Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has seen it all. After 17 seasons and counting in the NBA, there’s very little you can throw at the future Hall-of-Famer on the court that would catch him off guard. His attention to detail has made him one of the best defensive players in the league for years and has frustrated people like Brooklyn Nets coach Avery Johnson along the way.
“The funny thing is, I wish he would be quiet on the floor and not call out your plays,” Johnson said Thursday before his team hosted the Celtics, via ESPNNewYork.com. “He’s seen so much. We’ll call a play and he’ll say, ‘Joe (Johnson) is going over here and Deron (Williams) is going here.’ It’s not funny anymore, OK?
“As much as (Rajon) Rondo quarterbacks their offense, (Garnett) quarterbacks their defense. … I like every now and then when we’ll surprise him with something, and then maybe he’ll look at the bench and curse the other coaches out, not me.”
Of course, Johnson is giving Garnett the highest form of compliment by basically admitting that he gets in his head during games. Nets center Brook Lopez echoed Johnson’s kind words, calling K.G. “one of the best players of all time” and admitting that he tries to emulate a lot of what The Big Ticket does.
Garnett may be 36 and past his prime, but there’s a reason Rajon Rondo made these comments about him just a few days ago. The body always starts to go, but that doesn’t stop the mind from staying sharp.
