KG is the Key to the Series
Kevin GarnettGuns blazing, Kevin Garnett came out of the gates last night shooting the rock on virtually every touch. Less than a minute in, he sunk an 18-footer, and dropped in a 6-footer in the paint 35 seconds later. By the end of the first quarter, he was 4-7 from the floor, and the Celtics were in the driver’s seat up 22-17.
But as he’s been criticized during the playoffs, there was a point during the second quarter where KG became a “multi-millionaire bouncer, setting picks for others but leaving himself too far from the fray,” as the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett writes.
“You know, I thought we went through one stretch in the second quarter where we went away from that and got jump shot happy, pick-and-roll happy,” said Doc Rivers. And Kevin was part of that. He was one of the guys running out, setting picks instead of getting back in our offense and getting down low. We wanted to get him down there more and we wanted to get Paul down there more.
It took until Boston surrendered their lead for the first time for KG to snap back to primal scream mode. After Detroit went up 37-34, KG closed the half with five of the Celts last seven points. And then he became the fray, running a two-man game with Rajon Rondo for an easy dunk in the lane at the start of the 3rd. A couple of trips later, he and Pierce tangoed on the perimeter, and KG knocked down an open 20-footer off a dish from Pierce.
When he’s looking for blood, KG makes the Celtics nearly unbeatable. When he’s taking a back seat, the Celtics look halfway lost on offense, passively passing up open looks.
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May 21st, 2008 at 11:50 am
Damon says:
that’s probably the story of his career offensively. great numbers and all, but sometimes he isn’t aggressive enough. I would go further and say he shouldn’t be aggressive settling jumpers and fade aways. he should drive a lot more since he got trouble posting up because he is relatively thin.but his advantages are athleticism, length and quickness.he should use them more
May 21st, 2008 at 11:53 am
Prof. TX says:
There were alot of moments where it looked like nobody wanted to shoot. Guys would catch the ball and immediately pass in a second or less without even checking to see if they had a good look.
May 21st, 2008 at 11:56 am
Sam I Am says:
I love KG…don’t know why people say he disappears or go soft (backseat)…
He always gives it all, and he takes the shot when he can get it. It’s not like he has the handles to creat his own.
His shot is back to rim, turn-around release or spot up 16-18.5 feet.
So let him be
May 21st, 2008 at 12:03 pm
K Dizzle says:
These articles rippin on KG are startin to border on ridiculous. Dude is not a gunner. Throughout a 13 year career, he’ll give you an efficient 20 pts on 10-12 shots. Why these “genius” writers suddenly expect him to become Allen Iverson after 13 years make no sense. If Ray Allen was himself so those passes to him which he’s been drainin for 13 years were assists, we wouldn’t be hearin this junk
Lakeshow ignition tonight!!!
May 21st, 2008 at 12:05 pm
hahns says:
sam i am. the guy is 7 feet tall and mobile as hell. he shouldnt be settling for that shot. its the same reason sheed gets busted for shooting threes, they can both be more aggressive and control the game more, but they take jumpers instead.
obviously having a offensive move like that (the turnaround fade/spot up) is a huge asset, but itll be even more effective if he can mix that in w/ more aggressive moves bc then its a mixed bag and defenders wont know what hes going to do.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
K Dizzle has made the most since out of anybody on here. KG’s my favorite player…it’s just not his game to jack up shots. His naturally and unselfish player and always has been. Did you see the dimes he was dropping to KP how can you complain about that? That’s the way basketball is played!!!
May 21st, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Octopus Jonny says:
KG was great last night. How about Sheed doing pretty much nothing and the Pistons never having anyone in the paint on the offensive end? Somebody needs to take a belt to Sheed to get him to come inside the 3 point line!
