The Boston Celtics cruised to the fourth-best net rating of all time this regular season, and sliced their way to the NBA Finals like a katana-wielding butcher. On the other side, Dallas is 28-9 over its past 37 games, and Luka Doncic has the Mavericks playing superb basketball.
This should be a matchup for the ages and begs the following question: Which player in NBA history faced the stiffest competition throughout their career? Based on superstars and teams faced, this former Timberwolves and Celtics legend undeniably holds the crown.
Kevin Garnett’s Case for the Most Difficult NBA Career
Garnett controversially entered the 1995 Draft out of high school, and Minnesota selected him with the fifth overall pick. He played 80 games as a rookie and averaged roughly 28 minutes per game. It was quite a welcome-to-the-league year for him with the Chicago Bulls trampling their way to 72 wins and a title.
Garnett would have to endure two more years of Michael Jordan’s reign before the road finally became clear of historic teams … or so he thought. David Robinson and 22-year-old Tim Duncan briefly filled the vacated throne and sent Minnesota packing in the first round as they went on to win the championship. Then, Garnett helplessly saw prime Shaquille O’Neal and rising superstar Kobe Bryant snatch three consecutive titles from 2000 to 2002.
The Lakers also eliminated Minnesota in the 2003 playoffs, although a new dynasty emerged and won the title that year: a Spurs big three of Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
And so we come to the fated 2004 season.
Garnett won MVP while averaging 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, five assists and 3.7 stocks per game. He also led Minnesota to 58 wins and the top seed. The Wolves brushed aside a young Carmelo Anthony in the first round before narrowly defeating a tough 55-win Kings squad featuring Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic. Unfortunately for the Wolves, O’Neal and Bryant were too much to handle in the Western Conference Finals.
Duncan and company once again prevailed in 2005 and 2007, while a young Dwyane Wade brought the 2006 title home to Miami.
At this point, Garnett had toiled in Minnesota for 12 seasons without a single NBA Finals appearance. He simply never had the necessary help to overcome the numerous NBA legends he faced during that span.
Boston made the call, and he was traded to form a new big three next to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Celtics won 66 games and fought tooth-and-nail against the Bryant and Pau Gasol Lakers. The result? A long overdue championship for Garnett.
However, it wouldn’t last long. Injuries stole his 2009 season and Bryant and Gasol avenged themselves the following year, beating Boston in seven games.
The core was old in 2011, but a young Rajon Rondo and a semi-productive O’Neal helped propel Boston to 56 wins. However, the newly formed Heatles (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh) halted Boston's championship hopes during the 2011 and 2012 playoffs.
Garnett never had another chance after that. He was aging into role-player production, the Celtics were not a threat and the NBA still had the Heat and Spurs fighting for the throne in 2014 when Garnett went to Brooklyn. During the final two years of his career, he witnessed Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green become the new dominant force, thus deflating any shred of championship hope.
Overall, no player consistently faced harsher competition or more dynasties across history than Garnett. To put his lengthy career into perspective, he played during Magic Johnson’s final season and Nikola Jokic’s first one.
In today’s ring culture, Garnett only claiming one title is often seen as mediocre or even a disappointment to the casual fan. When examining his career though, how could one expect a fistful of championships given the slew of dynasties and all-time players he faced, especially when he had mostly underwhelming supporting casts? Garnett was essentially trying to climb Mount Everest every year without any gear.
Who Eliminated Garnett in the Playoffs?
- 1997: Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler
- 1998: Gary Payton, Hersey Hawkins, Detlef Schrempf
- 1999: Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Avery Johnson
- 2000: Scottie Pippen, Steve Smith, Arvydas Sabonis, Rasheed Wallace
- 2001: Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Derek Anderson
- 2002: Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Michael Finley
- 2003: Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher
- 2004: Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Karl Malone, Gary Payton
- 2010: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher
- 2011: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh
- 2012: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh
- 2013: Carmelo Anthony, Raymond Felton, J.R. Smith
- 2014: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh
Eight of his 13 playoff runs were ended by Duncan, O'Neal, Bryant or James.
Consensus Top 12 Players of All-Time Garnett Faced (Chronological Order):
- Magic Johnson
- Michael Jordan
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Shaquille O’Neal
- Kobe Bryant
- Tim Duncan
- LeBron James
- Stephen Curry
All-Time Teams Garnett Faced:
- Michael Jordan Bulls
- Tim Duncan Spurs
- Shaquille O’Neal Lakers
- LeBron James Heat
- Stephen Curry Warriors
