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Without question, the Celtics are the team to beat in the NBA's Eastern Conference and it is because of Kevin Garnett. Garnett is 6 foot 11 inches tall and just over 250 pounds; he averaged 20.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game over twelve seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He never won a title with them, but he has got a chance to do so with the Celtics.

The NBA is all about the big guys in the paint. It has been proven over and over again to be nearly impossible to win an NBA championship without a big presence in the paint. That is why Garnett is the most important piece of the championship puzzle for the Celtics. The rest of the players are simply complimentary to him.

Garnett's biggest problem in Minnesota was the lack of talent surrounding him. Forced to carry the entire load most of the time, he wasn't enough all by himself. Now, he has Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to support him in Boston.

Allen is much more than just a shooter. Though known for his three-point shooting(39.6% for his career), Allen can cut to the hoop with ease; he handles the ball well and passes very well. He is a very smart basketball player, perfect to play with Garnett.

Pierce has been the Celtics main star for years. He is a player very comfortable with the ball in his hands. He likes to play the one-on-one game and take a lot of the shots, sometimes taking shots that might be considered too difficult. Garnett should give him the opportunity to take higher percentage shots more often than he used to. With the defense worried about Garnett and Allen, Pierce will be left with lots of space on offense.

Defense was originally considered a question mark for this team, but they have shown to be consistently tough on defense. No doubt this is in large part due to Garnett's presence in the paint. With his long arms, athletic ability, and good basketball sense, Garnett has averaged nearly two blocked shots per game over his career. The opposition has to think twice about attacking the rim.

The only negative one could look at regarding Garnett is his inability to match up with the other star big men in the Western Conference. He had a few good teams in Minnesota that made the playoffs and had their opportunities to go the the NBA Finals, but he always lost to Shaquille O'Neal or Tim Duncan who were with the Lakers and Spurs respectively.

Being in the Eastern Conference, Garnett does not have any other big man to worry about. Perhaps Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, but Howard is far from being a proven winner.

So, Garnett has the clearest path to the championship that he has ever had. If he can dominate the East in the playoffs and make the Finals, he might have to face Tim Duncan again, or maybe even Shaq, now that he is playing for the Phoenix Suns.

Shaq is old and slow, but still out weighs Garnett by 100 pounds. Duncan is in his prime and has a great Spurs team surrounding him. Garnett would have his work cut out with either and might need some luck on his side to beat them.

The key for him is that he wouldn't have to face them until the Finals arrive and, if he had a little luck, he could steal an NBA title.

Learn more about this author, Jeremy Peters.
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