You have to love Kevin Garnett. Who doesn't love KG? I mean really.... what's not to love? He is a perennial 20 and 10 player, lock for the Hall-of-Fame, he has a tremendous work ethic, he is highly marketable, seems like a good guy, and you never hear about him with any run-ins with the law - ever.

So, after many arguments about whether or not KG should be considered a role player with my good friend (let's call him CB). What would leave CB saying "he [KG] never asked for any of this"?

For everything KG has given to the game it might be what he is not giving to the game that will be what he is remembered for. Obviously, the Celtics are a much better team with KG than withouth KG, much like any team would be. There is no doubt in my mind that KG is the biggest reason the Celtics have made it to the NBA championship. He is a former league MVP, future Hall-of-Famer and one of the faces of the NBA. Has there been a commercial break in the playoffs that doesn't have KG commercial in it?

As much pub as KG gets outside of the game with his Gatorade commercials, his ESPN commercials, and of course his NBA commercials, the pub that he will be most remembered for is his lack of that 'killer instinct'.

I moved to the Minneapolis area at the tail-end of Kevin Garnett's career with the Timberwolves. Although, the national media has sporadically brought it up in the past, the local Minneapolis media openly ripped Garnett reguarly for his lack of 4th quarter closing ability. I wasn't really that aware of KG's problems closing out games until I moved here. What I found out was that it is well know locally that KG shoud not be a go-to-guy in the fourth quarter in games that matter.

KG is an openly emotional guy - can't really question that. In fact, you should respect that. That's why I am such a big Dick Vermeil fan. However, you would think that excessive chest-thumping, hand clapping, face contourting growl of emotion that KG exhibits on a nightly basis would translate into four quarters of inspired basketball, on the contrary - it has not. And I am not the only one noticing KG's disappearance in fourth quarters:

"KG has performed ordinary at best in the series against the Cavs [2nd round of playoffs]"
TheBigLead.com

"the three defeats in Atlanta [opening round of playoffs] did bring up two major concerns that have lingered in Boston all season: Kevin Garnett's inability to produce in fourth quarters....."
- ESPN.com

"Garnett has been heavily criticized throughout his career for disappearing in fourth quarters of close games. While at times that's been a bum rap, it was palpable down the stretch of Game 6."
- ESPN.com

"...we're still waiting for Kevin Garnett to take control of the series. Or maybe just one game. Or perhaps a single fourth quarter."
- Dan Shaughnessy - Columnist for the Boston Globe June 12, 2008


I have always thought KG was kind of 'soft' when it came down to going-toe-to-toe with someone or something on-the-line. Evidence of this is when people don't back down from KG, exhibit 'A' - Zaza Pachulia, which somehow lead to this as an in-game motivational clip, we think. Then there would be Exhibit 'B' - Antonio McDyess, and of course the Anthony Peeler 'elbow' in the 2004 playoffs. In every event when a man steps to KG, he backs down. It's not that I am condoning fighting. I would most certainly scream like a 'school-girl' if any of these men got in my face and if anybody would ask if I was screaming, I would just say I was whistling.

As a professional athlete that gets paid to do this, in the heat of battle you have to toe-the-line and you can't back down or you have already lost. Whatever happened to "I'm ready for war"? All I am saying is that nobody is mistaking KG for a player in Al Pacino's locker room.

Which brings me back to my argument with my good friend CB. CB thinks that we have all wanted too much out of KG and that he is just not that player. My argument is that he hasn't given us enough yet. I think most of us want more out of KG. I know the Celtics organization wants more out him because he is making $23.8 million this season, and I know for a fact Doc Rivers wants more out of him. "We've got to get Kevin going. Clearly.", Rivers stated. Even Phil Jackson had something to say about KG's fall off the face of the fourth quarter after game 3 of the finals, "I just think that Kevin kind of ran out of gas. It looked like he was gassed sometime in the fourth quarter."

I want more out of him. As of this point in the playoffs Gatorade used the wrong guy. We have all seen the "League of clutch" Gatorade commercial that states "Every game needs a hero".

Well, CB for KG's sake I hope he proves me wrong. I hope he has enough 'gas'. I hope he doesn't back down and I hope he puts his life on the line for that inch.

Game 4 in Los Angeles:

Coverage starts at 7:30 PM Central on ABC