May 21st, 2008 at 12:20 pm
hahns says:
and its not that they want him to be a gunner, its that when its crunch time, the guy does not have that go to move to rely on to manufacture a bucket. hes consistently 15 feet away from the basket taken a fadeaway…is that the shot you want when your team NEEDS a basket??
not me.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:56 pm
karizmatic says:
I agree hahns…all you guys saying KG is not a gunner are missing the point. KG is 6’11 there is no reason his go to shot should be an 18-20 ft jumper. You want to know the reason the Ray Allen has been cold? KG is taking his shots. KG is a power forward, he should be playing in the post back to the basket and going to his fadaway, a hook shot, or making a power move to the basket, ala Tim Duncan, he is every bit as good as TD. If he wants to play high post he should drive to the basket. (despite what some of you think he has pretty good handles) or settle for the occassional jumpshot. Asking him to do this is not asking him to be a gunner or to be Allen Iverson. It is asking him to play good fundamental basketball on offense. As we saw last night Boston has the talent to be unstoppable when KG plays good post up basketball. If he does this he will draw the double teams that will make not only Ray Allen’s life easier, but Pierce, Rondo, and House’s as well. The fact that KG is all finesse, a jump shooter, and unwilling to take physical contact in the clutch, are the main reasons why he’s been unable to win in the post season up until now. He was one of my favorites until I realized this. The same goes for any other so-called power forwards who are 6″10 and above and would rather shoot jumpers than take high percentage shots. Notably Rasheed (how he only averages 13 pts is a mystery to me), and Dirk Nowitzki, along with KG.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:39 pm
DaPro says:
KG game is to post you up and over power you. It’s never been like that. I’ll admit he should look to put the ball on the floor and get a little closer to the basket but his game is fine.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Zaddups says:
I fully agree with Karizmatic! Garnett is too big to not want to get inside and create contact despite his slender frame..He has to be willing to take some punishment inside. The reason Garnett’s teams can’t usually get over the hump is that by him shooting fadeaways…it doesn’t put pressure on the defence and he doesn’t force them to foul him. This lack of building up fouls on the opposition from the 1st quarter on means that his teams take much longer to get into a bonus free throw shooting advantage. Also, if he did use more drop step moves and up-fakes closer to the basket the fouls would pile up on the starter he faced then forcing the opposing team to put in the 2nd string PF or center to guard him…which Garnett would proceed to eat up even more on offense. I don’t like any PF shooting jump shots in the clutch…especially in a tight playoff game. I am in Toronto and that jump shot Bosh tried to hit with Toronto down 1 and Howard guarding him made me livid. In a close situation down the stretch a PF should be making sure he draws a foul to get to the line…not taking a bail out jumper to win it. Bosh is starting to be softer and softer…now implementing a 3 pointer in his game so he will be spending even less time in the paint getting banged. It’s a copout for a 7 footer to resort to jumpers.
Garnett’s time has come to sacrifice his body somewhat in order to build up fouls on the opposing team…only then will he be able to get that ring he has desired for his whole career.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:49 pm
hahns says:
i dont think the question is if his game is “fine.” we can all agree that it is. if it wasnt he woulndt be one of the best pf’s all time and a perenial all star…
but to get to that next level, to win game sevens, win conference finals- a guy has got to be a dependable offensive weapon so that when youre down 2 w/ 1:30 left in the game, your team can give you the ball and not have to wonder.
to get past this hump in his career, which i will admit is not all his fault, he needs to man up
May 21st, 2008 at 1:51 pm
karizmatic says:
KG’s game is not fine. Well I take that back his game is fine. But his mentality on offense is completely backwards. I wish the KG we saw last night was the KG we see every night.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
karizmatic says:
Thank you Zaddups and Hahns. You guys actually know something about basketball. I thought I was going crazy for a moment.
May 21st, 2008 at 2:06 pm
DaPro says:
You catz expect a guy who played with finesse his entire career to suddenly flip and start backing every down and scoring “shaq” style???
That’s not KG’s game. He needs to get the ball early in the offense when he has his man sealed, if he doesn’t get the ball before he locks the defender in then he drifts to the perimeter and shoots the long 2.
That’s his game, that’s how it’s been. It’s not changing.
How can you say he isn’t a dependable weapon??
