Getty Kevin Durant and LeBron James
In many ways, this year’s NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets feels like a breath of fresh air. The two clear-cut best teams from this year’s playoffs are dueling for the right to become champions. It is a lot different than previous years when teams were being willed to the finish line by their star players.
This year’s Finals may not have as much star power as it has in previous years, but NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett says he is delighted to see the two best teams fight it out for the right to hoist championship gold.
“You know what’s crazy outta all this? It’s not even your three against my two. It’s like your seven, eight against my seven, eight. That’s what I love about this Finals,” Garnett said on the latest episode of “Ticket and Truth” on Showtime.
“It ain’t no more Bron [James], KD [Durant] going at it. It ain’t no star against star. Lord, it is about this seven, eight, nine against Miami’s seven, eight, nine.”
Are the two best teams in the NBA the two teams playing in the Finals?
@KevinGarnett5KG and @paulpierce34 discuss that and many other topics around the league on the latest episode of Ticket and The Truth: t.co/UIF7vHchoY
Kevin Garnett Gets Candid on Celtics’ Future
Garnett knows what it takes to hoist championship gold. He won the lone championship of his career in 2008 with the Boston Celtics and is never shy about his allegiance to the green and white. So it must have hurt him to see Boston get blown out at home in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals after trailing 0-3.
There are a lot of decisions for the Celtics to make this summer, starting with the future of Jaylen Brown, who will be eligible to sign a $295 million supermax extension this summer after making second-team All-NBA this season.
But after a lackluster performance from him in the Eastern Conference Finals, some are wondering if a supermax deal is too high of an asking price for Boston to retain Brown. Garnett believes that the next step for the Celtics starts with them maturing as a team, but that all starts with their stars, Brown and Jayson Tatum.
“When I watch them play, I think it was maturity. I think the next step for the C’s, at least to me, is maturing. You’ve got to have those influences in there,” Garnett added.
“I’m talking from the development of a player now; these guys are top-tier players. They’re first-team, second-team All-NBA players. Now, it’s about bettering those players. Not even your bench, I’m not talking about Rob Williams. I’m talking about Tatum and Brown. It’s time for them to take the next step.”
Suns’ Assistant Kevin Young Gets New Deal
Many people were surprised at the Suns reportedly finalizing a deal to make former Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel Monty Williams’ replacement. This was partially because many people believed Suns assistant Kevin Young was a shoo-in to get the position, especially after receiving a ringing endorsement from their star shooting guard Devin Booker.
With Williams taking the job to become the next coach of the Detroit Pistons, many believed there was a real possibility Young could follow him after not being selected for the Suns’ coaching vacancy. But Phoenix realizes Young’s value and is bringing him back on a new $2 million deal that makes him the NBA’s highest-paid assistant coach, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Phoenix Suns associate head coach Kevin Young is staying with the franchise on a new deal worth more than $2 million annually that will make him the NBA’s highest-paid assistant coach, sources told ESPN on Saturday,” Wojnarowski writes.
“The Suns were determined to keep Young on new coach Frank Vogel’s staff and made a significant commitment to keep him from following former coach Monty Williams to the Detroit Pistons, sources said. Young has become one of the league’s top assistant coaches and was one of the three finalists for the job that Vogel eventually landed on Friday.”