Garnett has Stories

2020

Kevin Garnett has always had the stories, yet he was never a storyteller. He catalogued all of his NBA experiences throughout his 21-year career, some harrowing, some hilarious, some motivating, and has decided to reveal those tales, his innermost thoughts, turning himself into a sage and a comedian.

Big Three Reunion?

Well, the Celtics have Ray Allen in place. Er, um, I mean Al Horford. Of course this reminds everyone of another poker play Danny Ainge made a few years back. If Danny's mindset were like it was circa July 2007, and there's no reason to think it's not, what behind-the-scenes maneuvering might we expect this time?

McHale: There was no "Garnett to the Celtics" Conspiracy

“First of all, I have an owner. Then on my staff I have like seven guys. So for that whole thing to happen, it would have had to be, ‘OK, this is what we’re doing because we like Danny, but you can’t tell the owner that.’ Like that could ever happen. Are you kidding me? We sat down and put every offer on the board, then hashed them and rehashed them. We went over it 5,000 times, and the one constant that kept coming up was that at 22, Al (Jefferson) was the best anchor piece that we could get. That’s what it came down to. Ok?"

Ok. Kevin.

We believe you.

Really.

Was KG a Flawed Superstar?

Kevin Garnett is an eleven-time NBA All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA selection, and a former MVP. He is the all-time leader in NBA seasons played with averages of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.

He is the best player on a team with by far the best record in the NBA. That team, the Boston Celtics, went from one of the worst defensive teams in the league last year, to the best defensive team in the league this year. The Celtics lead the league in fewest points allowed per game, opponents' field goal percentage, opponents' three-point percentage, and fewest points in the paint allowed per game. KG, along with coach Tom Thibodeau, is given the lion's share of the credit for the Celtics stifling brand of defense.

Las Vegas has the Celtics odds-on-favorites to win their first NBA title in 22 years.

Yet the critics remain.

A Minneapolis sports radio station recently called Garnett a "flawed superstar," because unlike Magic, Bird, Jordan, and Kobe, Garnett doesn't demand the ball in crunch time, and even when he gets the ball during the final minutes, he seems content to pass the ball or shoot jumpers instead of driving to the hoop. This accusation is nothing new, but something critics have been saying for some time.

As the highest paid player on the team, Garnett should not be immune from criticism.

But before we go any further, let's get one thing straight:

There is no such thing as a flawless superstar. Every player, just like every human, has their Achilles heel.

Wilt--Lacked a killer instinct

Walton--Genetics

Bird--Got into bar fights and drank too much beer

Jordan--Quit the Bulls in his prime to play baseball, and liked to gamble

Magic--Forced to cut his career short by risky, off-court behavior

Shaq--Free throws and conditioning

Kobe--Where to start?

And then there is Bill Russell. He of eleven rings fame. Like KG, he wasn't known as an offensive behemoth. As a player-coach, he often read the newspaper on the sidelines while the rest of the team practiced the seven plays from the playbook.

Which brings us to KG. He was an easy target for critics in Minnesota because McHale failed to surround him with any talent, and the one time McHale modestly succeeded in this regard, KG won regular season MVP on his way to taking the Wolves to the WCFs, before an injury to Cassell knocked them out of the playoffs.

This year KG is shattering expectations with the Celtics. Critics inclined to downplay KG's role in the turnaround need look no further than Red Auerbach to assess the greatness of any single player.

Red said he could make a case for any one of four or five players being the best of all time, but the question couldn't really be answered without considering the supporting cast. So not even Red would play favorites by choosing one of his own. Instead, he said it all comes down to the supporting cast.

Is KG still often inclined to pass the ball down the stretch?

Without doubt.

Against San Antonio he had the ball in the final minute with one smaller player guarding him. Did he take the shot? Nope. He passed it to an even more wide open Sam Cassell, who just so happened to be standing behind the arc. Result? Swish. Game over.

Did KG win the game with a drive to the hoop, and an over-under scoop shot that wowed the crowd and will be captured on highlight reels for the rest of eternity? No. But he did make the correct decision, the best decision, and a decision that was celebrated by his teammates and Celtics fans. He'll never get the type of acclaim and fanfare for these plays that Kobe, Michael and LeBron get for flashier shows of offensive prowess. But KG's contributions are just as effective.

