NBA Playoffs: Kevin Garnett Continues to Turn Back the Clock for the Celtics

Kevin Garnett has been the best big man in the playoffs so far, and at his best, he has been arguably the best player in the playoffs.

Along the way, doubters have pointed to Garnett's age as an indication he can't dominate, but KG has proved these doubters wrong.

Tonight, he silenced the critics yet again, with another throwback 27-point, 13-rebound performance on 12-of-17 shooting with four assists and a steal. This performance comes on the heels of a great fourth quarter by the Big Ticket in Game 2.

In fact, in the past five quarters, Garnett has scored 38 points on 17-of-24 shooting.

These five quarters have been no fluke though. During the postseason, KG is averaging a little over 20 points and 11 rebounds a game. Not only is Garnett just putting up big scoring numbers, his scoring has been as efficient as anyone, as he's shooting 55.1 percent during the playoffs.

If we look at all nine games he has played in the playoffs, he has had three MVP-like performances, with 27-, 28- and 29-point games. He also has two great games with 20 points, three solid games with 15 or more points and just one game that could be considered below average in which he scored just 13 points.

That one "bad" game came in a blowout win for the Celtics, where Garnett did not need to play a lot of minutes or shoot much. In fact, he shot 6-of-8 from the floor in that game. So really, KG has yet to have a bad game in these playoffs. How many other players can you say that about?

With KG, it's not all about scoring and rebounding. His most important contribution on the floor every night is his defense.

Defense is hard to measure quantitatively, especially for an individual player, but for KG, a good gauge is the total of points the Celtics give up. This is a good way to calculate it because Garnett is really the defensive captain for the C's, and he dictates how the defense and rotations are run.

Considering the Celtics have held their opponents to less than 90 points in every game but one in these playoffs, I would say that Garnett has done a pretty solid job running the defense. 

For the Celtics, KG has been the MVP on the defensive and offensive side of the ball. He is playing like it's 2004 again and giving the Celtics new life in these playoffs. Despite what doubters will likely continue to say, Garnett can continue to dominate on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis and will continue to do so until the final bell sounds on the Celtics' season.

And with the way he is playing, the final bell on the Celtics' season could be followed by another "anything is possible" moment from the Big Ticket.