Here are 5 of the best plays Kevin Garnett made in a Celtics uniform
The Celtics will retire legendary big man Kevin Garnett's number on Sunday.
Kevin Garnett might be best known for his intensity on the court and his memorable quotes, but he made plenty of huge plays in a Celtics uniform.
Garnett, whose number will be retired by the Celtics after they play against the Mavericks on Sunday afternoon, was still near the peak of his powers when he arrived in Boston as part of a trade package that included Al Jefferson and an enormous collection of assets. Garnett proceeded to change the Celtics’ culture, and he helped lead the team to a title in 2008. After he was injured in 2009, he nearly did it again in 2010.
Garnett’s actual talent might have been overshadowed by his quotes about bar fights, cooking, and the world’s endless possibilities, but he could still hoop. By the time the Celtics traded Garnett and Pierce to the Nets in 2013 for a collection of picks that eventually became their current core, the future Hall of Famer had amassed a lengthy list of highlights, including some huge plays in big moments.
Here are five of Garnett’s best on-court moments wearing a number that will be raised to the TD Garden rafters on Sunday.
Garnett beats the Knicks at the buzzer (2009-10)
The Celtics were lackluster for much of the 2009-10 regular season before an impressive burst in the playoffs drove them to the NBA Finals. Still, they gave fans glimpses of a veteran team that could turn up the heat when it needed to in the regular season, including a November game against the Knicks when Garnett buried a jumper at the buzzer to break a tie and send the Madison Square Garden crowd home empty-handed.
The Knicks knew Paul Pierce wanted to shoot. Everybody in the building knew Pierce wanted to shoot. So when the Knicks double-teamed Pierce off the screen from Garnett, all it took was an easy pick-and-pop pass from Pierce back to his good friend to set up the game-winning mid-range jumper.
Garnett never developed into a 3-point shooter, but he made 46.3 percent of his shots from the 20-foot range. He would have been a superstar in any era.
Garnett clinches Game 1 with a monster put-back dunk
Most people remember Game 1 of the 2008 Finals for Pierce’s heroics (and perhaps for his melodrama), but Garnett had a pretty big moment of his own — a massive put-back dunk over Pau Gasol that clinched the victory for the Celtics down the stretch.
In the first Finals game of his career, Garnett delivered 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Garnett dunks all over Theo Ratliff (2008-09)
Some Celtics fans would make the case that the 2008-09 team was actually better than the championship team in 2007-08, at least until Garnett went down with a knee injury. They started the season a staggering 27-2 and won 19 games in a row after a loss to the Nuggets.
Prior to his injury, Garnett was a two-way monster who could still elevate for hyper-athletic plays — as evidenced by this violent late October dunk against Theo Ratliff.
Garnett’s wiry frame and intense demeanor made for some impressive posters, most of which happened in Minnesota. But when he uncorked a big one-handed dunk, nobody did it better even at 32-years-old.
Garnett collects a clutch steal to beat his old team
Garnett spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Timberwolves, and his relationship with the team could best be described as “icy.” In 2020, after he was voted into the Hall of Fame, he told Shams Charania of The Athletic he wished he had gone to the Celtics sooner.
“If I could actually go back and change anything, I would’ve left Minnesota a little earlier, knowing that the management wasn’t as committed as I was. Or wasn’t committed at all,” Garnett said. “I probably would’ve went to Boston or changed the situation earlier. I would’ve been a little younger and that means less wear and tear on the body. Teaming up with Paul [Pierc], I should’ve done that earlier. Who knows — I’m probably sitting here with another ring or two.”
So one can imagine how much it meant to Garnett to beat his former team in his first matchup against them. With the Celtics leading by one, Garnett rotated to defend Sebastian Telfair and when Telfair tried to put the ball on the ground to create some space, Garnett snaked a long arm down and tipped the ball away. Both players dove on the floor to try to recover the loose ball, but time expired, and the Celtics claimed the win.
As the TD Garden crowd roared, Garnett popped the “Celtics” part of his jersey off his chest.
He was fully committed.
Garnett floats in an and-one in the Finals
Maybe Garnett’s second-most memorable moment as a Celtic after “Anything is Possible” happened just an hour or two prior in Game 6 of the 2008 Finals. Rolling to the basket off a pick-and-roll with Pierce, Garnett leapt, absorbed contact from Lamar Odom and somehow powered the shot off the glass and in. The floater gave the Celtics a 20-point first-half lead and jump-started a celebration at TD Garden that lasted throughout the second half as the Lakers never mounted a serious challenge.
As is often the case, Garnett’s shot was impressive, but it was immortalized by Mike Breen’s iconic call of “Garnett inside … banks it in! And the foul! What a play by Kevin Garnett, and the Celtics go up by 20!”
A great play is great on its own, but a great call gives it staying power.
The Celtics and Mavericks tip off at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Garnett’s ceremony can be viewed on NBC Sports Boston immediately after.
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