Let's not forget the first 43 minutes of the game either. The Celtics have won a league-leading number of games by 20 or more points this year. The same goes for wins by at least 10 points. No one would question that KG elevates his game above the competition during the first three-and-a-half quarters. And if the net result is one blowout win after another, isn't this just as impressive, maybe even more impressive, than one or two game winning shots down the stretch (for one of KG's most impressive early round KOs, look here)?

We know the alternative.

Paul Pierce showed us for several years.

Sticking your head down and plowing through double- and triple-teams is counterproductive, both to your own reputation and to the welfare of the team.

Is KG a flawed superstar?

You bet.

But most of us, including I suspect his present teammates, would prefer the flaw of selflessness to other sins such as gambling, risky sexual behavior, lack of conditioning, beer-drinking, bar-room brawling, and the failure to develop a killer instinct.

Garnett & Sager 5.0

Garnett & Sager 4.0

Garnett & Sager 3.0

Garnett & Sager 2.0

Garnett and Sager 1.0

Is KG Bill Russell?

2009-10 Playoffs			FG		3PT		FT		Rebounds			Misc
	G	MIN	FGM-A	FG%	3PM-A	3P%	FTM-A	FT%	OFF	DEF	TOT	STL	BLK	TO	PF	AST	PTS
Totals	16	34.0	104-213	.488	0-1	.000	30-37	.811	1.5	6.7	8.2	1.00	.69	1.25	2.88	2.3	14.9
vs. ORL	6	32.7	28-72	.389	0-0	.000	6-9	.667	1.7	6.3	8.0	1.00	.67	.67	2.67	2.3	10.3
vs. CLE	6	34.3	50-96	.521	0-1	.000	13-13	1.000	1.3	6.7	8.0	.50	.83	1.33	3.33	2.2	18.8
vs. MIA	4	35.3	26-45	.578	0-0	.000	11-15	.733	1.5	7.3	8.8	1.75	.50	2.00	2.50	2.5	15.8

Remember when the Kevin Garnett rumors first began to swirl around the Hub? A sizable and vocal contingent of fans vehemently opposed acquiring Garnett if acquiring him meant losing Al Jefferson. Garnett's career was in its twilight, and, anyway, he couldn't win and never seemed to produce in the clutch. A smaller, less vocal contingent of fans compared Garnett to Bill Russell, and thus favored the deal. The former contingent howled with laughter upon hearing the Garnett-Russell comparison.

Both contingent's were right. Garnett had clocked a lot-0-minutes on those legs, but, in his one healthy season with the Celtics, KG reminded just about everyone who saw Russell play that he was indeed a throwback to the days of #6. There were some (announcers even) who swore Kevin Garnett was Bill Russell, at least during the 2007-08 NBA season.

Fast forward two years, and the same fans who compared KG to Russ are now just happy KG isn't the second coming of Bill Walton, which is to say a "one-and-doner." That's how I had KG pegged. I mean, didn't he choose to wear that darned number? That god forsaken #5? And with it came the curse, the Walton curse. But now, all of a sudden, KG seems to be back. He seems to have risen from the ashes. And let's be frank here, the timing is good. If KG plays 85% of what he did during the 2008 NBA Finals, the Celtics win in 6.

But The Ticket is not all the way back, not yet.

There's still plenty of room for him to improve.

Does he have it in him?

Can he elevate his game a la Kareem Abdul Jabbar during the 1985 and 1987 Finals?

That's what I want, and that's Celticdom is hoping for. And if the Bill Russell comparisons are fair, KG needs more than one ring to justify the comparisons. He needs to remind Kobe that there's more than one superstar in the 2010 NBA Finals.

Good Analysis Coming Out of Long Beach

How effectively can Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and (if healthy) Tony Allen keep Kobe Bryant from scoring as readily as he did against Utah and Phoenix?

Can the Lakers consistently stay in front of Rondo, especially in transition?

Will the much more physical nature of the Celtics' post players, and the team's vast defensive superiority over the first three teams the Lakers faced, hamper the effectiveness that Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum have displayed this spring?

If the answers prove: "Very," "No" and "Yes," to those questions, the Celtics will win the series in six games.

If two of those answers favor the Lakers, though, the Lakers could wrap it up as quickly as five games.

--Press-Telegram

I might add, as I will suggest later, one more question:

Does KG elevate his game close to 100%?

Uh Oh . . . Time for the Grassy Knoll Network to Reconvene

Sanchez still not running six weeks after left knee surgery

Here’s the puzzling part of Mark Sanchez’s “minor” surgery six weeks ago: He’s still not running.

