DoubleHappiness wrote:The Corey's wrote:ConnorHenry wrote:
KG changed everything. Everything. He could've been with the C's one year and would've deserved it. He epitomized being Celtic like no one had since Larry Bird.
By your logic, the Heat can't retire LeBron's jersey since he was there only 4 seasons. I bet they do once it's all said and done.
I think we both know that 4 title appearances and 2 wins is better than 1 ship in 6 seasons on two appearances.
**** on lebron all you want but his Miami run was better than KG boston run and I dont think anyone would question that.
Kg did change everything but the bar isnt being set very high here and frankly only a matter of time before allen gets his retired.
I'm not against this just that it's not the bar I would of set.
KG meant everything to Boston basketball for those years. Him and Paul were absolute warriors.
They were short years but he burned bright. That one title meant a whole helluva lot when you consider the drought combined with the storied history. I don't think Ray is getting his retired at all. KG has been very vocal about how much he loved Boston. Ray, not so much. I understand he's more of an understated guy than KG. But it would be ludicrous to think that Ray had the same value on the team. Sure, he made some clutch clutch shots. But KG anchored a defense that was the *only* team in the league that had a drtg under 100.
I think the only team since that even has a remote claim of having a defense on the same level as the 08 Celtics is this year's Bucks. 2012 Bulls have an argument but I don't think it's a great one.
To be fair, that KG needed to change everything when he got here is itself an indictment of Pierce as a team leader. And of course KG was the significantly more transcendent player. Just too bad we didn't get him until so late in his career and then injury shaved of the last of his really good years.
But KG was the first guy since Bird to really be at that different level in competitiveness and specialness. Love Smitty, but he's got kind of a weird article up over at Celticsblog now somehow claiming that AB was "our guy" like Tatum and Tatum is the first "our guy" plus great player here since Bird:
https://www.celticsblog.com/2020/2/14/21137311/jayson-tatum-boston-superstar-celtics-larry-bird-paul-pierce-isaiah-thomas-reggie-lewis-la-clippersSimply recast it as first
homegrown potential Celtics superstar since Bird and he of course is right. KG however was so far the only real, wildly loved and respected, superstar here since Bird. And Tatum doesn't begin to have the culture-changing duende of either Bird or KG. In that, Tatum is much more like Pierce.
Oh, and Smart should stop embarrassing himself by talking about the ways in which he's the next KG. He's of course only talking about style, intensity and defensive emphasis, but he's not half a KG on that front.
