Warning: Story contains coarse language
Former Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said his old team "broke" LeBron James on Wednesday's episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast."
During the episode, when Simmons said the Celtics felt like they could "break LeBron" after Game 5 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals, Garnett intimated that Boston won the mental battle with James two years earlier.
"We broke LeBron," said Garnett. "So get your ass out of here with that. Alright? You understand how he got to Cleveland, how he got to Miami, Bill? Remember that?"
In May 2010, the Celtics beat James and the heavily favored Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Two months later, James famously left Cleveland and took his talents to South Beach, teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat.
“We broke LeBron. So get your a** out of here with that.”
— The Ringer (@ringer) December 18, 2019
Watch to find out what exactly @KevinGarnett5KG is referencing. #BSPodcast pic.twitter.com/VwEfLwLyfj
In 2012, Boston squared off against LeBron and Co. in the iconic 2012 Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics, who had won a title in 2008 and still boasted a core of Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo, were undeterred by the equally star-studded "Heatles."
"The Cs, we didn't give a f--- about LeBron," Garnett added. "We didn't fear LeBron and we didn't think that he could beat all five of us. That's how I felt."
LeBron had the last laugh, however. In addition to Miami beating the Celtics in seven games (and then cruising past the Oklahoma City Thunder for the title), "King James" packed the stat sheet against Garnett's squad, averaging 33.6 points, 11 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game.
