The ticket to success

When the final buzzer sounded in South Beach on June 9, many wondered whether it would be the final game of Kevin Garnett's storied career. His 17th season had just come to a close, a stint in which the Big Ticket compiled achievements such as an MVP award, an NBA championship, and 14 trips to the All-Star game. Throughout the 2011-2012 campaign, there were many whispers and rumors that Garnett was preparing for this to be the final chapter of his illustrious NBA career.

As the offseason began, the question on everyone's mind was whether KG would return. President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge knew that it all started with Garnett. “What made it a little bit easier for us was KG was the main piece,” Ainge said. “For a lot of reasons, but the replacement possibilities for KG were slim. We felt like that was big. If we get KG back, we have a chance of still being a good team.” If Garnett were to retire, one can't help but wonder what this team would look like today. Paul Pierce may not have been here, Ray Allen would for sure have been gone, and maybe even Rajon Rondo's name would've been dangled in trade rumors. Nonetheless, Garnett was the domino that would either fall and knock down every other piece, or stay standing with all the others still in place.

But now that he has returned on a three-year deal -- something that Garnett acknowledges he had no idea how Ainge talked him into -- what can we expect from Garnett going forward? He's the team's oldest player -- he's also logged 50,600 minutes in his career including the playoffs -- and he will be 39-years-old at the end of this contract. But at this point, it's pretty clear that he has been -- and always will be -- without question the MVP of this team.

And Wednesday night proved that point. Garnett did his usual hooting and hollering on defense, spent a ton of time on the low block grabbing rebounds, and took the shots that the Wizards defense gave him. But when it came time for Garnett to take his usual rest -- all part of his 5-5-5 plan -- the team looked lost. Players were out of position defensively, and there was no flow or rhythm to the game at all. With Garnett on the floor, everything looks so crisp, and when someone screws up, you better believe that Garnett will be the first one to let that person know.

"He's our life. He does so many things that don't have numbers [attached]
to it." -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers

It should be noted that Garnett did not want to go anywhere else. For him, it was either return to Boston or retire. He cited his reasons for staying at media day. KG said, "My number one reason for coming back was Doc, the guys, the city, the fans."

Doc Rivers simply but effectively summed up KG's importance after game five of last year's Eastern Conference finals in Miami: “He's our life. He does so many things that don’t have numbers [attached] to it.”

Ever since he was acquired on July 31, 2007,  Garnett has been the heart of this team. Trading for Ray Allen made the Celtics a playoff team; trading for Garnett made them a championship contender. Basketball in Boston has been revived to it's former state of royalty, similar to the glory days of the old "Big Three." As for Garnett, helped lead the single biggest turnaround in NBA history as he, Allen, and Pierce lifted the Celtics from the depths of a 24-win season to an impressive 66 win season in 2007-2008. They have made it to at least the second round of the playoffs in each of the past five seasons, and as of Friday morning, the Celtics regular season record with Garnett is 275-123. Seems to be kind of important, no?

Many have anointed Rajon Rondo as the leader of this time, a sentiment Rondo echoed on WEEI yesterday afternoon. "Actually, last year, the Big Three and I had a meeting at the start of the season in Doc's offense. They told me they gave me the keys last year. I just want to continue to grow as a player and as a leader on this team, being more consistent everyday on and off the court." While Rondo may be the leader, one thing should not be mistaken: if they were to lose Kevin Garnett, the Celtics would be done, finished, cooked.

One stat that can attest to this is plus/minus. Much was made out of KG's ridiculous plus/minus during last year's playoffs. The C's were a +1,387 with him on the court, and when he was off the floor they were a -1,249. He led the team with a +138: the next closest was +68 from Avery Bradley. So far in the young season, the Celtics are a +230 with Garnett on the floor; when he goes to the bench, they're a -219.

Fans should be grateful that Garnett decided to return because, believe it or not, he is the difference between this team being a title contender or being in the basement of the Eastern Conference. And I'm pretty sure no Celtics fan wants to go back 2006-2007, right? I know Ainge didn't want to. “I think a lot did hinge on KG. We have some good young players but, yeah, we probably would not have been a contender had KG chosen to retire.”

Garnett is clearly not the same player he was back in 2008, and it's unfair to expect him to be. Last season was the first time he actually looked healthy since having right knee surgery in 2009. But can Garnett replicate his greatness from the second half of last season and lead this team to the promised land?

Well, anything's possible.