Kevin Garnett Dominating Within The System

Some superstars dominate games by taking the reigns and doing it all themselves. Kobe Bryant has been known to ditch the team offense and initiate isolation plays throughout the 4th quarter. That kind of mentality is so foreign to Kevin Garnett that he wouldn't even know how to speak that language.

To hear Garnett tell it, his recent scoring efforts are simply a result of working within the flow of the offense. He's just taking what the defense gives him. And oddly enough, that's exactly what's happening.

KG gets jump on Collins, foes - BostonHerald.com

Collins’ fear is that if the Sixers dedicate too much attention to Garnett then the rest of the Celtics will take advantage of the subsequent openings. The reason Garnett finds himself open so often is that his man is helping to stop the penetration of Rajon Rondo [stats] or Paul Pierce [stats] on a pick-and-roll.

So the Sixers are basically daring KG to beat them and he's more than happy to oblige. With that said, even though Garnett might not want to admit it, this isn't all about what the other guys are doing. He's also willing to listen to his coaches and be more aggressive taking the ball inside. His old coach Flip Saunders has noticed.

KG’s bold assertion - BostonHerald.com

"Well, I think there’s a couple of things," said Saunders, who had his own struggles getting Garnett to play inside in Minnesota. "I think No. 1 is that KG’s going to do whatever someone asks him to do. He might be reluctant, but I (think) he’s going to try to do it. "But I think the other thing is that he’s having success, and just like anybody, when something is working, it makes you more willing to go back to it.

That's Garnett for you. Reluctant to be the focal point but willing to be coachable and ready to do anything to help the team win. In fact, he's pretty much all in for winning at this point.

KG's got no life, except in his game - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston

"I have no life at this point," said Garnett. "I go home, get treatment, come back in here, study tape, film -- no life at all. This is what it is."

I think that sounds like a guy who understands that he's got a long life ahead of him but he might not ever another shot like this at a title. Whatever it is that he's doing, I hope he keeps doing it.