May 21st, 2008 at 2:26 pm
karizmatic says:
He doesn’t have to score Shaq style. Take a look at Olajuwon’s highlight reel if you want to know what KG had the potential and still has the talent to be. He is not dependable because if you shoot jumpers all game your game depends on your legs, later in the game that same jumpshot that was going in has less probability of going in due to fatigue. So you have to take a couple of steps in. In addition a jump shooter does not get to the foul line. So he doesn’t put pressure on the defense and doesn’t score easily. This makes him more tired because he has to exert too much energy to score. In the playoffs these details become paramount. This is why KG is not a dependable scorer in during the playoffs.
May 21st, 2008 at 2:47 pm
K Dizzle says:
Comparin KG to Olajuwon is like comparin Tim Duncan to Shaq. I don’t feel the obsession for heads to expect a dude to change his game after over a decade cuz of his height. GP got a better postgame than KG, that was his game. Same with Cassell, Billups. You use your advantage. KG came in as the most athletic 6’11 in the league since maybe Tom Chambers. He beat players with quickness and drives to the tin.He averaged 20, 12, and 5 playin his game with junk teams. As he got older, he’s moved his game outside some, but he’s never had a post up game, he ain’t Tim Duncan. Dude ran the point against the Lakers in his mvp season during the playoffs. Read that again. A 7-footer runnin the point, settin up plays. He’s done more defensively for a former lottery team than any dude I can think off. Sayin he ain’t dependable cuz he shoots js and he fatigues so his shots don’t fall is junk. Nobody’s ever talked about dude’s conditioning cuz he’s been goin full-throttle for 13 years. Now, all the sudden, he’s shootin js and gettin tired? Kobe shoots js, MJ shot js, Robert Horry been killin with 3s. How come nobody ever says “Horry needs to develop a post-game?” Cuz that’s not his game. It’s not a coincidence that after KG came into the l, big guys started workin on they all-around game and movin away from the bucket, workin on ball-handling. After 13 years, expectin dude to become Olajuwon in the post is luda. Hakeem played soccer as a kid and anybody tryin to match that footwork is dreamin. Nobody, in the history of the game can do what hakeem did with his feet as a postplayer. Why anybody think KG can? Be happy with his version of the dream shake.Real ballers know the only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is whether or not it goes in. point blank
May 21st, 2008 at 3:06 pm
karizmatic says:
That’s a funny response K Dizzle. You are right. KG never had a post game, it doesn’t change the fact that he should have one, and yes he should have one because of his height. In fact every player should have a post game actually, but if you are 6’9 or taller you should definitely have a post game. I’ll even go so far as to say if Lebron wants to be a more successful player he would develop a post game instead of shooting ill advised 3′s when his team is only down one.
All I’m saying is that had KG worked at his footwork and post game the way he worked on his jumper he could be comparable to Olajuwon, at least he would have a serviceable post game. And I disagree. 6’11 guys working on their all around game didn’t happen because of KG. It happened because of 2 things.
1. The emergence of Jordan as the leagues best player. (Obviously he’s a perimeter player and not a post guy)
2. The emergence of the European game in which it is quite common for a guy who is 6’10 to have no post game and a sweet jumpshot. I don’t have to give examples it’s common knowledge.
Finally about KG, at this point in his career he is not driving to the basket, if he was I wouldn’t say anything. Even the so-called experts are beginning to refer to him as primarily a jump shooter. That’s not a compliment, it’s an insult. But like you said KG gave 13 years to the league, so that would put him in the league about 95 96, right about when Jordan was the leagues best player. Take a close look at Garnett’s offensive game, see any similarities? The fadeaway, the hesitation moves off the dribble. He was obviously influenced greatly by Jordan. So he is a 6’11 dude trying to play the game a 6’6 guy played. That’s a big problem.