Even though the Jets’ franchise quarterback declared he’ll be ready for the start of training camp in late July, he didn’t know when he’d be able to resume football-related activities, leaving open the very real possibility that he’ll miss a significant portion of the Organized Team Activities and mini-camp this summer.

LINK

Minor Surgery. Slow recovery. No recovery. Regression a possibility.

Can anyone say Kevin Garnett?

Can IQ and Experience Overcome Youth and Athleticism?

Are We Seeing the Old KG or Just Old KG?

Watch the first two minutes of game 7 against Cleveland (scroll ahead to the 8-minute marker), and you have your answer. It's not so much what he's doing on offense or defense. It's the way he's moving, the way he's bouncing. I watched this the other night on NBATV, thinking I'd watch the whole first quarter looking for differences. All I needed was two minutes.

This isn't necessarily the final word, however.

To quote Danny Ainge, when asked if KG had lost some of his athleticism, "sure, all of the big three have. But I'm not sure it's critical." I agree. The 1986 team was not particularly athletic, at least when compared to, say, the 1986 Houston Rockets, who made Team Green look very old and very slow at times. The question is whether these current, older Celtics can make the most of their remaining basketball skills (not related to youth and athleticism) to overcome the opposition in four playoff series.

That sounds like a lot to ask, doesn't it?

Knock, Knock. KG, are You Still There?

There are nights when Garnett looks like he might be all done as an NBA superstar. He drags his leg around the court, struggles to score, fails to rebound, and makes guys like Anderson Varejao look like Karl Malone.

This is not necessarily KG’s fault. He’s got more miles on him than my 1995 Volvo and isn’t the same player since he injured his knee in the middle of last season. He’s still the master of gesture and noise, but the game just isn’t the same.

Never forget that Garnett is the man who changed everything. The Celtics went from the lottery to the championship in a single season because of Kevin Garnett.

In order for a long run in April, May, and June, Garnett has to be that player again.

--Dan Shaughnessy

KG remains the #1 reason the Celtics won't get as far as we'd like them to this year. He's basically a B player, B+ on a good night, B- on a bad night. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen simply don't have it in them to bring there A games every night of the playoffs to compensate.

There remains the Kareem Precedent, whereby Kareem Abdul-Jabbar posted amazing numbers in playoff games long after he'd turned 35. Does KG have it in him? Let me turn this around and ask you: can you see him going for 30 and 20 in a playoff game, sprinkling in, oh, I don't know, 6 blocks and 7 dimes?

KG was Excited about Last Night's Win

The Celtics Offense Now Runs through Ray Allen

These days Kevin Garnett is better on offense than he is on defense (other than last night!). Paul Pierce can still fill up the box score, just not consistently (and maybe not very often). Ray Allen? For two years, the Celtics had trouble remembering he was on the team. Sure, he had his monster games here and there. No doubt he's had his share of game winners, too.

But you could never say that he was Option Numero Uno.

Not that I recall anyway.

I think that's changing.

Michael Jordan was 34 when the Bulls won their last title, or the same age as Ray Allen is today. Best I can tell, MJ had a pretty good year that season. Kevin Garnett has never been a go-to-guy for 82 games a season, even in his MVP year. Paul Pierce, even in his younger days, really didn't want to play Kobe for the Celtics every night.

Ray Allen is a different cat altogether.

Despite being the consummate professional, willing to subordinate his game for the better of the team, Ray Allen still likes to put ball in basket, and do so as often as his teammates will allow and the circumstances of the game require. Over the weekend, I observed that the Big 3 appear to be finally figuring out how best to play together. What I think is really going on is that Rondo, KG, and the Truth have figured out that Ray Allen's tank is still full, and as long as it is, the Celtics are riding in his car.

The Celtics offense has never revolved around Ray Allen. It might be fun to see how much it does over the last 20 games and into the playoffs.

Are the Big 3 Actually Playing Better Together than Two Years Ago?

Rondo had 16 points and 11 assists, Kevin Garnett scored 22 points, Ray Allen had 16 and the Boston Celtics handed the Philadelphia 76ers their fifth straight loss, 96-86 on Friday night.

Now this is strictly from an offensive point of view (I'm still not satisfied with our defense), but does anyone else think that Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce finally have the "playing together thing" figured out? Two years ago it took forever to get Ray Allen involved in the offense, and, once they did include him, they'd immediately proceed to forget about him again.

