Jeff Goodman sits down with Avery Bradley for an extensive discussion on his Celtics’ past (podcast)

Kevin Garnett’s intensity in the game of Basketball and possibly all of planet earth may be unrivaled.

His relentless drive and his undeniable passion proved to be the engine that fueled the Boston Celtics on their path to an NBA Championship in 2008.

Former Celtics and current Clippers guard Avery Bradley sat down with Jeff Goodman on the Good N’ Plenty Podcast on CLNS Media, and reminisced about what made Garnett the titan many remember him to be.

“Kevin Garnett is the most passionate player I have ever been around,” Bradley told Goodman. “I remember one day [head coach] Doc [Rivers] was like ‘look, you’re not practicing today. KG, You need to rest.’ But KG never wanted to sit out of practice, especially if we were scrimmaging. Even if he was hurting, he would never let you know. But so one day we’re practicing, we go over the plays, and Doc says ‘KG sit out, we’re about to scrimmage.’ KG ran LINES on the sidelines. So when the ball was going up the court, he would run back and forth with the game. And we’re all looking at him, really thinking about it. There’s not too many people that love basketball that much.”

Bradley further commented on the ruthless identity that made the 2008 Boston Celtics such a special group. While many teams were looking to put in just enough effort to get by, three hall of famers in Garnett, Allen, and Pierce continued to outwork the young guys in the Celtics locker-room.

“When I was one of the younger guys on the team [Celtics], I would do a workout before practice, I would do basketball before practice, and then do more basketball workouts after. But Paul Pierce’s work ethic was amazing [too]. Paul might just come in early, and then do every single workout with me. And still practice and play 30 minutes per game. I mean, they were able to teach me how to put the extra work in. Those guys are like true competitors man.”

The heart and soul of the team, however, was never in doubt.

Garnett fueled Boston’s run to the 2008 NBA Finals through one of the greatest seasonal debuts in Celtic history. He earned Defensive Player of the Year honors, while contributing to the greatest single-season turnaround in Celtic history. But it was that make-no-friends attitude that pushed the Celtics to the brink of insanity, and brought them far enough to walk away with a championship.

“One thing I know about KG is that he can be cool off the court, but once we’ve crossed lines and we’re on the court, oh there’s no more friends. I know that’s his mentality. You could be his best friend, he’s not shaking your hand once we get on the court. He’s just special.”

Story prepared by Mateo Aycardi

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