Kevin Garnett: It Takes More Than Talent

It seems like The Big Three in Boston are getting sick of answering questions about the Miami Three. Yesterday, Kevin Garnett made it clear that what happened in 2008 was more than just a gathering of talent, it was a movement. Via NESN.com: “‘I think what most people don’t understand is that yes, our talent came together, but for the most part it was our bench, and our team, that came together,’ Garnett said. ‘When you’ve got guys, and you’ve got talent, that’s one thing, but how the talent interacts with each other off the floor, their chemistry, their respect for everybody on the floor, the guys that come off the bench, the respect for them, practice and the bench making the first team even better, that’s another.’ … ‘We didn’t have none of the egos, none of the nonsense to distract us. And when we did, Doc did a good job of squashing it right there,’ Garnett said. ‘It helped us to have ubuntu, it helped us to say that, This is us. This is ours. It was very paramount to what Celtic pride is about. This is a storied franchise, and coming in here, you know that the tradition here is about the banners, not the division titles or other nonsense that comes with the game.’ … ‘When it came to Ray, Paul and myself, we understood each other and we respected each other,’ Garnett said. ‘I’ve known Paul since I was 14 or 15, and Ray since I was 13 or 14. That helped. We know each other’s families off the court. We would go out to dinner a lot — not just the three of us, but Rondo, who was very young at the time. Big Baby, who was young at the time. Perk, who was young at the time. Showing those guys how to be professionals. Then you have Eddie House, James Posey. I know this is a long answer, but I’m just giving you how we made that happen. That was the formula, and we’ve been building that formula ever since.'”