Friday Adverball

I'm starting a tradition. Every Friday is basketball commercial Friday. Usually in the ad industry, indepth, public criticism is looked down upon just because it is such a subjective industry, but my take isn't so much on advertising than it is basketball. I hope.

This late 90's Nike :30 spot is an underrated classic for me. Not just because it's a cool idea for one guy to be taking on an entire community in a game of basketball--but because it represents the respective careers of Duncan and Garnett in a quick, brilliant and entertaining way.

In the spot, Garnett is at his usual, carrying the burden for his entire team, which plays out as metaphor in the ad as Garnett having no teammates. He's playing 1 on 4, 5, 15 and 20. And yet he continues to man his ship, and continue to be miraculously dominating. Garnett perseveres, because he has the heart the size of a blue whale. But he is the classically over-burdened hero--the real life Wolverine of our generation. Ironic, a guy playing for a namesake: the Timberwolves (a pack animal), he has no pack worthy of running with and for him. So naturally, Tim Duncan--the supreme manifestation of a superstar driven to greatness, predicated from his Zen-like understanding of the team concept arrives to compete against him.

Though he never played for him, Tim Duncan was the embodiment of John Wooden's perfect player. Fundamentally perfect, a brilliant team player Duncan dominated only when necessary and else wise facilitating the offense at his own methodical pace. His whole game was based on efficiency and out thinking opponents. Yes, he was an incredible athlete, but that's not what made him an incredible player. This battle is not just Kevin Garnett vs. Tim Duncan. It's a metaphor for heart vs. mind.

Duncan makes his classic hero entrance from the crowd moving from the back to the front, to check the ball to the mighty Ronin Warior. And Garnett's face suddenly changes. "A worthy opponent," it says. Cut to Duncan: "More worthy than you think."