Garnett keys Celtics' chances of a championship run

Five years after acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, the Boston Celtics are still thinking championship, not yet ready to push the reset button on their veteran roster. The Celtics have rebuilt their bench in the wake of Allen's departure for Miami, but their championship dreams are only possible because Garnett is still a beast.

Before training camp began, Celtics president Danny Ainge said that point guard Rajon Rondo was his team's best player, and it's hard to disagree. Rondo is ridiculously talented and incredibly savvy. If Ainge had to argue his case in front of a jury, Rondo's performance in last year's playoffs, especially the 44 points he scored in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, would be Exhibit A.

But there's a difference between a team's best player and its most valuable player. And there is no Celtic more important to the team's success than Garnett, Boston's anchor on both ends of the floor.

"He's our life," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of Garnett during last season's playoff run. "He really is. He just does so many things out there that don't have numbers to it."

Way back in 2004, Garnett was the league MVP, averaging 24.2 points and 13.9 rebounds. Eight years later, at the tender age of 35, his numbers (15.8 and 8.2) were far more pedestrian. And he didn't receive a single vote (first, second, third, fourth or fifth place) for MVP.

But we all know that per-game numbers can't really describe Garnett's impact, which begins on defense. We also know that defense rarely gets equal consideration when it comes to awards or rankings.

Plus-minus numbers, however, make it obvious how important Garnett was for the Celtics last season. When KG was on the floor, the Celtics had the point differential (plus-7.7 points per 100 possessions) of a team that would win 64 games out of 82. When he was on the bench, their point differential (minus-2.6) was that of a 28-win team.

In the playoffs, the difference was far greater. The Celtics were downright awful (minus-27.6) when Garnett sat in the postseason. Rondo played more minutes than Garnett, but he didn't have nearly that kind of impact.

KG is a top-five defender in the league, whether it be pick-and-roll defense (where he's arguably the best), help defense, or one-on-one defense. He does it all, and there's no doubt that the Celtics are better defensively when he's on the floor.

The Celtics' other defensive star is Avery Bradley, a nuisance to opposing guards. But Bradley is recovering from shoulder surgery and will miss the start of the season, making Garnett's presence all the more important.

Of late, Garnett has actually made greater impact on the Celtics' offensive numbers. Last season, they scored a somewhat efficient 103 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, and a putrid 94 with him on the bench. Yes, he played most of his minutes with the Celtics' other stars, but he anchors the offense as much as he does the defense.

Even before he was moved to center midway through last season, Garnett was the Celtics' only real hope for an inside presence offensively. With two jump-shooters -- Garnett and Brandon Bass - on the frontline, the Celtics' offense moved even farther from the basket. They attempted just 42 percent of their shots from the paint last season, the second-lowest rate in the league. And their free throw rate regressed from 10th in the league in 2010-11 to 22nd last season.

Rondo and Pierce can get to the basket, but the Celtics need Garnett to establish position on the block. He has one of the best pick-and-pop games in the league, but his team needs him to play inside-out as much as possible. Boston was 16-2 last season when KG scored at least 10 points in the paint.

Rivers and the Celtics did their best to preserve Garnett over the course of the year, using a five-minutes-on, five-minutes-off method for his playing time. This season, they're hoping that some additions to their frontline will keep the scoreboard from going so far in the wrong direction in those minutes that Garnett rests.

Chris Wilcox, who missed the final 28 games of last season after being diagnosed with a cardiac irregularity, is back and healthy. Veterans Darko Milicic and Jason Collins were added to take up space. And rookies Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo were selected with the 21st and 22nd picks in the draft.

But none of the five can give the Celtics the package that Garnett brings to the table. And there's little chance that both the Celtics' offense and defense won't continue to suffer when KG steps off the floor.

Ironically, Garnett talked often about retiring after last season. He's 36 now, and health is always going to be a concern. But while Garnett dealt with a hip flexor issue last year, his knee problems seem to be a thing of the past. He's played 252 of a possible 283 games (89 percent) over the last three years.

If Garnett can keep that up, the Celtics are still a contender, even if his value isn't fully recognized.

1. Doc Rivers made it clear last year that his team wasn't in shape to start the season. They were just 15-17 at the All-Star break before locking down defensively and winning 24 of their 34 games after the break. In their previous four seasons, the Celtics were an incredible 94-14 in games played before Christmas.

2. Courtney Lee and Jeff Green bring some younger legs to the Celtics' rotation, so the Celtics would also like to run more this season. Last year, they ranked 19th in fast break points per possession, even though they ranked fourth in forcing turnovers.

3. One other thing holding the Celtics back offensively is their lack of second chances. They've ranked 30th in offensive rebounding rate each of the last two seasons, and last year's Celtics were the only team in the last 35 years to grab less than 20 percent of available offensive boards.

John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter.

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