Boston Celtics Will Never Forget, Anything is Possible

Kevin Garnett’s retirement is a great reminder of his three words that will never be forgotten in Boston.

Kevin Garnett spent the bulk of his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but had an impact on the Boston Celtics that will be felt forever. Garnett spent just six seasons with the Celtics but he captivated the franchise in the fans in a way that no one else could. Everyone knows that Garnett was always the most beloved teammates while being the the most hated opponent. He embodied so much of what has made the Celtics the greatest franchise in the history of the NBA, and they may still be searching for banner 17 if not for him.

After 21 straight seasons without a championship, Garnett was the reminder that the Celtics needed. He reminded them of the things that allowed them to be so successful in the past, he reminded them of what it takes win a championship and truly be great.

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The most lasting image of Garnett’s time with the Celtics was the three words following that championship win that no one will ever forget.

Garnett joined the Celtics looking to finally capture the championship that eluded him for so many years, and at the same time he was looking to end the longest championship drought in the history of the most successful franchise.

Paul Pierce was always the face of the franchise, but Garnett was the heart and the soul. he was the leader, the tone setter and there is no one else more responsible for instilling a championship mentality into that core of players.

One of the most uniquely great aspects of Garnett was how quickly he adopted the same mentality that was instilled by the greatest winner in the history of professional sports, Bill Russell. Garnett joined the Celtics as the premier superstar in the league. The former MVP and defensive player of the year was one of the most prolific players on both ends of the court. He was always the most dominant player on the court and he was always the player the Timberwolves wanted to be attacking.

Garnet had nine straight seasons with at least 20 points per game prior to joining the Celtics, who also happened to have Ray Allen and Pierce. Garnett was the most unique scoring forward the league had ever seen, but he did not need to think twice about taking a back seat on the offensive end. Being the perfect teammate can mean so many different things in sports, and Garnett truly possessed all those qualities. He understood that he needed to change his role for the Celtics in order for them to be at their best, even if he was fully capable of being that go to scorer.

That kind of sacrifice is the exact reminder that the Celtics franchise needed. Pierce was already building a hall of fame resume before Garnett joined them, but it was not until they acquired him that they were playing with the mentality that was crucial to both of the previous Celtics dynasties.

When Russell and the Celtics of the 1960’s were winning every single championship, Russell was never the leading scorer. He never needed the ball in his hands and he always embraced the number one thing, playing as a team. The Celtics established the greatest dynasty in the history of sports because the number one priority was always making the necessary sacrifices and doing whatever it took to win, and that is exactly what Garnett did for the Celtics.

Garnett knew that Pierce and Allen could give the Celtics the offense they needed, and he certainly helped tremendously in that area. That being said, Garnett knew that defense was going to be his calling card with the Celtics. Defense is where he needed to be the best player on the court at all times and defense is where he imposed his will. Garnett was revolutionary in what he was able to do with his mid range jumper, but defense is what separated him as the premier power forward in his prime.

Garnett dominated in ways that will never show up in the box score. The fear he instilled in opponents will never be quantified and he anchored the interior the same way Russell did, and the same way Kevin McHale and Robert Parish did with Larry Bird.

Garnett had the talent to do so much more in the box score for the Celtics, but they would not have won a championship if he played with that mentality. When Garnett belted out “Anything is Possible” following the championship win, he captured something that describes so much more than just that team and just that win.

Year after year the most talented players in the world end their season without a win. Talent is necessary but it will only take you so far. Garnett knew that the Celtics had more than enough talent, but that talent alone is not what ensured that “Anything is Possible”. For Garnett, and for the majority of the greatest winners in the history of the Celtics, “Anything is Possible” is what they could accomplish playing as one. When the immensely talented players were willing to make the sacrifices, when they were willing to take the more difficult and less immediately rewarding path, that is when they realized that “Anything is Possible”.

Garnett did things on the court that no one had ever seen before and may never see again, but that is not what defined his career. Garnett is the kind of leader that commanded respect and in return gave those teammates that stood by him anything they could have needed. There will never be another player more hated by his opponents and there will never be another player more loved by his teammates and it is not a coincidence that those go together. The toughness and intensity that Garnett played with separated him from anyone else, and gave him the kind of advantage that allowed him to be so dominant.

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Garnett is the kind of player that anyone would dream of playing alongside and that is because he made it abundantly clear that he would fight harder and sacrifice more than anyone else on the court. Garnett’s legacy has long been set in stone and it is the kind of legacy that cannot ever be forgotten. In Boston, and in the rest of the league, Garnett is the standard for what is means to be a teammate and a leader, and as long as his kind of impact is never forgotten, one thing will always remain true “Anything is Possible”.

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