Furthermore besides Jordan and Isiah, name a perimeter player that won a championship without having a legitimate post threat on his team? Even Jordan had a post game. And if he didn’t he took the ball to the basket enough to draw the necessary fouls. Garnett does none of this. Also you say the man was the most athletic big guy since Tom Chambers, and he beat guys with quickness and all that, but he couldn’t approach Olajuwon’s ability? But he could play point guard? You are contradicting yourself.
In any case I guess my final point is this if you are 6’11 an 18 ft fadeaway is not a good shot for you. Read the above article even Doc Rivers knows that KG should be in the post, not drifting to the perimeter. An 18-20 ft fadeaway is a low percentage shot, especially when you have the quickness, height, and talent to get right to the front of the rim. Remember what your junior high coach told you or your rec league coach told you. You go to the basket you make a lay up or you get fouled. That is the fundamental rule that should guide any player taller than 6’9. That’s just good basketball.
May 21st, 2008 at 3:11 pm
DaPro says:
KDizzle- I’m with you brotha
karizmatic- you can make an arguement for every big that doesn’t have a post game. That’s not his game
Is your argument that all players over 6’9 should be able to post?
So all players under 6’9 should be on the perimeter?
An 18-20 ft. shoot isn’t low percentage if you can easily get the shoot over the defender. Check his percentage money
May 21st, 2008 at 3:39 pm
karizmatic says:
Yes I am asserting as I said ALL players should develop a post game. If you are above 6’9 you SHOULD DEFINITELY have a post game. Why? Because of what K Dizzle himself said…you use your advantage. Height is an advantage. Why take a shot 18-20 ft from the basket when you can take one 8-10 ft from the basket? Which one is more likely to go in? Basketball is a simple sport. I can check the man’s percentage, I know it’s around .500. That’s not altogether the point. How about you check what it is in the fourth quarter when it counts? Again 18-20 ft is always a low percentage shot when you could have an 8-10 foot shot and are more likely to get fouled the closer you are to the basket. But I’m not saying he should never take an 18-20 ft shot. I’m only saying that shouldn’t be the main part of his game.
Oh yeah and no all players under 6’9 should not be on the perimeter. ALL players should have a post game and I’m putting whoever has the height and/or strength advantage in the post. Out of the post I can generat a double team, and get wide open shots for my shooters if I want to get 18-20 footers. If not I’ll continue to abuse the other team with my height and/or strength advantage. This is why if you have a tall skilled player and he has no post game he is not as useful as one that does.
May 21st, 2008 at 4:16 pm
GEE...Old skool plaiyas to new skool fools.. says:
KG is the key and I am hoping he will do his thing. So far game 1 a success!
May 21st, 2008 at 4:27 pm
hahns says:
i think we’re missing the point here…
saying KG needs to be more aggressive and putting the ball on the floor/postin up closer to the basket is akin to saying sheed should do the same AND is akin to saying bron needs to develop a better jumper.
its just recomendations to have a more complete/dominating game. how many stories have been written saying sheed could have been the all time greats if he didnt settle for 3pters and asserted himself every game?
its the same thing w/ kg.
and kg DOES have a post game, problem is he posts up 15 feet away from the hoop when he should be getting closer. if he can manage this, boston’s offense will be that much more potent.
the question isnt: “is kg’s game nice?”
its: “what is keeping kg from elevating to the next level?”
May 21st, 2008 at 4:33 pm
karizmatic says:
I can get with that Hahns. lol “KG does have a post game, the problem is he posts up 15 feet away from the hoop.” I love it. However if you don’t post up on the block can we really say you have a post game?
May 21st, 2008 at 4:35 pm
DaPro says:
Yoooo I hear you but I can’t feel you bro.
