Intensity and trash-talking usually go hand-in-hand on a basketball court. And there is a long list of players who have witnessed the same in Kevin Garnett. Not just with his physicality, but with his sharp tongue and constant smack talk, KG would square up with legends. This tenacity made a lot of young basketball enthusiasts a fan of the 15x All-Star. But the same trash-talking turned to real-life beef with Joakim Noah, who once considered Garnett his idol, despite the respect being there.

Now, that beef is all squashed and Noah has again praised ‘The Big Ticket’. When Matt Barnes asked the former Bulls star to define Garnett, he said, “KG. Dawg. Dawg.” The 39-year-old explained more about his experience with Kevin Garnett, “Talked a lot of sh*t. But I think that just the intensity of the game was always better when he was on the court.”

Earlier in the podcast, Barnes spoke about the intense Bulls and Celtics rivalry. He specifically mentioned the magnificent 7-game ’09 playoff series. “KG was injured, but he was still talking sh*t from the sidelines.” Even Noah agreed about the behavior of Kevin Garnett via All the Smoke podcast, “A lot of sh*t.” While there is no bad blood between the two now, how did everything resolve?

Last year on ‘KG Certified’, Noah appeared as a guest, and the 2004 MVP said, “I was trying to destroy your will.” He continued, “But never in another stratosphere would I ever thought that you were a fan of mine. So, I come today and I say, I apologize for killing that light, my brother.” So smack-talking a fan-turned-professional was the reason, and even Noah understood the reasons.

“I’m a competitor, too,” the Center even credited KG for turning a switch inside him. He stated that the trash talk turned him into an “animal” on the court. But the apology from the Celtics legends helped with a much-needed closure. But at the time, not just Noah, but two former teammates of Kevin Garnett weren’t on board with the treatment done to Noah.

Two of the ‘Big 3’ disliked Kevin Garnett’s comments

Paul Pierce, co-host with KG and former teammate, shared this incident in a 2015 Bleacher Report article. “I remember Noah looked up to KG. He was like, ‘Man, KG, I had your poster on my wall. I looked up to you, man.’ And then [Garnett] just said something like that, and was like ‘F— you, Noah.‘”

Even ‘The Truth’ couldn’t handle the heat on the rookie. “I was like, “Whoa.” This kid fresh out of college, looks up to KG, just said he had his poster on the wall, and he tells him that! It crushed him.” Similarly, even Ray Allen, who was part of the Big 3, heard the conversation, and the reaction from Kevin Garnett surprised him.

“I was at the free-throw line and I’m listening to this,” Allen added. “I’m like, ‘He’s creating a monster here.'” Ultimately, it was the intensity that KG brought to the game that even Joakim Noah could not deny, and used it as a motivation on the court.

“Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.”