Brooklyn Nets: Kevin Garnett Trying As Hard As Ever

The headlines from Monday night’s Brooklyn Nets’ game are almost exclusively non-basketball related. The Barclays Center was set alight by the royal visit, as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took in the game from their courtside seats.

Jay-Z and Beyonce were there too, drawing as much attention as ever, while even New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was in Barclays to relive his incredible catch one more time.

Aside from the game of “spot the celebrity” for Nets fans, there were other non-basketball related issues that hold much greater significance. Following in the footsteps of Derrick Rose, who did so on Saturday night, players from both teams wore T-shirts bearing the slogan “I Can’t Breathe” during their pre-game warm up.

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The statement, a protest against the brutality that led to the death of Eric Garner, and a show of support for his family, was one of those occasions where it was nice to see athletes take advantage of their lofty social status to voice their thoughts on a cause that they believe in.

One of the men who seemed to be at the forefront of all of the photos involving the T-shirt taken prior to the game was Kevin Garnett. Garnett may now be one of the league’s elder statesmen, but you would be hard pushed to find another player in the league capable of being more vocal.

Garnett doesn’t just talk off-the-court though, he talks endlessly on it. The 38-year-old is renowned for being one of the league’s best trash-talkers, and it doesn’t end there either, as the man known as “The Big Ticket” regularly employs a variety of antics in an attempt to psyche out his opponents.

Monday night, in the presence of royalty, the South Carolina native brought his A-game. He tormented Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao all night long, culminating in a bizarre sequence where he chased the Brazillian around his backcourt, frantically clapping at him.

Putting his histrionics aside though, Garnett put in an impressive performance too, leading a depleted Brooklyn side as they fought to hang on to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ coat tails. Garnett had 14 points and seven rebounds, on 6-of-9 shooting, in just 19 minutes of play in his team’s 22-point defeat.

Although he hasn’t quite been scoring at that rate all year, Garnett is still incredibly productive.

The Big Ticket is averaging 7.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in 23 minutes of play per night. Although, shooting only 45.8 percent from the field represents a colossal drop off from his efficiency during his prime, his impressive rebound total means he can still be force inside.

With Brook Lopez‘s health proving to be as unreliable as ever, Garnett’s presence is a vital cog in Brooklyn’s frontcourt makeup. All indications point to this being Garnett’s final season in the NBA, and what’s nice about that is, unlike many other former superstars of the past, Garnett will likely leave the league as a player who is still incredibly productive.

If this season is indeed his farewell tour of sorts, you’d never guess it from looking at the man himself. He’s still bounding up and down the court as if his life depended on it, and first and foremost, he’s still as crazy as ever.

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