neither of these guys were Robins, both were MVP level players.

[Brooklyn91]

Imagine thinking KD was ever the robin on those GS teams.

His trophy case says differently.

And notice every answer to how KD could possibly be a robin is never answered directly. It’s always Steph gravity, not what he actually did with the ball in his hands or some other **** that don’t got nothing to do with nothing

I have never in all my years of watching basketball heard that a man who averaged 35/8/5/1/1.6 on 50/40/90+, unanimous FMVP, was somehow the robin in that same series.

Curry fans trying to use every analytic possible to explain away common sense and insult people’s intelligence, like who in the **** put up KDs numbers back to back and was considered a “robin” to a player inferior to him in both series, and didn’t get one single FMVP vote in 2017, and scored all of 11 points in a series defining Game 3 in 2018

And what made game 3 "series defining"? Because KD had a good game?
The 2018 Finals was a SWEEP! How can the 3rd game of a series be the definitive game, when it was just a repeat of games 1 & 2?
The 2018 Finals was not even very competitive outside of game 1. KD faced zero pressure in that series and was basically a 3&D player with attributes turned up top 100. Great series and all, but what does it really mean in terms of his legacy?
Sorry but pretty much any top-50 player in league history could have joined that team with the fluky cap spike that season and made them into a juggernaut ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

By Series defining I mean that pretty much ended it right there. Cavs atleast gain enough momentum to try to push it to 6 if they steal game 3. I think KD took the life out of that whole Cavs squad that game. They didn’t even look like they cared game 4.

[Lockdown504090]

According to like any advanced metric you want to look at Curry was the more impactful player. Durant is a better individual player, but he isolated a lot and dribbled a lot and took a lot of midrange jumpers. Kevin Durant doing his thing isnt inefficient or anything, it's a very effective way to score. But the Warriors offense with Curry spacing the floor and running off screens was on another level.

If you look at all the finals mvps those guys for the most part iso a lot and shoot midrange jumpers, even in todays era, and without durant the warriors blew a 3-1 lead against a team lead by two guys who play like that.

Yeah and for the last few minutes of the game you need a guy who can do that. But for the first 45 minutes running Curry and Klay off screens is just better offense.

The difference is that Durand is still really good for the whole game and isn’t falling apart at the end of games. Curry has just not really been better than even harden after the end of close playoff games against great teams. He’s not able to create his shot on great defenders, and if he uses a screen they will take the ball out of his hands with a trap. That’s why teams don’t run screens as much to end games, or rely on little guards to win them titles. They do the same thing to Dame, cp3, Nash and historically, everyone else for the most part.

Metrics are fine for telling us what happened in a game, they aren’t predictive on an individual game or series, because catch all metrics do not account for match ups or strategy, and fans are not willing enough to look at ALL the important data, they don’t know what data is important, and they don’t fully grasp coaching adjustments to understand what’s really happening when one of the best players of all time Is consistently struggling against certain coverage and match ups

[_qubik]

KD is the second best player in the league, Curry had a couple of supernova seasons, KD was the finals MVP in 2 years, he wasnt the Robin. Common... and yes, AD is an insane Robin

[Harry Garris]

If you look at all the finals mvps those guys for the most part iso a lot and shoot midrange jumpers, even in todays era, and without durant the warriors blew a 3-1 lead against a team lead by two guys who play like that.

Yeah and for the last few minutes of the game you need a guy who can do that. But for the first 45 minutes running Curry and Klay off screens is just better offense.

The difference is that Durand is still really good for the whole game and isn’t falling apart at the end of games. Curry has just not really been better than even harden after the end of close playoff games against great teams. He’s not able to create his shot on great defenders, and if he uses a screen they will take the ball out of his hands with a trap. That’s why teams don’t run screens as much to end games, or rely on little guards to win them titles. They do the same thing to Dame, cp3, Nash and historically, everyone else for the most part.

Metrics are fine for telling us what happened in a game, they aren’t predictive on an individual game or series, because catch all metrics do not account for match ups or strategy, and fans are not willing enough to look at ALL the important data, they don’t know what data is important, and they don’t fully grasp coaching adjustments to understand what’s really happening when one of the best players of all time Is consistently struggling against certain coverage and match ups

Curry really hasn't struggled in clutch situations. He just had the one game versus the Cavs in the 2016 finals with the behind the back turnover and the missed 3 over Kevin Love that everyone remembers. This is why stats are important, because humans have a tendency to fixate on one or two bad moments and we'll ignore an absolute mountain of data that disproves what we believe. It's why the "eye test" is terrible at actually determining how good players are and why people struggle with things like believing scientific research when it comes to pandemics. Because we want to believe in the narrative more than we want to believe in the massive sample size of peer reviewed research that's telling us we're wrong.

[gottamakeit]

A.D. is a bigtime Robin. Couldn't win anything alone. Gets the chip with team LeBron like so many countless players.

Not relevant to this discussion but in case anyone forgot, the Davis situation got pretty ugly in New Orleans. The dude gave up on his teammates and forced his way out. So much tampering there as well.

[minifang]

I'd say Steph was Batman, Klay was Robin, Green was Alfred, and KD was Superman.

[The_Hater]

Kevin Durant was never the Robin, Steph was.

I think a strong argument could be made that they were both alpha’s.

Their numbers and efficiency were always pretty close but Curry did have the higher usage rate all 3 seasons. Durant was better defensively, but I’m not sure that plays into the alpha dog argument that much.

It’s difficult to find a clear separation between them so people generally just call the player they like better, the alpha.

[oaktownwarriors87]

The difference is that Durand is still really good for the whole game and isn’t falling apart at the end of games. Curry has just not really been better than even harden after the end of close playoff games against great teams.

