KG Reaches Milestone

The first thing I will say is that’s it’s always fun to watch the Boston Celtics thrash the Los Angeles Lakers, no matter where and when the game is. The matchup doesn’t have the same significance as it did in Bird/Magic era of the 80s, but it’s been rejuvenated in the past few years with two finals matchups in 2008 and 2010. Both veteran teams are suffering from injuries, but Thursday’s matchup wasn’t even close, with the Celtics scoring 37 points in the third quarter. I blame Dwight Howard’s lackluster play. Plus “Metta World-Peace” went 2-13 from the field. Who would ever allow the artist formerly known as Ron Artest to take 13 shots in a game? As a Celtics fan, I’m not complaining.

During the game, Kevin Garnett became the 16^th player in NBA history to reach 25,000 points on one of his signature, mid-range turnaround jumpers with a defender in his face. He joins a list that includes fellow forwards Jerry West, John Havlicek and Elvin Hayes. What’s more impressive with passing that milestone is that Garnett is the first player in NBA history with 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 1,500 blocks and 1,500 steals.

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What does this say about Garnett’s legacy? These days in the NBA, a player’s greatness is usually measured in championships more than statistics. Karl Malone and Charles Barkley were two of the best power forwards to ever play the game, but where do they rank all-time? Even though they had to contend with Michael Jordan, its arguable they don’t rank with some of their contemporaries such as Garnett, Tim Duncan and even Dirk Nowitzki because they were eluded an NBA title.

But it’s hard to ignore Garnett’s other accomplishments. He was the first player in 20 years to successfully make the jump from high school to the NBA, leading a trend that lasted for the next 10 years until the league changed the eligibility rule in 2005. He led the Minnesota Timberwolves to their only eight playoff appearances in franchise history, with a rotating cast of teammates that included Stephon Marbury, Wally Szczerbiak and Latrell Sprewell. With the trade to the Celtics in 2007, he reinvigorated the franchise, instilling his mantra of defense and toughness that brought Boston its first title in 22 years. That year he won defensive player of the year, and has been on the NBA All-Defense 1^st Team nine times, and was the league MVP in 2004. And then there’s this.

Some could argue that the style of play Garnett introduced when he entered the league was bad for the game, being a seven footer that played away from the basket. Due to his trash talking, he is probably one of the most disliked players in the league. When your team is playing against him, you probably hate him too. But if these stats prove anything, it’s that Garnett is one of the most versatile players the NBA has ever seen. It will be a long time, if ever, that we come across another player of his caliber.