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JJ Redick, the former Orlando Magic guard, recently shared one of his most memorable Kevin Garnett stories via his YouTube channel.
He, told this particular story as part of his travel vlog series. In this episode, Reddick featured current Celtics players Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum.
While recalling the 2009 Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Redick fondly remembered being the target of Garnett's legendary trash talk.
Redick: "Third year in the NBA. Courtney Lee breaks his face. I've got to go to guard Ray Allen for seven games, chase him around. KG was hurt and every time I would walk by the Boston Celtics bench, KG would say... You suck motherfucker. The guy is super intense."
In the series mentioned in Redick's story, Boston and Orlando battled for seven long games to decide the winner. That particular postseason had ample seven-game series, but none as brutal and as controversial as the one between the Celtics and Magic. Kevin Garnett remained inactive for much of the latter season due to a knee injury.
Unfortunately, the same knee injury kept Kevin Garnett out of the playoffs. His team, who were the second seed in the East, barely defeated the Chicago Bulls in the first round and were knocked out by the Dwight Howard-led Orlando in the next round.
The hopes of the Boston Celtics, the defending champions at the time, were shattered by an injury that did not seem very serious in the regular season. Garnett might have been the key player in that series who could have guided the Celtics to their second consecutive championship.
The Magic would go on to meet the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Kobe Bryant-led LA Lakers in the NBA Finals. Bryant would win the fourth championship of his career, whereas the Orlando Magic would never make it to another NBA Finals.
Kevin Garnett is one of the most infamous trash talkers in the history of the sport
Garnett, along with being one of the most prolific rebounders and defenders, was also a mean trash talker. His ability to get under opponents skin doubled his value on the court. Garnett knew how to dominate the paint and how to crowd his rivals' minds, and the combination of the two cemented his status as an NBA legend.
The one-time league MVP famously said such horrible things to Carmelo Anthony, then a New York Knicks star, that he even took to following Garnett to the team bus after the game. He also trash-talked the great Michael Jordan when Garnett was a rookie. We recently saw the two share the stage during the 2022 All-Star game as one of the top 75 NBA players of all-time.
Guess the Lakers players!
