Garnett = GREAT
In the sports industry we use the word great too frequently. It seems to me that we annoint people as stars and great players a little too soon. Many people thought this was true about Kevin Garnett that he was not truly a great player because his team had no really done well in the playoffs. I was not one of these people, I have always thought he was great because he has helped changed the game. He has helped usher in the new breed of player, tall and athletic with the ball skills of a guard and the footwork of a big man. For 9 years he has ruled supreme in the state of Minnesota and now he has taken over the league.
He started his quest to take over the league this offseason when he demanded that the Wolves get him some players so he could compete against the rest of the western conference. The Wolves obliged and he responded not by relying on those players but by having the best season of his career, winning the MVP and assuring his team home court throughout the Western Conference playoffs. Last night he got Game 7 on his court in front of his fans on his 28th birthday. Well KG, The Kid, The Big Ticket, The Franchise, show me what you've got! And show me and everyone else is exactly what he did. I am sure you have read the statline but here it is on more time 34 pts. 21 rbds. 5 blks. and 4 stls.
But you must look beyond and behind some of those numbers to measure his greatness. In the 4th quarter with the Sacremento Kings fighting hard Garnett scored 13 straight points. In those 13 points he caught numerous bad passes from teammates and finished plays at the basket with other players draped all over him. And finally to end that run of points he drilled a 3 with the shot clock winding down to electrify the crowd and his teammates. In the fourth quarter he had 6 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and a huge steal with :42 seconds remaining which forced the Kings to foul to extend the game.
It is the little things he does, like always picking his teammaters up off the floor, the focus he has at the free throw line, the playing point guard for almost 4 minutes in the fourth quarter when starter Sam Cassell rested a sore back. A sore back, Garnett should be the one resting his sore back for carrying this team. Not once in the second half did you see him look at Coach Flip Saunders and ask for a breather, he didn't need it, great players don't need a breather they need to win the game. Garnett has stamped his place in NBA lore, you will watch this game on ESPN Classic years from now, and they will not call it Game 7 they will call it the Garnett Game. The media the fans everyones said the pressure was on him, he is the MVP he has to lead his team to victory in a game like this. Well Garnett has finally silenced all his critics, they have nothing to say anymore.
He will now take on the Lakers in the Western Finals and by no means will I count him out. This series may come down to which great player wants it more, Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant.
He started his quest to take over the league this offseason when he demanded that the Wolves get him some players so he could compete against the rest of the western conference. The Wolves obliged and he responded not by relying on those players but by having the best season of his career, winning the MVP and assuring his team home court throughout the Western Conference playoffs. Last night he got Game 7 on his court in front of his fans on his 28th birthday. Well KG, The Kid, The Big Ticket, The Franchise, show me what you've got! And show me and everyone else is exactly what he did. I am sure you have read the statline but here it is on more time 34 pts. 21 rbds. 5 blks. and 4 stls.
But you must look beyond and behind some of those numbers to measure his greatness. In the 4th quarter with the Sacremento Kings fighting hard Garnett scored 13 straight points. In those 13 points he caught numerous bad passes from teammates and finished plays at the basket with other players draped all over him. And finally to end that run of points he drilled a 3 with the shot clock winding down to electrify the crowd and his teammates. In the fourth quarter he had 6 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and a huge steal with :42 seconds remaining which forced the Kings to foul to extend the game.
It is the little things he does, like always picking his teammaters up off the floor, the focus he has at the free throw line, the playing point guard for almost 4 minutes in the fourth quarter when starter Sam Cassell rested a sore back. A sore back, Garnett should be the one resting his sore back for carrying this team. Not once in the second half did you see him look at Coach Flip Saunders and ask for a breather, he didn't need it, great players don't need a breather they need to win the game. Garnett has stamped his place in NBA lore, you will watch this game on ESPN Classic years from now, and they will not call it Game 7 they will call it the Garnett Game. The media the fans everyones said the pressure was on him, he is the MVP he has to lead his team to victory in a game like this. Well Garnett has finally silenced all his critics, they have nothing to say anymore.
He will now take on the Lakers in the Western Finals and by no means will I count him out. This series may come down to which great player wants it more, Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home