Want to win a championship at the highest level? You need more than just talent -- you need culture.
That's why the 2007-08 Celtics were so thrilled to acquire Kevin Garnett, a perennial All-Star who also set the tone as Boston's emotional leader.
The winning culture Garnett established alongside Paul Pierce and Ray Allen immediately paid dividends in a 2008 NBA title -- not unlike a New England Patriots team that won three Super Bowls in four years behind a similarly fiery young quarterback.
Back in Boston for the annual Hoop Dreams charity event for the ABCD (Action for Boston Community Development) anti-poverty agency, former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers invoked Tom Brady's name when describing Garnett's impact on the Celtics.
"Kevin Garnett is the greatest superstar team-builder that I’ve seen in the history of the game," Rivers said Monday, via Sports Illustrated. "He always considered the team before any action that he took on or off the floor, and for that to also be your superstar player is unusual.
"Kevin Garnett, like Tom Brady, is a culture-builder. When you have a guy like that, you’re going to win. Kevin is one of the greatest of all-time, but he’d be the last one to tell you."
Boston Celtics
Brady has set the standard for 20 years in New England, demanding excellence from his teammates while signing a number of team-friendly contracts that have helped the Patriots sustain one of the longest-lasting dynasties in professional sports.
Garnett and the Celtics only won one championship before the "Big Three" disbanded and Rivers left to join the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013, but Rivers still marvels at Garnett's ability to put team first in a room full of exceptional talent.
"They'd already done so many other things in their careers, but the one thing that stood out was something they couldn’t buy, something they couldn’t do alone," Rivers said. "In order to do this, they had to come together as a group. Kevin really understood that, and he was willing to sacrifice anything for that, including his numbers and his fame."
Brady still is making sacrifices at age 42, and it's still paying off as he eyes a seventh Super Bowl title with the Patriots.
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