Long before Kevin Garnett took the Boston Celtics to two NBA Finals and a championship versus Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers, he was a young, ferocious power forward doing battle in the Western Conference.
Garnett and Bryant have defined an era of basketball and how it should be played. Bryant edged Garnett in back-to-back playoff series in 2003 and 2004 when KG finished second and first in MVP voting (Bryant finished third both years). When Bryant finally won his MVP award in 2008, Garnett was raising a banner to the rafters.
Now, injuries have caught up to Bryant in Year 20, which he recently announced will be his last season. Both Garnett and Bryant still have their moments, but they’re now just two old men, watching the game they love slowly slip further away.
Bryant and Garnett sat on the bench when the Lakers and Timberwolves went to overtime Wednesday night, a 123-122 Minnesota victory. If anything has marked a change of the guard, it’s that.
Bryant couldn’t seem to believe what had happened following the loss.
We can’t either.
Thumbnail photo via Jesse Johnson/USA TODAY Sports Images