Read the above post about his post game
He can’t over power his defender
He likes to catch the ball a good distance away to maximize spacing on the floor
He faces up the defender to see the cutters
He drifts away from the post and goes to the perimeter if he doesn’t receive the ball
He works from the outside in. Many players do the same but he is effective in his game
I can’t knock him for being effective in his style
May 21st, 2008 at 4:46 pm
hahns says:
haha point taken karizmatic. when i refer to post game is pretty much playing w/ your back to the basket. maybe its too vague of a definition.
but im still gona say for KG to become a more dominating offenseive presence, he needs to be more aggressive and get deeper
May 21st, 2008 at 4:50 pm
DaPro says:
Aggressive yes I’d give you that
but no way he backs down his defender on every play, he can’t out muscle sheed
May 21st, 2008 at 5:06 pm
karizmatic says:
You don’t have to back down on every possession Pro. Okay you can’t overpower your defender but you are 6’11 good point. Does that mean you shoot 18 ft jumpers? No. You are still quick enough and tall enough to get to the basket. You can turn and face on the low block too you know. Develop a hook shot and use that, pump fake to get the defender off balance, all this can be done in the post, and I know KG can do that, I saw it last night. Also that’s what high post is for. Switch to the high post and take your man off the dribble. Again I’m not saying he shouldn’t shoot a jumper ever, I am saying he shoots way too many and his game is way too passive for someone who is supposed to be playing power forward at this level. His style is effective, but it is incomplete. Also you know you can do it backwards and set up the drive with the jumpshot, but since KG rarely drives his game becomes one dimensional. He basically bails the defense out by being passive.
May 21st, 2008 at 6:26 pm
doc says:
KG is a pussy in the clutch.Thats all that matters.
May 21st, 2008 at 6:49 pm
K Dizzle says:
One more time. Anybody ever say Robert Horry should post up? Every player is different. When a dude comes in dunkin on everyone and is strictly a transitional or post up big man, they say he should develop a jumpshot to “diversify his game” and make him harder to guard (Barkley, Malone, Kemp, Amare, KG, Ewing, McHale, Zo, Lucas, Robinson, Hakeem, Ewing, Kareem, LJ, Sheed, DWest, Booze, Bosh – the list goes on for days and is in every era)
When that player develops a jumper that they become confident in, critics say the player gotta get “closer to the hoop” cuz big guys aren’t supposed to float.
It’s a no-win situation. Eveybody wants a Tim Duncan or a Shaq in they prime, but the problem is those two come around once in a lifetime
May 21st, 2008 at 9:34 pm
karizmatic says:
Horry is not a dominant player…we are talking about dominant players here. Technically Horry should have a post up game and he was actually pretty effective in his prime taking it to the basket. Horry also played small forward most of his career. But in the power forward position you don’t necessarily need a jump shot to be dominant. What you absolutely need to be dominant (and by dominant I mean championship ring possessing) is a post up game. As a power forward your game is in the post first and then if you want you can develop a jumper. Normally those guys develop jumpers because if they receive the ball anywhere outside 8-10 feet the defense is going to sag off, or if you happen to run into someone stronger than you some other moves are useful to have. For instance Dwight Howard is wickedly dominant without a jumpshot, once he learns to spot the open shooter he won’t need to have a jump shot. Post guys usually develop a jumpshot later in their career because they are tired of the constant banging in the post, but that doesn’t prevent them from utilizing their post game in crunch time. Guys like Garnett have it backwards. I stand by my point with his skill set Garnett is every bit as good as Duncan, what he lacks is Tim Duncan’s mind set. Even David West is more willing to bang in the post than Garnett and he’s 6’8. The power forward position was invented for post scoring, you ever wonder why none of these “dominant” jump shooting power forwards have any rings? Their style of play has a lot to do with it. Sadly, even if Garnett wins a ring this year it will probably be Pierce that carries the team as opposed to him.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:32 am
Common Sense says:
karizmatik is full o shit
smell a kg hater from miles away
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
karizmatic says:
lol. KG hater huh? I’m just telling the truth, I actually like KG.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
bicarad says:
None of the shooting PF’s have rings? like Sheed and Horry right. Just because a player isn’t defined by traditional basketball rules dosn’t mean there isn’t a position where he can be dominant.
Celtic/KG fans would like to see him get to the rack more often, and if he did he would be a more complete player. Then again, his advantages are height for his level of quickness…so posting up out farther, or bringing out the big guarding him is probably beneficial to his game style.