The Dream Realized

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

131 points.18 steals. 33 assists. 48 rebounds. 26 Playoff games. 17 championships.

Go ahead, move the numbers around anyway you want, and it still adds up to dominance. The Lakers were done in by the end of the 2nd quarter; the Celtics putting on a defensive display like we've rarely seen in recent history. They forced LA into a halfcourt game, taking away transitions and their best player, Kobe Bryant, after the first quarter.

KG has his championship; he is--in his own words--"certified". Giving credit to the long road that brought him to Boston--including Minnesota--Garnett has cemented his presence as a star for the ages. However, it was Paul Pierce, and the Boston bench, that won this series for the Celtics. Pierce, even more than KG, has transformed his game into an all-around, both ends of the court, equal to any Celtic level of excellence. He is the unquestioned leader of this team.  His transformation was not just KG's doing, it was the assembling of a primarily veteran team able to dedicate themselves to defense and team play.  Wolves owner Glen Taylor might  even be tempted to even call it a "failed experiment", had Boston not won. But win they did, so on this night, KG's insistence about playing with experienced veterans is on the mark. Garnett's attempt to play GM here wasn't great, but tonight one has to give credit where credit is due. He cherry picked it right this time. Steve Aschburner has a great article about KG available at MinnPost, you can read it here.

And what pray tell, of Wolves fans? Most of us are happy for Garnett, but we're trying to move on, once again starting from scratch. We're debating if Kevin Love is big enough to play center along side Al Jefferson. Kevin McHale says he is, but when has he been right about personnel? What moves has he made besides finally acquiring a couple of decent second rounders in the last couple of years, and getting out of the hole he himself made by jettisoning players in previously botched trades? 

Why should we believe anything he says? What dream has he realized lately?