In what is a sure sign that we are all aging quickly, Kevin Garnett is 44 years old today, the same Kevin Garnett who burst onto the NBA scene 25 years ago, breaking a long standing barrier of sorts when he became the first high school player (Farragut Academy, Chicago, IL) since Darryl Dawkins (Maynard Evans High School, Orlando, FL) did so in 1975 to jump straight to the NBA. Ironically, both were 5th overall selections.
With Michael Jordan's retirement at the conclusion of the 2002-2003 season, I needed another guy to keep my interest and root for in the league, and Garnett - who I had admired for his unique skill set and the way he played the game - became that guy. In what was Jordan's final All-Star farewell in Atlanta at the then-named Phillips Arena on February 8, 2003, Garnett dominated the mid-season classic. He scored 37 points and had 9 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 assists in the West's 155-145 overtime win, and took home the game's MVP award.
Long before Kevin Durant came into the NBA, "The Kid" formed the prototype for the future versatile forward. At 7 feet (he referred to himself 6'12 to quell the notion that he was a typical 7 footer), KG had a great post game, could handle the ball, shoot it from three, was great from the mid-range to 20 feet, and was elite defensively. In his first couple seasons, he played Small Forward, an extreme rarity at the time for a player his size.
If his contemporary Tim Duncan was the standard radio version, then Garnett was the remix - longer and more athletic than his San Antonio counterpart, quicker, more versatile. Prior to his MVP season of 2003-2004, Garnett averaged 6 assists per game, an exceptional total for a power forward. In the 2004 playoffs, with the Wolves' starting point guard Sam Cassell hindered by a bad hip, Garnett played Point Guard. He would bring the ball up the floor and initiate the offense, and then venture into the post. He would catch the ball on an entry pass, and, if he had single coverage, would go for his patented turn-around fade, or face up and either take a strong dribble to the inside for a hook shot, or a strong dribble or spin to the baseline for a finish at the rim. His turn-around fade-away was un-blockable due to his high release point and long arms.
That MVP season, the Wolves won 58 games, the number one seed in the Western Conference. Garnett led the league in total points and rebounds, averaging 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.2 blocks. His 13.9 rebounds per game were best in the league, and would be the first of four straight rebounding titles, and he played in all 82 games, a stretch of six seasons where he missed only three games. He delivered an exceptional performance in Game 7 of the Western Semi-Finals against the Sacramento Kings, going for 32 points, 21 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 steals. The Wolves would lose the West Finals to the Lakers in six games, but Garnett had already cemented his place in NBA history as one of the most complete and talented players to ever play.
He finally got his championship ring in 2008 with the Celtics, coming over the summer prior with Ray Allen, joining Paul Pierce to create a league juggernaut that won 66 games that season and had the league's best defense. The June, the Celtics beat the Lakers in six games in the Finals, a rousing 131-92 victory in front of the Boston crowd in the sixth game, capping Garnett's Defensive Player of the Year season in the best possible fashion. In the clincher, Garnett had 26 points and 14 rebounds on 10 of 18 shooting. For that season, he averaged 18.8 points and 9.2 rebounds, and in the Finals averaged 18.2 points and 13 rebounds.
He wouldn't get another title, with a February 2009 knee injury in Utah keeping him out for the remainder of the season, limiting him to 57 games. The Celtics, though they managed to still win 60 games, lost to the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of the Eastern Semis. The following June, the Celtics had their second shot at a title, but lost in seven games to a motivated Kobe Bryant.
When the Miami Heat formed their Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh that summer, Garnett and the Celtics' run was over, as they would lose in the second round in 2011 to the Heat in five, despite a 56 win regular season. In 2012, they lost to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven.
The following year, Garnett's last in Boston, he played Center almost exclusively, and the team lost to the New York Knicks in the first round in six, though they won back-to-back games after trailing in the series 3-0. Despite the loss, the 36-year-old Garnett joined Dennis Rodman as the oldest players to have 17 rebounds in a playoff game. Garnett had 17, 17, and 18 rebounds in Games 3-5 of the series. No wonder he's the NBA's all-time leader in defensive rebounds.
After that season, he was traded to Brooklyn, along with Paul Pierce and Jason Terry. They formed what was supposed to be a legitimate championship contender, the type of experienced veterans to surround Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. Older now and in his true twilight years continuing to be limited by his knee, Garnett was limited more than he had been post-injury with the Celtics - where Doc Rivers preferred to have him on a 6 minutes per quarter restriction - to 21 minutes per game in just 54 games. The Nets would win 44 games, and were vanquished in the second round by the Heat in five games after a seven game first round win over the Toronto Raptors.
In February of 2015, Garnett was traded back to Minnesota - where it all began 20 years earlier - for Thaddeus Young, the now 39-year-old waiving his no-trade clause to spend whatever time he had left of his career in the city where he had made his name. In December of 2015, eight months prior to announcing his retirement, he had one final career highlight, a viscous one-handed fast break dunk over the Clippers' Blake Griffin.
That would be the final highlight of an all-time career that would come to an end in September 2016 when The Big Ticket announced his retirement after 21 seasons. His 21 seasons at that time shared the record with Robert Parish and Kevin Willis for most seasons played, marks that were since tied by Dirk Nowitzki in 2019 and surpassed by Vince Carter, with Carter playing his 22nd season in 2020.
Garnett's legacy is that of one of the most talented and complete players in league history. He is the only player in NBA history with at least 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 1,500 steals and 1,500 blocks for his career, and, as mentioned above, is the league's all-time leader in defensive rebounds. In complicated all-time player debates that have many different criteria, Garnett lies somewhere in the 20-40 range, depending on your criteria. When talking about a complete game, all-around skill set, and talent, you cannot get too far down the list before his name is mentioned. In my opinion, he's somewhere in between Tim Duncan, Charles Barkley, and Karl Malone as one of the top Power Forwards ever to play. Talent and ability wise though, he is probably number one. To me, the only difference between him and Tim Duncan is a Spurs' system that surrounded Duncan with capable players that resulted in one of the longest and sustained runs of consistency that team sports has seen. In their era, Garnett and Duncan was the matchup at the Power Forward position.
One of the most complete, most talented, competitive and driven players to ever step on an NBA court, playing the game with unrelenting passion and unrivaled energy.
Happy Birthday, KG.
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