What the hell are you talking about? He's literally 2nd all time in points per 4th quarter in a Finals, and he did it with a 70% TS%. He literally has the 3rd highest eFG% in "clutch" minutes (last 5 minutes, game within 6 points) in the playoffs.

Shaq is #1 in both those stats.

Stop making **** up. You're embarrassing yourself.

[AdagioPace]

Durant was one of the batmobile's wheel tbh

[Lockdown504090]

The difference is that Durand is still really good for the whole game and isn’t falling apart at the end of games. Curry has just not really been better than even harden after the end of close playoff games against great teams.

What the hell are you talking about? He's literally 2nd all time in points per 4th quarter in a Finals with a 70% TS%, and he's consistently one of the top performers in the "clutch" statistics.

Curry literally has the 3rd highest eFG% in "clutch" minutes (last 5 minutes, game within 6 points) in the playoffs.

Shaq is #1 in both those stats.

Stop making **** up. You're embarrassing yourself.

Hes played in the finals against The cavs in 2015, why wouldnt he be awesome? Had durant to play off of, why wouldnt he be awesome? I dont think there is an argument to be made he was great in 2016 unless are going to try that, and he was quite pedestrian in 2019 other than the 47 point game which didnt really matter because he was in the position of being overwhelmed by the other teams talent and still lost by over 30, and he even cut it to ten with 8 minutes left and didnt get another field goal. He had a chance to force a game 7 failed. he had a chance to win in 2016 to win and couldnt get 1 out of three games.

he has solid stats but hes been 5-3 in elimination games. hasnt made a go ahead basket in the playoffs?

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=ESPN
I cant call someone clutch that cant give game winners. he struggles to even get the shot off. Im not saying hes trash in the 4th quarter. What I am saying is that he cant create good shots for himself against good defense when it matters.

If you put out a team with good switch defenders, or they cant get a switch teams can force the ball either out of his hands or make him pass. That makes him no different than harden, no different than lillard.

His best finals performances are with durant.

I was well aware of all those numbers you gave and I still said that. Its not an uniformed opinion. Im merely holding him to the standard of Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Shaq and all time greats, because I believe he is one. I just again... dont think he creates shots well enough on his own to see he is one of the most clutch performers of all time.

[Rainwater]

Lol at Durant a Robin. I know Curry is the golden boy but sheesh.

[Peregrine01]

Curry was not by far the more impactful player when you account for defense. I would still give the nod to Curry but by a slight edge.

Slight edge? Looking at impact stats, Curry was definitely more impactful player than KD in 3 seasons together.

Kevin Durant was never the Robin, Steph was.

How is someone considered more impactful to a team be considered a lot worse than someone who is only better on 1 on 1.

The last time I watched, basketball is a team sport.

:lol: @ a 2x FMVP being a “robin”

By your reasoning, I guess Steph Curry was a "Robin" to Andre Iguodala who won 2015 Finals MVP.

Or Kevin Garnett being 2nd fiddle to Paul Pierce (an All-Star unlike Iggy) who won 2008 Finals MVP.

KD was batman nice try.

Not really. Curry's impact stats tells otherwise.

Good use of plus/minus numbers but when they're aggregated, a very significant reality is concealed: Curry was almost always more valuable than Durant by +/- in all West playoffs series and always less valuable than Durant in the Finals.

West playoff rounds (2017-2019)
Curry +455
Durant +343

Finals (2017-2019)
Curry +57
Durant +129

Curry generally performs the same or worse in the Finals compared to earlier rounds while Durant always hits another gear in the Finals, including the Finals each played before Durant joined GS. Durant may not be as consistently valuable day-in and day-out, but he has a level that Curry simply can't reach and it tends to come out on the biggest stage. Recall also Durant's domination in both of the Olympic Gold Medal games he played, 2016 and 2012, with all the great scorers.

Which would I rather have built my franchise around? Curry, because Durant is much more mercenary. If however there was going to be one game or series for all the marbles and I can have either 2017-2019 Curry or Durant, I'm taking Durant without hesitation. But one of these players being better than the other doesn't mean they aren't both awesome. Neither of these guys were Robins, both were MVP level players.

The post you quoted specifically showed just how good the Warriors were with Curry in and Durant out and how pedestrian they were with Durant in and Curry out. Since Durant played with Curry in all their Finals games together, it's hard to disaggregate impact between one or the other.

[drchaos]

KD wasn't Robin he was and is Batman.

[cpower]

Kevin Durant was never the Robin, Steph was.

If AD scores 3 more ppg he would have been the FMVP but Lebron would still remain the more impactful player. Curry is just like Lebron who is able to impact the game without putting the ball in the basket. KD has been the better scorer in NBA finals but he is actually a lot more one dimensional than most people think.

[MyUniBroDavis]

Curry was way better in the RS but durant showed out in the playoffs

Calling him a robin is crazy lol

[MyUniBroDavis]

Kevin Durant was never the Robin, Steph was.

If AD scores 3 more ppg he would have been the FMVP but Lebron would still remain the more impactful player. Curry is just like Lebron who is able to impact the game without putting the ball in the basket. KD has been the better scorer in NBA finals but he is actually a lot more one dimensional than most people think.

I mean my mans was a REALLY good scorer lol

[Metallikid]

Kevin Durant was never the Robin, Steph was.

If AD scores 3 more ppg he would have been the FMVP but Lebron would still remain the more impactful player. Curry is just like Lebron who is able to impact the game without putting the ball in the basket. KD has been the better scorer in NBA finals but he is actually a lot more one dimensional than most people think.

No he wouldn't and I would put money on that.

[Pg81]

I'd say Steph was Batman, Klay was Robin, Green was Alfred, and KD was Superman.

I guess there was a lot of kryptonite around then while KD was playing with Harden and Westbrook.