Kevin Garnett plays for immortality

The greatest player in the world usually wins the NBA championship every year is an axiom that is true most of the time.

What does it mean to be the best in the world?

It's not measured statistically, though the stats can bear it out.

That player has to be at the top of his game, dominating the league while still finding a way to play within the team structure and lead his team at the same time.

Last year Tim Duncan was that man.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal each held that distinction in the Lakers three-peat years.

Before that it was Michael Jordan three times, Hakeem Olajuwon twice, and Jordan three times before that.

Kevin Garnett holds the title right now.

His season, which rightfully brought him his first MVP award, was a study in all of the qualifications necessary to be the best in the world.

He emerged as the best rebounder in the league, with only Ben Wallace coming close, but Wallace didn't have to worry about being a scorer like KG did.

Garnett was a shot blocking force, a dominant scorer, an inspirational leader, and the additions of players like Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell made his passing seem even sharper than it had ever been.

He does it all.

You can argue that Shaq is more dominant, Kobe is still the best clutch player in the game and Tim Duncan is perfect.

However, this was KG's year.

He played at an MVP level last year, and improved this year.

Shaq is still Shaq, but he is not the same player he was two or three years ago.

Kobe missed so much time due to injury, and though his great performance in Game 4 against the Spurs was as good as basketball gets, he isn't going out and grabbing games by the throat and taking over every night like he has the ability to.

Duncan might have deferred to teammates a little bit too much this year, and he seemed timid at times.

Right now Garnett is at the top, and he's draining big threes with the shot clock running down on the regular, just another bonus aspect to his scarily complete package.

Unfortunately, he has no experience beyond the first round, and now he finds himself in the third round going up against a team with an absolutely preposterous amount of that valuable experience.

The Lakers have Shaq, which always gives them a chance to win, and then the cold blooded Kobe who might be the most driven-to-win at all costs player since Jordan.

With Karl "The Mailman" and Gary "The Glove" Payton there too, the Lakers have much more than enough to overpower the best player at the top of his game.

Has any MVP ever had to do more to win that Garnett does now?

Allen Iverson was the MVP when he took Philly to the Finals, but Shaq was a better player then.

David Robinson won the MVP when it should have gone to Olajuwon, as Hakeem proved when they went one on one in the playoffs.

The same can be said when Charles Barkley led the Phoenix Suns against Jordan's Bulls or Malone against those Bulls version 2.0.

That's what KG is up against, made even more difficult with the injury to Sam Cassell.

Maybe the Lakers' team we see today was assembled just to be a test for the legacy of KG.

Garnett had the signature game of his career that all legends need to have.

In a Game 7, coming off of a below-average performance for him, he was amazing.

He took over and carried his team in the fourth quarter in countless ways.

He scored tough baskets. He hit big shots. He played hard nosed defense, rebounded and blocked shots.

Statistically he had more than 30 points and 20 rebounds, an awesome sight in the box score.

It brought him to the next level, but now he has to face a team that lives at that next level.

Even if uninterested, the Lakers are so used to winning that they expect into happen.

Games 1 and 2 of the Los Angeles-Minnesota series are over, and KG did not play particularly well in the first one, but he was big in the second one.

The series is tied at one a piece heading to the Los Angeles home court, where wins are hard to come by for visitors.

A moment will occur when KG has to earn his spot in the history of the game, because he is now working to cement his legend every time he steps onto a court.

He could be remembered as the most complete player ever to play, but he still has a lot of work to do.

Taking down four Hall of Famers in one shot is a beautiful start.

He has to lead his team to a win in one of the games in L.A.

Going down 3-1 in a seven game series to this team is too much to overcome, especially for a team with the injury problems that the Timberwolves have.

Garnett has proven that he is the best player in the game today and had that special performance in a Game 7 that the world can remember him by for a long time.

However, now is the time for his greatness to make sure his name truly lingers forever.

Once Derek Fisher's shot went in for Los Angeles, the general consensus of the basketball viewing public was that the Lakers had their next title locked up.

KG needs to step to the forefront and override that certainty.

Imagine if Dominique Wilkins had actually carried his Atlanta Hawks past Larry Bird's Celtics in their legendary 1988 playoff showdown.

Dominique would be remembered today as so much more than just a dunker.

If Garnett can find a way to lead this undermanned group against the four Hall of Famers, he will achieve basketball immortality.

It won't be easy, because the always dangerous Bryant has at least one 35-to 50-point explosion lurking inside of him and O'Neal already has proven that he can overpower Minnesota's inferior centers.

Malone is desperate to win the title and will become even more physical with Garnett, using all of his dirty tricks, while Payton will emerge and exploit Cassell and Minnesota's point guard problem.

It is up to KG to overcome all of this and secure an improbable series victory, ruining the Lakers experiment, launching Minnesota to the NBA title and writing his own name in the history books.