Garnett Fought While Retreating

February 27, 1998.

The Lakers traveled to Minnesota once again for their fourth meeting with the Timberwolves that season.

The Lakers had won two of their previous three matchups, but that one loss had led many experts to believe that the Timberwolves were fully capable of defeating the Lakers.

Under the experts' hype, Garnett had become an omnipotent presence. He could easily demolish the Lakers' power forward position, dominate the game at both ends of the floor, and ultimately put an end to the Lakers' winning streak.

After being selected as an All-Star starter, Garnett had joined forces with Kobe to defeat the Eastern Conference All-Stars. In that game, Garnett had unquestionably been the team's third man. His performance on both offense and defense had left a group of superstars frustrated. Without Garnett, there would have been no victory in that game.

People had finally realized just how powerful the fifth overall pick from Minnesota in 1995 truly was!

As a power forward, Garnett's defense covered the entire area inside the three-point line. He could even step out beyond the arc to chase guards.

On offense, Garnett's relentless mid-range jumper also left many blue-collar players with no good way to defend him.

He was too tall!

With a listed true height of 2.16 meters, Kevin Garnett was like a towering skyscraper! It made defending his shot exceptionally difficult.

Garnett simply did not have his heart set on offense! If he had devoted all his energy and training to the offensive end, he might have become an unstoppable offensive weapon like Kevin Durant!

Wolf King Garnett! Hailed by experts as the only man capable of ending the Lakers' winning streak!

Hype!

It was the first time Garnett had experienced the media's hype!

For every person supporting the Lakers, there was another