Kevin Garnett proved anything was possible far before winning the 2008 NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics. On his 28th birthday in 2004, The Big Ticket prepared for what was, in his own words, a war. A win-or-go-home Game 7 against the fourth-seeded Sacramento Kings. In his MVP season, and having led his Minnesota Timberwolves to the number one seed in the Western Conference, 2004 would be Garnett’s best chance to take his Timberwolves to the pinnacle of the franchise’s greatness.
KEVIN GARNETT LED TIMBERWOLVES TO THEIR 1ST EVER WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
Though best known for his accomplishments with the 2008 Celtics’ Big Three, Garnett’s most productive years came during his tenure with the team that drafted him. In his best season with the Timberwolves, Garnett led his team to the first seed in a stacked Western Conference featuring the Kobe Byrant and Shaquille O’Neal Lakers, Tim Duncan’s Spurs, and Chris Webber’s Sacramento Kings.
Webber’s Kings would give the best in the West all they could handle in a 2nd round series that came down to a Game 7 on KG’s 28th bday. Kevin Garnett pulled no punches when describing his intensity going into Game 7. “This is it,” Garnett told reporters. “This is all the marbles. I’m sittin’ in the house, I’m loadin’ up the pump. I’m loadin’ up the Uzi…” These claims were facetious, but they got the point across.
Garnett meant business, and he came out swinging. Garnett finished the game with an impressive stat line of 32 PTS, 21 REB, and 5 BLK. The Timberwolves needed every number as they squeezed out a three-point victory over the Kings to secure their first Western Conference Finals appearance in franchise history. They would fall to the Lakers after 6 games during Shaq’s last year in LA.
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