The once white and dark knights of the NBA that ruled the league with an iron fist seemingly are getting overpowered by the new age of warriors and gladiators coming in every year. At least that is what the topic of discussion was between Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on KG Certified. Having knocked heads with both Kevin Durant and LeBron James, The Big Ticket just isn’t ready to give up on these ‘Kings.’
Advertisement
The two Boston Celtics legends took the Nuggets-Lakers series and the Suns-Timberwolves series into consideration when Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce brought up the old guard being replaced by the new guard.
“We need the Game 6 Bron in Boston, in Game 3…I still believe in Kings, I still believe in honor, I still believe. Listen, you think K going out like this? Listen…I ain’t going. I’m saying, I’m looking for KD and I’m looking for Bron to have unbelievable nights to where they put themselves back in play.”
While Garnett wasn’t ready to accept that the past opponents from his glory days too had limited time left on the top, Paul Pierce had already hopped on the wagon of the new guard knocking on the door.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns are both trailing 0-2, led by players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant respectively. And KG still believes that these two players have yet to throw in the towel going into games 3 & 4.
Unfortunately, as much as Kevin Garnett would want LeBron James and Kevin Durant to advance in these NBA playoffs, this is something that has been happening all around the league with superstar players. Take Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors into consideration. Despite finishing the season as the top 10 scorers of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Warriors were unable to make the playoffs this year.
While James and Durant were able to make it to the postseason, the two veteran stars and their teams have struggled to even their respective seven-game series in the first two games. And that is where Garnett’s blind faith in these two titans sparks up.
However, given their opposing teams boasting stars from the new guard like Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic, the chances of The King and Easy Money Sniper making it to Round 2 of the NBA playoffs seems bleak, at best.
LeBron James and KD on the next generation of players
Being surpassed by the next generation is something that happens in every workforce and aspect of life. And this is something both LeBron James and Kevin Durant have gracefully accepted over the years. Spending nearly decades on top of the league, both LBJ and KD have had the opportunity to see players rising to stardom, making their way to challenge these two for the ‘Top Dog’ throne of the NBA.
Here is LeBron James showering Boston’s Jayson Tatum with praise.
“We look at Tatum. He’s 25 years old and I believe he’s been to the Conference Finals four times? Been to the NBA Finals once. He’s 25. I mean, I didn’t win my first one till I was 28. I think Joker won his first one at 27.”
The expressions on LeBron James’ face when talking about Jayson Tatum says it all in the video above. Kevin Durant, on the other hand, has immense respect for players coming into the league with a competitive mindset. This is what KD had to say while talking to Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
“Those older guys didn’t want to just say, ‘Here, young’un, you the next one up.’ You had to try to take that from them. I’m not going out there and relying on my name and what I’ve done in the past to get that respect. I respect that about the young players. They don’t give a s— about what you did in the past. It’s about today. So that keeps me on point.”
Both stars have different ways of perceiving things but, more or less, feel the same about the next generation of players. So, with Durant and Bron struggling in the postseason and Curry enjoying this extra time off, is the old guard’s reign finally over?
