The funny thing about watching the playoffs this year has been the media's awkward attempts to shift gears in their reporting on the Celtics. All season, the story has been the apotheosis of Garnett - a man on a mission to win a ring through pure willpower and screaming. In the off-season, the KG signing was THE story. We were primed and ready to watch the Big Ticket fulfill his destiny: surrounded by a decent supporting cast for the first time in his life, he was ready to go out and rule the world.

Then, he didn't.

KG was great, don't get me wrong. KG is always great. But by the time we got to the Finals, we realized that Garnett was:

- not the best player on the court (Bryant)

- not the best player on his own team (Pierce)

- not even the Celtics' most important role-player (Allen)

So what is he? Historically, his rival for the title of top power forward has been Tim Duncan, and this comparison really tells us all we need to know. This article would never have been written about Duncan - the San Antonio Spurs' big man doesn't scream at the sky, doesn't headbutt posts, doesn't yell obscenities at opponents. Yet he has four titles to Garnett's one, and - more tellingly - three Finals MVP trophies to Garnett's zero.

When Duncan is on the court, he's the one setting the tone. Even when he's having a bad day, Duncan's presence changes the flow of a basketball game. He leads his team in a way that Garnett simply doesn't; he imposes his will in a way that Garnett simply can't. And that's the difference between them.

I'm glad that KG got a ring. People have been saying forever that he 'deserved' a ring - I think that's something you have to earn, and he did. But if we'd known last year what we know now, would his acquisition have been the huge story of the offseason? Probably not. Because as it turned out, KG didn't need to have roleplayers around him to succeed. He needed leaders.