The headline in the Los Angeles Times was “Celtics’ Kevin Garnett expects to kick it up a notch” (June 4, 2008). The question becomes ‘does Kevin Garnett have another gear?‘. Kevin Garnett plays with such intensity, even in exhibition games, that it is difficult to conceive that Kevin Garnett could play at a higher level without somehow imploding.

There was a telling sequence in the close out game between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. In the fourth quarter, Kevin Garnett was at the foul line for two shots. This would have given the Celtics a cushion to their lead. Kevin Garnett knew the importance of the two shots; and he missed them both. One school of thought is that sometimes he is playing at such a hyperactive level that it works against him.

For most athletes, a coach would ask for greater focus and for greater intensity. For Kevin Garnett, it may be just the opposite. He may need to dial down the intensity, when he is on professional basketball’s biggest stage and he is playing for the biggest stakes. In these NBA finals, Kevin Garnett may be the leading candidate for spontaneous self combustion.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster:  http://flyinghamster.com/