NBA Playoffs 2012: Kevin Garnett's Vintage Performance Carries Celtics

Did the Boston Celtics invest in a time machine? How else can you explain a 35-year-old 17-year veteran who exudes every ounce of energy and passion he possesses into each and every play, putting up a performance like Kevin Garnett displayed in Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks?

We expected Rajon Rondo to carry the Celtics after his much criticized turnover to end Game 5. Whenever he’s been pushed against a wall, Rondo’s always responded with a dominant showing to prove all his doubters wrong.

Rondo had a very good game but not a transcendent one. He put up 14 points and eight assists and showed flashes of brilliance, but was not at his best for all of Game 6.  

Paul Pierce has always played his best during the playoffs, and especially in series-clinching games. Pierce did score 18 points, but it was apparent that his knee injury slowed him down and he was not able to carry the team on his back as he has done time and time again.

The Celtics desperately needed someone to step up. If you told me before Game 6 that neither Rondo nor Pierce was the game’s best player, I would have bet anything the Celtics lost.  

The team turned to its emotional leader, whose acquisition back in 2007 transformed the Celtics back into a perennial contender.

Kevin Garnett didn’t just have a good game for an aging big man. He had a performance that would have made the 2003 MVP Garnett envious.  

It wasn’t just the numbers, but just to put his performance in context, the numbers were eye-popping. Garnett scored 28 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, snagged three steals and also added five blocks.

The 28 points and five blocks were both season highs for Garnett, and the 14 rebounds tied his best showing on the boards this season.

Garnett’s aggressiveness was what stood out the most. Instead of focusing on moving the ball around and only taking shots in the flow of the offense, Garnett looked for his own shots, and he did so because that was exactly what his team needed him to do in order to win.

He didn’t float away from the basket. He worked for position in the post and became the focal point of the team’s offense.

When the Celtics' offense became stagnant, Garnett called for the ball and took care of business. He realized that Pierce wasn’t 100 percent and that he was their best scoring option, particularly when things broke down.

Personally, I’m surprised that Garnett isn’t this aggressive all the time. He has such great size and length and amazing touch around the basket, making him a terror for any defender to deal with.  

The fact is that Garnett likes to defer to his teammates, and his unselfishness allows them to flourish while he takes open shots within the offensive flow. However, when the team truly needs him to step up, he is more than willing to take over.

Garnett’s defense is something that is often taken for granted. He’s their unquestioned defensive anchor and leads them with his passion and relentlessness.

Watching Garnett play defense is a thing of beauty. Whether it’s hedging a screen, stepping in and taking a charge or protecting the rim, Garnett always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and it’s no accident.

People think that defense is all about athleticism and tenacity. Those definitely are big parts of it, but players who want to be elite defensively need to put the time in watching film and honing their craft like Garnett does year in and year out.

It may appear that Garnett raised his defensive effort to another level because of his five blocks and three steals. The fact of the matter is that this is what Garnett does every single game, and what he’s been doing every year since he entered the league.  

Garnett is far from done. The soon-to-be 36-year-old big man may be winding down his Hall of Fame career, but he is still more than able to put up big performances like he did in the Celtics' Game 6 clincher against the Hawks.