"I think Kevin loves it the way it is. He’s just kind of playing. The whole 'I hate Kevin' thing is gone and he just played through it and kept playing. That’s what great about him. He didn’t care if they did. That’s the best part. He’s going to play the same way before and after and he’s done that." — Doc Rivers

From the moment Kevin Garnett arrived for training camp he seemed different. He was bouncy, buoyant even. This was something of a revelation because Garnett was a ghost in the offseason, as per his usual custom. He appeared in public just once at Shaquille O’Neal’s introductory news conference, where he appropriately slipped in the back and would have gone unnoticed except Shaq pointed him out in the rafters of the team’s training facility.

Now that they had all gathered for the start of the new season, he seemed energized by not only the prospect of starting over a full season removed from knee surgery, but also grinding through another season with his familiar cohorts. This was no small consideration because Garnett was the only one of the Big Three with a contract after the NBA finals were over, and the fate of his coach, Doc Rivers, also hung in the balance. But they were all were returning along with the addition of another old head and kindred spirit in Shaq.

“I don’t like us,” Garnett said then. “I love us.” He described his summer as “very dark,” but announced he was ready to go. “I feel very strong,” he said. “I feel very vibrant. I’m excited about the year. I’m totally embracing this and am going to have some fun with it.”

It gradually became evident as the season began that Garnett was like a player reborn. Or maybe he was just back to the way he had always been. While Rivers kept careful watch over his minutes, Garnett reasserted himself as a dominant defensive rebounder and a consistent offensive player. He also suffered just one significant injury — a strained right calf against the Pistons — and missed only nine games.

He had huge outings against the Magic and Lakers in January, exorcising some -- but certainly not all -- of the demons from the previous season. And during the last month-and-a-half while the Celtics have tuned in and out, Garnett has remained the one consistently effective player in the lineup. For Celtics fans looking for a sign of hope amid this six-week stretch of frustration, Garnett’s play is the most significant reason.

Garnett was credited with changing the culture upon his arrival, and now he seems intent to try to prolong its existence. He has reached out to the new additions and they all have noted his assistance in helping ease their transition. “He knows how to win and he’s helping everybody, especially me and the new guys,” Nenad Krstic said. “He’s been really helpful for us.” 

At only 31 minutes a night Garnett isn’t chasing any rebounding titles, but consider that in the time he is on the court only two other power forwards grab a higher percentage of defensive boards: Kris Humphries and Kevin Love. Offensively, he is knocking down 16- to 23-foot jump shots at a 47 percent clip. Among big men, only Al Horford and Dirk Nowitzki are better (Garnett is essentially equal with David West). “He’s surprised me with how efficient he’s been,” Rivers said.

Defensively, Garnett has been phenomenal. The Celtics once again are among the leaders in defensive efficiency as they have been every year since he arrived. What makes this season different is that Garnett anchored the back line without his longtime running mate, Kendrick Perkins.

Yet, no matter who the Celtics put back there with him — be it Glen Davis, the O’Neals or Krstic — the Celtics defense still is strong as long as Garnett is on the court.

There are various ways to quantify the impact a player has on a team’s defense. Using Basketball Value, the Celtics are 6.63 points tougher per 100 possessions on defense with Garnett than they are without him. Only Tim Duncan rates slightly higher at 6.82 among players who logged over 2,000 minutes. Yet, defense remains a tough statistical nut to crack and there are other factors as well.

“One thing that goes a little bit unnoticed, Kevin might be the best communicator in the NBA as far as the ability call out coverages, call out pick and rolls,” his former coach Flip Saunders said. “He’s unbelievable as far as a team defender. He may not have the spring he had when he was younger, he may not be quite as quick, but he’s so smart and his intelligence carries off to everyone else.”

His individual defense remains a work of art. There may not be a better technical post defender in the league than Garnett who uses everything from footwork to positioning to his own hyper-intensity to gain even the slightest tactical advantage. “If it was called the Defensive Most Valuable Player Award,” Rivers said. “I think Kevin Garnett should win it.”

This wasn’t quite the 2007-08 version of Garnett when he seriously challenged for the league’s MVP award, but it was as close to his pre-injury form as anyone could expect.

Garnett’s strong season has mostly flown under the radar, which is exactly how he likes it. But in many ways this has been his most eventful season with the Celtics. There was the Charlie Villanueva incident in December and the Channing Frye situation in January and in between was no small amount of minor skirmishes and staredowns.

Suns coach Alvin Gentry said publicly that he had lost respect for Garnett. Lakers coach Phil Jackson sniped from afar, and several other players joined the chorus. But Garnett, as Rivers said, played through it. If anything bothered him it was the notion that he was a dirty player. “I’m not that,” he said at the time.

Celtics president Danny Ainge fired back at Gentry, saying on WEEI that the coach wished he had players who played as hard as Garnett. He has support from other corners as well, notably from the people who know him best.

“In the old days, that’s how it always was,” Saunders said. “You’re not supposed to like the other team. You’re supposed to hate the guy you’re playing against, so Kevin’s going to find some way to motivate himself so when he steps on the floor the guy he’s playing against is his enemy. He’s going to go out there to try and destroy him. Some people might criticize it. I look at it as more of a compliment.”

In 2011, Garnett stands as the oldest of the old school. Among active players only Jason Kidd and Shaquille O’Neal have played more games, and only Kidd has logged more minutes in his career. There are almost as many broadcasters (three) as there are active players from his 1995 draft class (four) and only Antonio McDyess still counts as a meaningful contributor.

After 16 seasons, almost 1,200 games and well over 40,000 minutes, time is running out on Garnett. He is signed for just one more season beyond this one and he hinted way back in December that this could be it if there is a long lockout this summer.

Things change fast in this league, but if this is the final act of his career it’s fitting that a player like Garnett -- whose hallmark has always been consistent effort -- has recaptured what has made him great all these years.