This year Jesus asserts himself frequently, and steps aside when KG or the Truth have it going. That's an interesting thought, if true. The offense should start with Ray, and work in the other two depending on how they are playing.

Garnett Makes an Oblique Reference to the Switch

"We're a veteran team, we know how to play," Garnett said, "It's just (about) when we want to put our heads together, go out and execute and do the things we have worked on. I think the second half of the season is when you really get into what you do. It's just focus. When we want to do it, we do it. Some nights we get lazy."

LINK

Some nights? Let's see, you started the season 23-5, and, if we exclude the first three games after the all-star break and the last three wins, your team has posted a 10-16 record since. Even if you include those 6 wins, your record is a mere .500. Still, I'm not sure it was all just "not caring." Injuries played a role, too. And let's not get too giddy yet about wins over three crappy teams. I see some interesting games coming up on the road. Let's contain some of our excitement until then.

Sun, Mar 14	@ Cleveland	3:30 PM			Tickets | Travel
Mon, Mar 15	Detroit	8:00 PM		CSNN	Tickets | Travel
Wed, Mar 17	NY Knicks	7:30 PM		CSNN	Tickets | Travel
Fri, Mar 19	@ Houston	8:30 PM	NBA TV		Tickets | Travel
Sat, Mar 20	@ Dallas	9:00 PM		CSNN	Tickets | Travel
Mon, Mar 22	@ Utah	9:00 PM		CSNN	Tickets | Travel
Wed, Mar 24	Denver	7:00 PM		CSNN	Tickets | Travel
Fri, Mar 26	Sacramento	7:30 PM		CSNN	Tickets | Travel
Sun, Mar 28	San Antonio	8:00 PM		CSNN	Tickets | Travel
Wed, Mar 31	Oklahoma City	7:30 PM		CSNN	Tickets | Travel
APRIL	OPPONENT	TIME (ET)	TV	LOCAL TV	RESOURCES
Fri, Apr 2	Houston	7:30 PM		CSNN	Tickets | Travel
Sun, Apr 4	Cleveland	1:00 PM			Tickets | Travel

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

Clearly, the 2009-10 Boston Celtics have my full attention for the first time in some time. Should they have your's, too? If you're like me, getting excited about the Celtics when the snow starts to melt is nothing new. I remember getting excited about the Celtics signing Artis Gilmore in 1988, and then adding Jim Paxson not long thereafter. 1988 was also the year that Bill Walton was supposed to return to health, and that really cranked up the noise in Celtic Nation.

Then there was the 1989 trade for Joe Kleine and Eddie Pinckney, the 1991 acquisition of Derek Smith, and the 2002 Joe Johnson trade for Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers. Boy was I excited. So excited, in fact, I remember going on long runs after both the Pinckney and Kleine deal and the Delk and Rogers deal and returning home still feeling like I could run another ten miles. The key question, of course, was how did all those deals turn out? Some better than others, but none yielded a championship. In hindsight, everything is so clear.

But right now, we don't know a damn thing. Will Rondo become Boston's D.Wade in the fourth quarter as the regular season comes to a close? Will KG and Sheed become the Twin Tower combination we contemplated in August? Will Shelden Williams earn more and more PT, and eventually play a key role in a playoff series against the Hawks, rebounding and blocking shots in a big time payback against his former team? What can we expect from Mighty Mouse? Can the Celtics defeat either Orlando or Cleveland in a 7-game series? Will the Nuggets oust the favored Lakers from the Western Conference playoffs?

Nobody knows. But right now I like our chances a helluva lot better than I did last year. Last year the writing was on the wall once KG went down, just like with all the injuries in 1987. I hate those kind of springs. All I want is a chance, and a chance is what we have right now.

So it's OK to put your toe back in the water. This is where the fun starts. The 61-game exhibition schedule is O-V-E-R.

Dusting Off the Cape

Tonight Paul Pierce posted his first 20-point scoring effort since January 29th, and looked a lot like the Superman of old in so doing. Meanwhile, that seven-foot-one guy on the roster was blocking more shots than I could keep track of. While he's not the KG of old, the Ticket is starting to do something he hasn't done in a while: pump his fist when any of his teammates force something good to happen on defense. We're still not playing the greatest defense, but one thing that's been lacking on D has been an emotional and spiritual presence.

That little fist-pump may be the first sign that Tom Thibodeau is starting to rally the troops, and using Garnett to lead the charge.